Incubator Question

[MasonC2K]

What size flex watt would be best for heating a 150qt cooler? Would laying 3 in down the middle length wise work?

Thanks.

[adamsky27]

I think three inches would be too small. The smaller the flexwatt the harder it has to work to keep the temps up in the incubator. Do you have any 11 inch sitting around? It would heat up much faster and wouldn't have to run as much as the three inch.

[MasonC2K]

I think three inches would be too small. The smaller the flexwatt the harder it has to work to keep the temps up in the incubator. Do you have any 11 inch sitting around? It would heat up much faster and wouldn't have to run as much as the three inch.

I don't have any of any size yet. That's why I am asking. I didn't know if 3 was not enough or if 11 was too much.

I plan to lay it lengthwise on the bottom so the heat radiates up.

[joebad976]

I built an incubator with a 150qt cooler and I used 3ft of 11in heat tape.

[R&DP]

I would use 11" unless you have eggs coming soon. In that case, I would run two strips of the of the 3" if you have enough. I think 11" would be better, if you have time to order it.

[ClarkT]

Watts are Watts.... If I have 3" flexwatt that puts out 10W per foot vs. 11" flexwatt that puts out 10W per foot, the BTUs delivered will be the exact same. Just throwing numbers out there, I don't remember how many watts/foot they each are. All I'm saying is that just because its physical size is larger doesn't mean it will put out more heat. A larger footprint just means it distributes that amount of heat in a larger area.

[RestlessRobie]

X3 11inch felxwatt for you incubator 2-4 feet should do it and it will help keep your temps more stable with less work

[SlitherinSisters]

Be careful how much you put in the bator, you can put too much. I had 4 strips of 3'' in my bator to try out, but my helix couldn't keep the temps down. I would try just one strip and see where that gets you.