Incubator

[Adam Chandler]

I use a Herpstat. I would also recommend RBI's Vivariums. They are both great thermostats.

I converted my incubator from a old fridge. I documented the process here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ull-Incubator!

[Kaorte]

One word: herpstat!

It is worth the money. Buy one.

[jon7]

If it's anything like the other herpstats it should be a rock solid investment for an incubator.

So you want quality for cheap?
I don't believe that's possible, when looking for a thermostat you get what you pay for

One can wish.. lol. I didnt think it was gonna happen like that. Just looking for input

[kitedemon]

Incubators need accurate and consistent temps on off types in a small space like a mini fridge just won't do. The cheapest proportional unit is the herpstat intro. It is less than all it's competitors and has additional safety features none of the competitors have. The t-stat that is being suggested is the cheapest. You could try maternal incubation if your enclosure is perfectly set up.


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[kitedemon]

I'm actually thinking of getting the Herpstat intro. Has anyone used this one? Any comments on it?

I had one in my hand last week (a friend bought one) the unit is small, really small, and the front mounting is great if you have a place for this and a bit of a odd issue if not. The soft start is a great function (common to all herpstats on the new series) it slowly brings power up after a interruption in electricity rather than hitting max power straight away. This is a valuable feature in any thin wall enclosure (tub) or incubator. It is a dimming proportional unit rather than a pulse it feathers power rather than cycle on off rapidly. Some claim this to be more accurate but in my experience (HS4 and pros) both have such a high degree of accuracy that if there is a difference I can't isolate it. It has a night drop feature that is a grand thing. Royals don't need a night time decrease in temps but if you set the clock 12 hours incorrect 8 pm over 8 am 'night drop' become a day drop. This can be used in rooms that commonly experience a decrease in temps over night and be used to compensate. The ramping feature can be used to make a clean easy transition between the night temp and day temp. The only down side would be the max wattage of 350 but in a single or small rack it is not likely you will hit the max anyway. It is similar to the Ve200D with the night drop module added. (140$) It has the additional soft heat and ramping on top. The power cord is loads long and the probe accurate and very long cord (almost too long, never thought I'd say that any electronic thing would have a cord too long....) It is one serious unit for a bargain basement price.

[don15681]

be careful in the fan that you use in a small incubator. I have a fan that run off of 115 volts, the fan that I use in my small incubator is about the size of a computer fan. but since it's an ac fan not a dc fan, it will heat up the inside of my incubator. I have a dimmer switch on it to control the speed of the fan. and in the summer if I run it 100% power, it will heat my incubator up over 92 degrees. my big glass door coke cooler doesn't have this problem as it's way too big for a fan to effect the temps much. in a small incubator go with a dc fan. hope this helps! don

[kitedemon]

Don that makes a lot of sense, I never thought about that either, thank you.

[Annarose15]

be careful in the fan that you use in a small incubator. I have a fan that run off of 115 volts, the fan that I use in my small incubator is about the size of a computer fan. but since it's an ac fan not a dc fan, it will heat up the inside of my incubator. I have a dimmer switch on it to control the speed of the fan. and in the summer if I run it 100% power, it will heat my incubator up over 92 degrees. my big glass door coke cooler doesn't have this problem as it's way too big for a fan to effect the temps much. in a small incubator go with a dc fan. hope this helps! don

My first year, I found that my incubator had trouble staying cool enough when the house temps got warmer from the constant running of my ac fan, too. I plugged the fan into the same Herpstat that controls the flexwatt, and the problem went away, with no new layering of temperature zones.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

Herpstat...

I just got my incubator together a few weeks ago. I used a wine cooler with a glass door.

I only plan on 3-4 clutches this year, so it should do me well for now. Mine had a light inside, so it already had 120v and I just left the light installed. I put a small power strip mounted to the bottom where the compressor was removed. I got myself a small 120v AC to 12v DC wall inverter. They are like $10 and will handle a few 120mm 12v DC fans easily.... like this:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXL353&P=7

I cut the alligator clips off and wired the striped wire (+) to a rheostat. Just wire the (-) wire to the (-) on your 12v DC fan(s), and the (+) wire from your fan(s) to the output of the rheostat. I only needed one 120mm fan, but if you have a large incubator two may be nice. Get some nice liquid ball bearing fans like these.... they are very quiet and reliable. I have had 4 of them running on a rheostat in my computer for over 5 years 24/7/365. Scythe is one of the best names in cooling fans. Get fans rated for more than you think you will need. That way you can slow them down with the rheostat if you determine you have too much airflow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185150

Now.... I have a Herpstat 1 with a cheap Zilla as a failsafe. I also have a remote thermometer/hygrometer sensor inside. The sensor is one shelf lower than the Herpstat sensor and is within ~1F, so I consider that pretty good. Herpstat 88.5F, remote sensor 87.4F/73% RH. Tubs have slight condensation inside so I'm sure they are good. I used a mix of equal parts of Perlite, fine Vermiculite and coarse Vermiculite with a light diffuser supported by 1/2" PVC couplers.

All AC components are plugged into the powerstrip, which is then plugged into a battery backup power supply in the event of a power failure. The battery backup should run the incubator for several hours in the event of a power outage. My Flexwatt is only about 60w and the fan is ~3w where I have it set with the rheostat. I know I have a battery backup for my computer which draws ~400w and it will run that for about 2 hours of internet surfing.... no games or heavy graphics.

There you have it!!

The rheostat is mounted on the far bottom left in the first photo. You can see the power strip with all AC components and the adapter linked above plugged in to power the DC fan.

[jon7]

Awesome guys! just the advise i was looking for!. I got time to build it. But when i do i will post pics!