Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was lucky enough to pick up a free coke cooler and I want to convert it to an egg incubator. It is about 6 feet tall and 30 inches wide. I plan on running 11 inch flexwatt on the inside and control it with a herpstat. My question is...how much flexwatt do I need to install? Any other tips are greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks

that is tough to know depending on the setup and insulation my guess would be alot because keeping the temps up would require alot of heat (does it have a glass door or solid door glass is not insulated so go more, you can always go less later)
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spider m
pastel f
pastel m
high c albino m
het for albino m
het for albino f
cini f
rodent breeding setup
and still growing

It's in the garage here in southern california. It has a glass door. Pic attached. Sorry its sideways.

that would make a sweet incubator for sure even has reptiles on the side sobe,good luck with it
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spider m
pastel f
pastel m
high c albino m
het for albino m
het for albino f
cini f
rodent breeding setup
and still growing

also the more u have in there the quicker the stat would cycle on and off which keeps the temps more consistant if you dont have enough the temp would probably take longer to heat back up just a thought
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spider m
pastel f
pastel m
high c albino m
het for albino m
het for albino f
cini f
rodent breeding setup
and still growing

It's hard to say for sure because there are a lot of factors involved, a big one being what the ambient room temp is where the incubator is.

My guess and advice would be to run two rows of 11" flexwatt down the entire back of the system and install a fan or two to help push the air down and up to keep it moving. The two runs of flexwatt may or may not be needed, but if it's not, at least you would have a backup in place in case one failed, and it's fairly cheap to purchase.

Nice system. GL.

Brandon
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www.geckobabies.com

use 2 side by side 4 ft pieces taped to the back of the cooler. Use aluminum tape around the entire perimeter.

Make sure whatever fan you use does not generate too much heat. I use a small desk fan with a SMALL magnet. Hang Herpstat sender in the middle of cooler. I cook at 87.

Your unit looks similar to mine in size -- a Dasani water cooler!!! Good Luck!!!!
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Bill Buchman

I have a double door cooler that I converted. I used 4-4ft stripes of 11in flexwatt. I have two multi speed fans(3-4 inch computer style fans)to circulate the air. One fan is high and angled down an the other is on the oppisite side angled up. I have a Helix DBS1000 controling the heat and a digital thermometer as a safegaurd just so I can verify the temps are where it needs to be at a quick glance.
If you have any other questions you can contact me, and I would be happy to help you with any questions. twistedconstrictors@yahoo.com

Good luck with your incubator
Shawn
Twisted Constrictors

I can send you pics of mine, works great, you may want to consider using a heat panel instead of tape, send your email adress and i will send you a few pics, George

Her is one pic, Radiant Heat Panel, stainless steel water tray, computer fan. These work well, any questions feel free to ask, George

Ok, so the inside measurements are 44" X 22" X 19". Also, I can turn the circulating fan on in the cooler and not have the cooling system on. Will this do for circulation or should I have a fan at the bottom on the cooler too?

I found that the original fan on the fridge runs a bit hot and i was worried about too much heat. I removed everything on mine and used small computer fans. They run alot cooler and are more efficient.

Hi I just upgraded to the same size coke fridge single glass door. I used 4 ft of 11 in flexwatt on the side, with 2 fans and a herpstat. I have been testing temps out and they have been holding steady at 88 with .5 /-. I'll try to get you some pics.

Pat
Action Reptiles

Just one column of 4 feet of 11 inch Flexwatt?

Yeah just one 4ft stripe on the side with one fan on the top pointing down and the other on the opposite side pointing up. Seems to be working fine.

I just let the fan that is part of the cooler run for a couple hours and it got the cooler up to 79-80F.

I didn't use the fan built in because it raised the temps inside to high and they were fluctuating to much so I just use 2 computer fans.