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Built an incubator last weekend - first time - using a large Coleman cooler with 11"heat tape, water bottles to dissapate the heat and egg crate to put boxes on. Also have a Herpstat thermostat hooked to the heat tape.

My problem seems to be getting the temperature up to 88/89 degrees inside the cooler. The Herpstat is currently set at 99 - the termometer probe placed on the egg crate only reads 84 - its been set up and running since Sunday.

How can I get the temp inside the cooler to get to a consistent 88/89 degress level? I don't want to raise the Herpstat temp - I think 99 is too high?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

You might not have enough heat tape to raise the temperature high enough? Double check with temp gun your temps make sure your tape and thermostat are working correctly as well.
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Tosha
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Don't put the probe on the tape - I have mine close to the top of the tub(center). I have a acurite thermometer on one side and the probe on the other and they are less than 1/2 a degree off the set temp of 88.5.

My cooler has one ft of 11in heat tape, a layer of water bottles to keep the temps up. I have a fan in the middle blowing downward so the hot air is pulled down from the top and pushed out to the sides to cycle.

One ft of tape will heat a cooler - I'm going on my third season with mine.....

you can never have enough heat element in an incubator, to put it simple...the more heat element (flexwatt, heatmatt, heat cable)inside the quicker the temperature will stablize and the less your thermostat has to work.

a fan is always a good idea as it helps keep the air circulating.

also another thing to keep in mind is that no thermostat is 100% accurate....all have a tolerance...some worse than others. so it's best to have a couple temp readers in the incubator at different locations to give you a better idea of what your temps are like.

can you post pics of your setup?

Pitoon

>>Built an incubator last weekend - first time - using a large Coleman cooler with 11"heat tape, water bottles to dissapate the heat and egg crate to put boxes on. Also have a Herpstat thermostat hooked to the heat tape.
>>
>>My problem seems to be getting the temperature up to 88/89 degrees inside the cooler. The Herpstat is currently set at 99 - the termometer probe placed on the egg crate only reads 84 - its been set up and running since Sunday.
>>
>>How can I get the temp inside the cooler to get to a consistent 88/89 degress level? I don't want to raise the Herpstat temp - I think 99 is too high?
>>
>>Any help will be appreciated.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Jim
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I am going to have to disagree with you on this - the more heating element you put in the more likely you will fry everything in the incubator if your thermostat fails. I use just enough heat to get it to 89-90 and use water bottles for thermal mass. It regains the proper temperature very quickly.

Eggs can take dips in temps a lot easier than spikes……..

.....if your thermostat fails, your heating element should turn off, as it gets it's power via the thermostat.

.....if the thermostat fails one should be worried about "not" having power to power the heating element(s).

now if the relay (on/off thermostat) gets stuck for some uncertain reason then yes the heating element will continue produce heat....electronic (pulse thermostat) provides the current needed to power the heating element.

Pitoon

>>I am going to have to disagree with you on this - the more heating element you put in the more likely you will fry everything in the incubator if your thermostat fails. I use just enough heat to get it to 89-90 and use water bottles for thermal mass. It regains the proper temperature very quickly.
>>
>>Eggs can take dips in temps a lot easier than spikes……..
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I place the probe in the egg container.

Rich

>>.....if your thermostat fails, your heating element should turn off, as it gets it's power via the thermostat.
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>>.....if the thermostat fails one should be worried about "not" having power to power the heating element(s).

If the thermostat fail, unfortunately there is chance that won't turn off, but keep heating.

What if the probe get disconnected ? or cable cut ? have you tested it ?

I think that if the Thermostat Fail, I have more chance of getting it. The room is probably heated, so even if everything goes down, the water should hold the temperature high for sometime and even if then, the temperature should be in the 80's, so eggs shouldn't die. But if your power goes all the way on, you will fry your eggs and there is no "go back" in these case.

Better go lower than higher.
I prefer to have my heating elements work at 50% than 10%, afterall, at 10% it's a waste of flexwatt (not cheap)
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Jim,

How long is flexwatt? You said 11", but I do not recall a length? Also, what are the demensions inside the cooler? Did you put the flexwatt on the top, side or bottom?

The herpstat has an offset feature, are you sure you do not have a 10 degree offset or something?

Please post a picture(s) and describe how you wired it up and what you used, ie; clips or solder to matt, did you scrap enoough of the coating off the flexwatt rails? This can act like an insulator.

Please includ pics and as much detail as you can.

Alan