Parts List
- Large, stand-alone charcoal BBQ from Menards in Superior Wisconson.
- 110 Volt 1000 Watt electric hotplatefrom Menards in Superior Wisconson.
- 110 Volt 1000 Watt Dimmer from Home Depot in Thunder Baq.
- Electrical cord salvaged from a damaged extension cord that I saved for just such a handy purpose.
- Digital meat thermometer. I saw it while browsing
that place that reminds us of a perpetual yard sale, Homesense.
* Well, the 1000 Watt heater can sure put out the heat. We had to set the control on the hotplate to "low" and then try to manage fine tuning the temperature with the 100 Watt Dimmer. I can tell you that takes a couple of days of constant monitering to get the temperature just right. Because the weather is supposed to be getting warmer we set up this incubator in the basement so it won't be able to easily get too warm.
* The meat thermometer proves to be 4C colder than a previously used aquarium thermometer so we have to set it for between 41C and 43C as best we can.
Construction Details:
We purchased this fine incubator (aka BBQ) at Menards in Superior Wisconson. It is well made and of sturdy construction. Dara went off to work for the day and I assembled it while she was away.
The 110V 1000W hotplate fits nicely in the bottom of the incubator with room to spare. It has a temperature control knob so we will be able to set the maximum runaway temperature with it. Whatever setting we settle on will eventually be secured with a glue gun so that the knob will stay set on that one position.
Owing to the problem with new chicks getting their heads stuck in the bars of the grill on the last incubator, we elected to attach 1/2" hardware cloth from Home Depot to the "bottom" of the grill. Our original design had hardware cloth on top but the eggs roll around much too easily so now we want it on the bottom. Hopefully the eggs will sit nicely on the bars of the grill.
We used a pair of side cutters to cut a piece of hardware cloth large
enough to cover the entire grill. While it is still square in shape it
gets attached to the grill with thin wire sometimes referred to as
"stovepipe wire"
After the hardware cloth was attached securely, the side cutters were again put to good use to cut off anything that sticks out past the round edges of the grill.
This is a shot of the modified grill along with the tools and the wire that were used.
The hotplate is in position and the modified grill has been installed. A shot of the backside of the 110V 1000W dimmer is shown in this picture.
Now you can see the front of the 110V 1000W dimmer. All we need now is a deep electrical box for the dimmer. Likely, we will choose a plastic box for an extra measure of safety from electrical shock. The dimmer will allow for fine adjustment from zero on up to the maximum that is set by the hotplate control. We will make marks with the "Sharpie" to make the temperature adjustment somewhat repeatable.
We still have to install the digital thermometer that we purchased at Homesense.
We drilled a hole in the top cover for the probe. Using silicone sealer
to glue the probe into place worked well. All we had to do was temporarily
secure the probe while the silicone had a chance to cure. 200 Mph
tape Duct Tape and an elastic band did the trick for us.
So that the probe stayed at the top level of the average egg while the silicone cured, we used a box of matches sitting on the grill to rest it upon when the lid was closed.
The Dimmer has been wired and installed into the deep plastic box that we purchased at Canadian Tire.
A stovepipe adaptor for 6" - 7" stovepipe was also purchased at Canadian Tire from the woodstove supplies. This is used as a chimney to create powerful convection currents to distribute the heat evenly. An added advantage is it also keeps newly hatched chicks from venturing over top of the hottest area in the incubator.
The long line from the thermometer probe is held in place with
200 Mph tape Duct Tape and the digital readout itself is
held in place with the magnet that comes mounted on the back of it. The
number on the left is the temp. inside and on the right is the alarm temp.
We purposely set the alarm high since nobody can hear it anyway. The vent
that is one the lid of the BBQ is just left closed. It leaks enough fresh
air to keep rotten eggs from poisoning the rest and if it didn't we would
have to drill some tiny holes.
Here we are, ready to go with 36 eggs that we are trying to hatch for a friend of ours. Notice that the eggs have to be arranged to avoid being hit by the thermometer probe. A group shot (even a lowly egg wants 15 minutes of fame) and then close the lid and wait for the temperature to come up.