In early 2017, I decided to begin a rebuild of the BinBator and use a cooler for the body. If anyone else wants to try using a bin as I did in the last article in this series, I highly recommend screwing a piece of wood on the back to screw the thermostat onto rather than putting it over the insulation. I believe the sides were too flexible, which made the microswitch slip and not turn the lights off/on well after a period of time. I was having 5*F temperature swings before I discontinued its use. The supplies in this article—except for the cooler—were re-used from the BinBator.
Linked below are some articles and videos that may be helpful.
Rush Lane Poultry's Video Series
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
This video series is almost solely what I used to come up with the plans for my first build. The wiring schematics and the element locations are based directly off of this video. I highly recommend watching it if you are building a tabletop incubator of a similar shape. On the off chance that the videos have been deleted in the future, I will still include diagrams for wiring in this article.
Building the BinBator
This was my first, cheapest incubator build and the incubator that directly preceded this one. Most of the supplies for this build have been re-used from the original BinBator.
Cabinet BinBator
This is the build I made when I outgrew standard tabletop models. It has a capacity high enough that I cannot see a future in which I will need another incubator for the pre-lockdown period. This is a good choice for large backyard operations.
MiniBator
These large tabletop models can be excessive for hatching only a few eggs. I built this incubator with that in mind.
DIY Cabinet Incubator
This thread is what I based my cabinet incubator off of. It may seem overwhelming at first, but if you pay attention and break down the wiring and installation into discrete pieces it will seem more manageable. Building an incubator is not difficult!
Tools
Lid cut out with a jigsaw, plexiglass cut to size with a mitre saw and hot-glued into place.
Holes for the sockets cut out using a hole saw.
I lined the edges with duck tape for a cleaner look.
Sockets hot glued into place.
Front view of bulb sockets, thermostat, and fan. I hot glued the fan in, no idea if it'll hold but it's worth a try. (Later update: I never had any issues with this. It worked well for the entire lifespan of the incubator.)
This cooler has a really deep lid, which is why I can get away with the bulbs so close to the top.
Here's a sketch of how the wires are connected. This setup is created from the wiring method used in the Rush Lane Poultry video links used above. Note that I am not an electrician and cannot verify the safety of this, but I have personally have no issues with following this setup in the many years my incubators have been active. Both black wires are connected to one of the thermostat wires, and the other thermostat wire is connected to one side of the extension cord. Both white wires are spliced with the second side of the extension cord. The side of the extension cord with the wide plug is the ground or neutral side. The smaller one indicates the hot wire.
Purple = fan wire
Green = adapter wire
Blue = white wire
Yellow = thermostat wire/extension
Brown = black wire
Orange = extension cord
If you wish to see a more fluid compilation of wiring this incubator style, refer to the Rush Lane Poultry video links at the beginning of this article. They have a very nice step-by-step view of the entire process.
Wiring all done up.
This image shows how much room there is once the lid is on. If you have a lower lid and install at this height you'll likely need baffles.
I have a test run going with 40-watt bulbs in it. The temperature is 100* and stable, but the lights have a 15 second on/30 off cycle so I might reduce the wattage of the lightbulbs. I will update once I set and hatch eggs in here.
7/30/17 Update
I set shipped duck eggs in here and got a 57% hatch rate. Not half bad, and I'm pleased with temperature stability.
2018 Update
The average hatch rate for non-shipped eggs in this incubator was 97%. I have no complaints with this incubator.
Upgrade #1
I drilled holes in the lid for the same water tubing system I had in the BinBator. I also drilled holes in the bottom corners to drain out the water that condenses inside the lid during lockdown.
Upgrade #2
I used a hack saw to cut a slit for a tray made out of C&C cubing cut to size and zip-tied together. The intention is that I can put water for lockdown under it. The bottom is warped as well, which causes eggs to roll around; this should circumvent it.
After this last upgrade in 2019, I began having temperature stability issues, partly from the floor being raised closer to the bulbs and partly from the slit in the side, I believe. It got to the point where the hot and cold spots were so discrete that I could only set about six eggs at a time. Frustration with this led me to rebuild my incubator one final time as the Cabinet BinBator.
Linked below are some articles and videos that may be helpful.
Rush Lane Poultry's Video Series
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
This video series is almost solely what I used to come up with the plans for my first build. The wiring schematics and the element locations are based directly off of this video. I highly recommend watching it if you are building a tabletop incubator of a similar shape. On the off chance that the videos have been deleted in the future, I will still include diagrams for wiring in this article.
Building the BinBator
This was my first, cheapest incubator build and the incubator that directly preceded this one. Most of the supplies for this build have been re-used from the original BinBator.
Cabinet BinBator
This is the build I made when I outgrew standard tabletop models. It has a capacity high enough that I cannot see a future in which I will need another incubator for the pre-lockdown period. This is a good choice for large backyard operations.
MiniBator
These large tabletop models can be excessive for hatching only a few eggs. I built this incubator with that in mind.
DIY Cabinet Incubator
This thread is what I based my cabinet incubator off of. It may seem overwhelming at first, but if you pay attention and break down the wiring and installation into discrete pieces it will seem more manageable. Building an incubator is not difficult!
Tools
- Jigsaw
- Utility knife
- Mitre saw
- Drill
- 3/16" bit
- Wire strippers
- Hole saw
- One cooler
- Two light sockets
- Two light bulbs—25 to 60 watts
- 60+ CFM computer/gaming fan
- 12v AC/DC adapter
- Extension cord
- 8 x 11 sheet of plexiglass/plastic
- One wafer thermostat assembly
- Assorted wire nuts
- Wire extension for the thermostat wires
- Duct tape
- Hot glue / liquid nails / gasket sealer
- Electrical tape
Lid cut out with a jigsaw, plexiglass cut to size with a mitre saw and hot-glued into place.
Holes for the sockets cut out using a hole saw.
I lined the edges with duck tape for a cleaner look.
Sockets hot glued into place.
Front view of bulb sockets, thermostat, and fan. I hot glued the fan in, no idea if it'll hold but it's worth a try. (Later update: I never had any issues with this. It worked well for the entire lifespan of the incubator.)
This cooler has a really deep lid, which is why I can get away with the bulbs so close to the top.
Here's a sketch of how the wires are connected. This setup is created from the wiring method used in the Rush Lane Poultry video links used above. Note that I am not an electrician and cannot verify the safety of this, but I have personally have no issues with following this setup in the many years my incubators have been active. Both black wires are connected to one of the thermostat wires, and the other thermostat wire is connected to one side of the extension cord. Both white wires are spliced with the second side of the extension cord. The side of the extension cord with the wide plug is the ground or neutral side. The smaller one indicates the hot wire.
Purple = fan wire
Green = adapter wire
Blue = white wire
Yellow = thermostat wire/extension
Brown = black wire
Orange = extension cord
If you wish to see a more fluid compilation of wiring this incubator style, refer to the Rush Lane Poultry video links at the beginning of this article. They have a very nice step-by-step view of the entire process.
Wiring all done up.
This image shows how much room there is once the lid is on. If you have a lower lid and install at this height you'll likely need baffles.
I have a test run going with 40-watt bulbs in it. The temperature is 100* and stable, but the lights have a 15 second on/30 off cycle so I might reduce the wattage of the lightbulbs. I will update once I set and hatch eggs in here.
7/30/17 Update
I set shipped duck eggs in here and got a 57% hatch rate. Not half bad, and I'm pleased with temperature stability.
2018 Update
The average hatch rate for non-shipped eggs in this incubator was 97%. I have no complaints with this incubator.
Upgrade #1
I drilled holes in the lid for the same water tubing system I had in the BinBator. I also drilled holes in the bottom corners to drain out the water that condenses inside the lid during lockdown.
Upgrade #2
I used a hack saw to cut a slit for a tray made out of C&C cubing cut to size and zip-tied together. The intention is that I can put water for lockdown under it. The bottom is warped as well, which causes eggs to roll around; this should circumvent it.
After this last upgrade in 2019, I began having temperature stability issues, partly from the floor being raised closer to the bulbs and partly from the slit in the side, I believe. It got to the point where the hot and cold spots were so discrete that I could only set about six eggs at a time. Frustration with this led me to rebuild my incubator one final time as the Cabinet BinBator.
