Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[jon_g]

[Dracowoman2]

Now I just need to get your fridge for you to install it into Bri I have to admit I cheated rather slightly, I happen to have 2 x 230watt/volt (always confuse the two) that came out of a couple of Hovabators I have, one is installed in the quickly thrown together conti bator and is doing a grand job, I just wired it into a connector block and then stuck a cable and plug out the other end and plugged it in. Have to say my homemade jobbie is a damn sight more stable than the hovabators When I build the monster bator double door drinks fridge I plan to use both of these fans, on will go at the top to suck the air through and the other will go at the bottom blow the air up, and I will install a full baffle system behind them for the heating, this way the hot air that rises will get sucked out of the main area and pushed against the heating area then the bottom fan will suck the warm air out of the heating section and push it back up again. In theory this will be rediculously stable with all the other little tweaks applied and should prevent any hot/cold spots, so the entire system should sit at exactly the pre-set temperature. I do rather like the idea of using a dimming switch though to be able to control the speed the fans turn at. So glad also we have an electrician in the family that way he can give me precise instructions and the other half won't be able to almost fry himself for the 3rd time!! He's not allowed sharp objects either now, or up ladders

Oh god I've droned again
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[Bri.]

Hiya Claire.
Now that was my next question...how to fit the fans in relation to the heat mat and how to ensure adequate heat circulation.

I'd intended mounting the heat mat against the back wall. Over this fitting a wooden panel with an inch or two gap between the wood and the mat. The wooden panel would hold the fans, one at the top and one at the bottom. Hot air rises, so had intended the sucking fan to be at the top and the blowing one at the bottom.

But how to fit the panel without damaging the fridge ? I'd considered a couple of battens glued into place with no more nails, and then fitting the panel to these. The battens should provide the spacing required between the heat mat and the wooden panel. The heat mat will heat the air in this space, and the fans will circulate it around the main body of the fridge.

OK, when did I lose everyone with all my waffling ????

[Dracowoman2]

I understood that perfectly Bri I would also suggest maybe putting a piano hinge on the one side so that you would be able to get to the heatmat just in case of any issues I was planning on doing this on the side of mine, and possibly even on the outside, so basically I would build the baffle chamber down the side and put holes through into the unit itself, thus saving some space on the inside of the bator and making the workings easy to get to just in case anything needed adjusting. The fans would be mounted over or in the holes and sealed with silicon. I can then mount all the thermostats and controls on the outside of the baffle and keep all the cables neat and tidy (I hope). I may even install a low wattage light inside just so that viewing the eggs is easier, I get fed up of winding the torch all the time at the moment

I'll get in touch with the yard again this week and see if there are any developments on the fridge front, as things are getting a LITTLE desperate at this end now, and I need to get the new bator built and calibrated!!
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[Bri.]

Would you insulate the box on the outside, or rely on the thickness of the wood to prevent the air cooling or heat passing through into the outside air ?

As to the light, why not disable the switch that turns the fridge light on when you open the door. Wouldn't that mean the light is permanently on ?

OK, next one. What about switching the fans off when you open the door ? You don't want all that warm air being pumped out by the fans. What about a switch in reverse of the fridge light ? While the door is closed the circuit is complete. When it is open the circuit is broken. OR, just having a switch on the outside that you can throw when you want to open the door ?

[Bri.]

Success !!!

Cut one wire, fit cable grips to both the cut ends and then fit a micro reed switch. Works perfectly. The fans run when the switch is pressed down and cut off when you let it go

Problem solved.....next !!!

[Dracowoman2]

And for your next trick world peace and this weeks lottery numbers

Now you just need to test it in a fridge, and on that subject I should be going down to organise them tomorrow, apparently they have 6 put aside for me to choose the ones I want I just need to negotiate with the guy with the transit to get them back here

Anyway, I’ll get to answering other questions ASAP only I’m currently have to type everything in word as I can’t get the forum page to stay stable
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[Bri.]

Did worldast week and no one noticed I'm going to try world domination next, much more interesting !!!

On the subject of the fans...the next step is to add a potentiometer to the circuit and see if I can regulate the rate of air flow.

[Bri.]

hhhmmm just tried a 1K mini potentiometer that I had from another project. Don't think I had much success if the smell of burning and smoke was any thing to go by.