Incubator built

If possible I try to keep my brewing stuff out of the house and in the basement. But that has been challenging in the winter when it is only 15 C (60 F) and I’m trying to propagate ale yeast. What I needed to build was an temp controlled enclosure and I was planning this for a while but never got around to getting started until I saw a cabinet on the side of the road that would be perfect.

The completed incubator. It's hanging a bit high, but I wanted it out of the way since my fermentation room is not all that big.

All I had to do is to cut off the base, line it with insulation, install a PID and outlets.  Two of which are controlled by the PID and the others are always on. I got the PID a while back on Ebay. It is holding the temperature steady but somehow the temp probe seems to be off by not only an offset but also by its slope. Unfortunately there is very little documentation on this unit. I simply added another digital thermometer to check the actual temperature.

The inside, showing the outlets and the heating pad

PID and back-up thermometer. I don' fully trust that the PID is showing the correct temperature. But it is holding the temperature steady.

Heat is provided by a heating pad that doesn’t have automatic shut-off. I plan to use two heating pads to cover the bottom once I found a suitable grate that keeps the flasks and stirrers suspended above the heating pads.

3 thoughts on “Incubator built

  1. Cool looking build. For the grate, have you thought about egg crate diffusers for fluorescent lights? You can find sheets of them that can be cut to size at most big box home building supply stores.

    • I have considered the fluorescent light diffusers, but found them too expensive at the time. Maybe I’ll have to check again. They are also not very stable and I would have to add multiple supports. Unfortunately the inside width is 11 inches and the narrowest grates for shelving are 12 inches wide.

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