How to Wire an Electronic Incubator

Incubators are containers that keep their interior space warm. Often this temperature is appropriate for things such as egg hatching. Incubators are commonly used by people who raise chicks. The warm incubator replaces the mother chicken in the hatching process. Typically, the mother chicken will sit on the eggs to keep them warm, but the incubator can encourage hatching with the same level of warmth. Wiring your own electronic incubator can be a do-it-yourself project.

Things You'll Need

  • Towel
  • Plywood
  • Plywood incubator
  • Hole saw
  • Wire strippers
  • Screwdriver
  • Marker
  • Light socket
  • Lightbulb connector nut
  • 100-watt lightbulb
  • Wire (household electrical)
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Place a towel on a flat surface on which you will be comfortable working.

    • 2

      Lay the plywood incubator on the towel. The front of the incubator should face downward.

    • 3

      Mark the location where the lightbulb will be placed on the incubator. Hold the bulb up against the back of the incubator with the threaded bulb base facing the incubator. Trace the outline of the bulb base.

    • 4

      Cut the traced hole with a hole saw.

    • 5

      Sit the incubator upright.

    • 6

      Insert the threaded part of the bulb through the hole from the inside out.

    • 7

      Twist the lightbulb connector nut around the threaded portion of the bulb that is on the exterior of the incubator.

    • 8

      Feed wire through the threaded connector of the lightbulb.

    • 9

      Strip one end of the wire. Remove 3/4 inch of insulation from the end of the wire with wire strippers.

    • 10

      Separate approximately 2 inches of the wires that are now exposed. The wire that is smooth is the hot wire. The wire that is ribbed is the ground wire.

    • 11

      Loosen the screws on the light socket with a screwdriver. Insert the ground and hot wires into the wire holders on the light socket. Tighten the screws once again.

    • 12

      Connect the light socket to the threaded connector of the lightbulb. Secure it in place with the connector nut on the inside of the incubator.

    • 13

      Screw the lightbulb into the large round hole of the connector socket. Turn it clockwise until you feel resistance. Do not overtighten the bulb.

    • 14

      Plug the power cord of the incubator into an electrical outlet and turn it on.

    • 15

      Allow the incubator to remain on for at least a day to create a stable temperature.