MAKING A HOMEMADE INCUBATOR PLUS
MAKING A HOMEMADE INCUBATOR PROFESSIONAL

MAKING A HOMEMADE INCUBATOR PLUS

Plus the design doesn’t allow for accurate temperature control. For one, the small size means it’s only good for one petri dish at a time. While this is a quick, simple, and cheap option, it does have its downsides. Holes in the smaller container allow the heat into the chamber, atop which sits the petri dish.Ī small hole in the top of the chamber allows for insertion of a thermometer.Īluminum reflective tape is added to the outside of the chamber to protect the agar and bacteria from the heat from the lamp. A rectangular hole cut in the bottom (when overturned) of both containers lets in heat from the source (a lamp). One container is larger than the other with the larger one stacked on top. This involves making a simple chamber out of two overturned plastic containers (for example, yogurt or sour cream containers). This incubator is very straightforward and inexpensive to make. We’ll start with one of the most simplistic designs we discovered. Here, we take a look at some of the top “instructables” for creating a lab incubator, examining some of the pros and cons of each.

MAKING A HOMEMADE INCUBATOR PROFESSIONAL

The costs associated with these designs vary but are relatively low when compared with prices of professional equipment. A simple Google search will deliver multiple viable results to help you make your very own lab incubator. And instructions for creating lab incubators abound. Indeed, we are seeing a trend of open source lab equipment with folks DIYing everything from magnetic stirrers to rotovaps. The answer is yes, for some applications, you may be able to use a makeshift lab incubator that you fashion from everyday materials. If your budget doesn’t allow for professional equipment or you simply don’t need the features of a high-grade lab incubator, you might be wondering if you can get away with a DIY version. That said, at its most basic level, a lab incubator is simply a box that holds temperature.

Plus some incubators come with other features required for certain applications such as refrigeration, CO 2, humidity, or shaking.

Professional-grade equipment is usually the best choice as it offers temperature accuracy and uniformity. Common uses include growing microbial cultures or testing the stability of products under various conditions. An incubator is a vital piece of equipment in many labs.

Making a homemade incubator