I need fans for my canopy, please help

[got2lb]

I just bought MH lights and they are def. adding some heat to the tank. I need to get some fans but not exactly sure what to go with. They must be quiet because the tank is in the living room but must also move some air!

What are some good ones to buy?


I'm not afraid to DIY something but I have no idea of what and where to buy the stuff or how to do it. Can someone please point me in the right direction.

THANKS!

[crumbletop]

Vantec Stealths are quiet and dependable. The 120mm fan moves 53 cfm at 20dba. Double ball bearing so they are both quiet and dependable.

With a variable voltage adapter you can run them at 12 or 9 volts. At 12 they are quiet (silent for some) and at 9 v they are pretty much silent. Make sure you get the right size for your canopy. The link is to the 120mm model.

Fan: http://www.outpost.com/product/3639235
Adapter: http://www.outpost.com/product/4011642

You can hook multiple fans up to a single adapter. I think you can also get the fans for a little less from newegg.com.

[got2lb]

What do you mean by buying the right size for my canopy? I don't have any holes for fans in the canopy yet so I can make them whatever size I need.

How do you wire this all up?

[skriz]

tagging along...i will need some fans pretty soon!

[AZDesertRat]

If you can twist two wires together you can wire it up. On the power supply just cut the 12v plug off and strip the two wires back 1/2". On the fans, cut the plug off, ignore the yellow wire and twist the remaining red and black wires to the two on the power supply. You are done. Butt splice connectors or soldering and covered with shrink tube akes a nice permanent splice but twist it first for testing purposes as some fans will only run in one direction. If the fans do not turn the first time just reverse the two wires.
I use the Stealths myself but from www.newegg.com for a little cheaper along with similar variable voltage power supplies from Harbor Freight Tools for about $5. Harbor Freight also sells their large hole saw kit on sale for less than $6 and it drills holes up to 5" round, for the 120mm fans you need the 4" which is also in the kit.

[crumbletop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8899607#post8899607 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by got2lb
What do you mean by buying the right size for my canopy? I don't have any holes for fans in the canopy yet so I can make them whatever size I need.

What I mean is if you can't fit a hole big enough for a 120mm fan, then you'll need a smaller fan. If your canopy is big enough, and you can drill a hole big enough, then go with whatever size you want. You likely can fit that fan, I just mentioned this because it is better to measure and be sure before you buy, than to get the stuff and find out you got the wrong size...

[got2lb]

What kind of power supply do I need to get?

[AZDesertRat]

Its in crumbletops post under adapter.

[aqua_carmen]

Yup, I'm in the same boat too. I'm going to use this forum as reference:)

Do you have to buy 2 adapters for having 2 fans? (intake and outake)

[got2lb]

Does pretty much any type of adapter work? I have tons of them laying around from different things.

[AZDesertRat]

Yes as long as the milliamp or wattage rating of the power supply is equal to or greater than the fan(s) and its at least 6 volts. Lower voltage turns the fan slower and some fans require at least 6 volts to start turning. I like the variable voltage supply so I can vary the fan speed with the seasons or heat load. I run them at 10.5 or 12V in the summer and 9V in the winter when I don't need as much cooling. Most power supplies can run at least a couple of fans and some more.

[crumbletop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8900007#post8900007 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by got2lb
Does pretty much any type of adapter work? I have tons of them laying around from different things.

Yes. As long as it is 12V or less and has enough milliamps you can use any old adapter. The variable voltage one is nice because you can run it at 9V instead of 12 to make the fans even quieter than they already are. I believe each 120mm fan is around 100 mA, which means the adapter I linked to could run several fans because it supports 1200 mA. Just check the mA and voltage rating on your adapters at home. You likely already have something that you could use.

[Waxxiemann]

I run 4 120mm fans off of a 12v adapter. It think it's 120 milliamps ... don't quote me on that though.

a 4.5" hole saw is perfect for a 120mm fan.

Waxx

[woodymac64]

I just finished placing cooling fans in my canopy. I ran two fans off one adapter (for lighting chamber intake/outtake) and one outake fan for extra canopy airflow from another adapter. I used Radio Shack's adjustable, multivoltage adapters (with Adaptaplug ends), Adaptaplug hobby connectors and 24-28 gauge telephone wire crimp connectors (it all made for a clean, removable installation).

Everything runs silent at 9VDC and moves the canopy's air volume through about once every four seconds at 12VDC (according to mathematics) with minimal noise. I plan to control both my lighting and it's cooling fans from the same controller timer circuit, so any noise it creates will be mostly while I'm at work. The extra canopy airflow fan will run 24/7.

The nice thing with adjustable, multvoltage adapters is that I can adjust voltage/airflow speeds to pinpoint the best ranges possible. My tank is still a month or two away from being ready so the end results of my cooling fan setup won't be realized until then :(.

Still, it turned out to be a nice little side project...

Take Care,
woodymac64