Venting my fish room/closet

[spydergst98]

I have an "In-Wall" 125 gallon Reef Tank (72"x18"x18") in my pantry closet and want to vent the room.

Basically it gets too hot with the MH running if I keep the pantry doors closed.

I've looked into getting a bathroom vent fan = Not Recommended

Getting a Duct Fan (4") = Will work

and then I found this at Home Depot.

ThruWall Transfer Fan Model TW108 $56.00/Each

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100047556

I think this will work perfectly - what you think?

The pantry room is about 8' long x 10' high x 2' wide

[spydergst98]

I am going to get one and have it blow out into the room. (Suck out all the hot are from the fish room out to the other room).

I was also thinking about getting another one and have that one blow cool are into the fish room/closet - if needed??

[ej797]

Why not a bathroom ventfan? If you are willing to pay the price panasonic has one that is dead silent. That is what I am using.

[jmccomb420]

I like the in wall. I would consider the amount of cfm's alowed back into the "closet". If you rais the temp of the outside room where the "cool" air is coming from you reduce the efficiency of the fan.

[Mark426]

I am a contractor and see all sorts of moisture problems. I would go the bath fan route. If possible I would vent it to the outside. ej797 is right...there are some that are dead quiet, you wont find it at Lowes or Home Depot though....go to a Plumbing Supply Store and they will have some nice ones. Also, you dont need to move very much air, just a nice slow air movement is best. Trying to move/remove too much air is a common mistake.

[TIMMYE]

I am little confused? Are you trying to move the warm air back into your house? Or trying to get rid of it (out of the house)?

Either or, here is what I would. If you are just looking to vent a little air say under 150CFM I would look at a bath fan or 4-6 in line duct fan. These can and should be run outside to exhaust the moisture out of the house. This will also reduce the heat build up in the room. If you go with a inline fan you could duct a pick from the room and from your tank hood. These both can be run on a humidistat for controll.

If you start pulling/exhausting to much air like Mark426 said this will put your small room/house in a negative pressure. Ways to make up for this is a make up air, fresh air intake or air to air exchanger ducted into your return duct trunk line.

As far as cost you can do this for as little as 40.00 - 200.00 depending on how quite of a unit you want. HTH Tim

[WarrenG]

I think at Lowes'HD you can buy a plug-in thermostat that can handle the load of fans and heaters. This way the fan would only come on when the thermostat told it to.

I doubt that there is so much moisture in that room to necessitate a bathroom fan. The computer fan can still move plenty of air (to the attic?) and they're cheap for a low-noise version.

Mount the fan as high as possible since that's where the air is the warmest. Convection currents will assist a fan that moves just a little bit of air out of the enclosed space.

[spydergst98]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Basically all I want to do is cool my fish room/closet so that my water temp doesn't exceed 82 F.

During the summer with one of the pantry door open the tanks stays at around 78-80

But if I close both pantry doors - the tank temp can get up to 82-84.

So my THINKING is that if I use this fan to pull the hot air out of the fish room/closet/pantry and into the hallway - it would be ok - it's not going to raise my house temp significantly.

Put what I'm hearing is that:

a) The saltwater air make corrode the fan
b) I don't need that much air movement to cool down the room
c) I can just use a bathroom vent/fan.

I'm trying to stay within $100 on this project - otherwise I'm just gonna leave one of the pantry door open during the summer months.

Thanks again - keep the suggestions coming....

[spydergst98]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11699370#post11699370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarrenG
I think at Lowes'HD you can buy a plug-in thermostat that can handle the load of fans and heaters. This way the fan would only come on when the thermostat told it to.

I doubt that there is so much moisture in that room to necessitate a bathroom fan. The computer fan can still move plenty of air (to the attic?) and they're cheap for a low-noise version.

Mount the fan as high as possible since that's where the air is the warmest. Convection currents will assist a fan that moves just a little bit of air out of the enclosed space.

So maybe I can just use a computer fan (I have about 50 brand new 4" computer fan).

I can hook it up to turn on whenever the MH are on and have it vent out of tyhe room - just put one in the upper corner or possibly one in each corner.

[Mark426]

I dont think you need to worry about corrosion at least for a few years.

[BeanAnimal]

You also need to worry about the moisture. Your best bet is to vent to the outside.

As mentioned, the PANASONIC bathroom fans can not be beat. They are hands down the best fans you can purchase.

You can get an inline model and put it in a remote location if needed.

There is an eBay vendor that sells the panasonic fins at a very good price.

[gotfrogs]

I have a AirKing Deluxe Quiet Fan Model AK80-1 in my fish room to keep things cool and dry. It is very quiet and does not draw much power.

[spydergst98]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11699370#post11699370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarrenG
I doubt that there is so much moisture in that room to necessitate a bathroom fan. The computer fan can still move plenty of air (to the attic?) and they're cheap for a low-noise version.

Mount the fan as high as possible since that's where the air is the warmest. Convection currents will assist a fan that moves just a little bit of air out of the enclosed space.

* I was checking my fish room which is on the first floor in the pantry (I have a 2 story house) and notice that the main air duct/vent thingy that sucks the air to the furnace, a/c is right outside the door of the fish room on the ceiling.

** My question is can I vent either a bathroom fan or computer fan into that vent? I could mount the fan in the ceiling of the fish room and run a 4" tube into the vent (behind the air filter 20x20x14)

*** If I run a 4" tube from the fish room to the attice - I would have to run in all the way up to attic on the 2nd floor.

**** Also what if I just run the fan into the ceiling in the fish room - above it is another bedroom so the air would just fill the floor under the 2nd floor bedroom or is this a bad idea because of the enclosed space?

Sorry for all the questions - any contractors out there with some suggestions?

The fish room is basically the size of a pantry - big closet - so there's no worries about moisture in there. Even if I kept one door open half way - it would keep the tank at about 79-80 F. So your right about not needing to move a lot of air.

What would be the best CFM: 50, 80, 100, 150....for that small of a space?

[WarrenG]

There is at least some salt and moisture in the air coming out of the closet. Into an attic, that's not enough to matter, but venting into the furnace duct or into an enclosed space like the ceiling/floor above the room is not good.

It's trouble to run a long duct all the way to the attic so I guess you're left with venting out of that closet into another room.

Keep in mind that most people allow the air around their tanks to circulate within their living area, so venting to an adjacent room should help cool your fish room without causing major problems elsewhere.

[spydergst98]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11706526#post11706526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarrenG
There is at least some salt and moisture in the air coming out of the closet. Into an attic, that's not enough to matter, but venting into the furnace duct or into an enclosed space like the ceiling/floor above the room is not good.

It's trouble to run a long duct all the way to the attic so I guess you're left with venting out of that closet into another room.

Keep in mind that most people allow the air around their tanks to circulate within their living area, so venting to an adjacent room should help cool your fish room without causing major problems elsewhere.

Thanks WarrenG:

I think I'll stick with my original plan and just vent it outside into the hallway leading to the laundry room/kitchen.

But i'm not going to use the ThruWall Transfer Fan since it's way too much for what I need (160-200cfm).

I'm looking into getting a bathroom fan or just use a quite computer fan. I'll have it wired to a temp sensor so when it gets too hot it will turn on or I just may have it turn on when the MH lights are on.

[WarrenG]

Sounds good Mike. And you use an AC register found at Lowes/HD for about $7 to make it look nice in the hallway.

I have a small fan (speed controlled by temperature) like that for my fish room/closet and it comes on with the lights in the summer and vents directly to the attic to get that heat out of the house. For the rest of the year I leave the heat in there because it assists the tank's heaters and it's a handy place to let bread dough rise!

[BeanAnimal]

I would still consider using the panasonic bathroom fan. They are very quiet and reliable.

Venting the air into the house is possible, but please keep an eye on things. You may notice mold/moisture in the top of seldom used spaces liek clossets or even the attic. This will of course depend on your evaporation rate.

Your best option is to extend the vent fan into (or through) the attic roof. It may be a pain, but it is the proper way to deal with the problem.

[WarrenG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11706526#post11706526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarrenG
Keep in mind that most people allow the air around their tanks to circulate within their living area, so venting to an adjacent room should help cool your fish room without causing major problems elsewhere.

And you won't have to replace and heat/cool the air that would be vented out of your living area, unless you don't mind a miniature version of a whole-house fan.

[BeanAnimal]

The scary part is that many folks don't know that they have caused problems elsewhere :)

I did not know until I found the mold in stagnant areas. I evap betweeen 2-5 gallons a day depending on the season. Many people may not see the problems until a lot of damage is already done. Mold in the attic or wall cavities can form due excess moisture and the extreme temperature gradients.

I have no clue what the weather in texas is like from day to day, season to season...

[TIMMYE]

From his info it looks like a 125G tank. In texas I am guessing it is somewhat dry and he evaps a good amount of water everyday all year. Where does the water go? If he does not vent something outside, it will stat in the house.

By running your fan/vent or what ever you choose back out into your living space your are putting that back into the house right next o your cold air reutrn. By doing this you think problem solved. Its not!! This will creat a long term moisture problem that will end up rudting your dust work, and put moisture thourgh out the house unitll it turns into a mold problem. And it will after so long of be damp all the time.

Easy fix: Vent the moist damp air directly outside. This is comming from a HVAC contractor like you had asked for input. HTH Tim

[spydergst98]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11719292#post11719292 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TIMMYE
From his info it looks like a 125G tank. In texas I am guessing it is somewhat dry and he evaps a good amount of water everyday all year. Where does the water go? If he does not vent something outside, it will stat in the house.

By running your fan/vent or what ever you choose back out into your living space your are putting that back into the house right next o your cold air reutrn. By doing this you think problem solved. Its not!! This will creat a long term moisture problem that will end up rudting your dust work, and put moisture thourgh out the house unitll it turns into a mold problem. And it will after so long of be damp all the time.

Easy fix: Vent the moist damp air directly outside. This is comming from a HVAC contractor like you had asked for input. HTH Tim

Thanks Tim,

I want to do the right thing because I do not want my house to be a bad environment for my little princess and wife. We plan on living here for another 3-4 years so I'll take your advice and vent it outside somehow.

Thanks,
Mike

[WarrenG]

Some people have these devices that intentionally add moisture to the air in their houses. Humidifier.

You could vent to the room like 99% of the people who have aquariums in their house, measure the ambient humidity, and then decide if there really is a problem.

[BeanAnimal]

Did it occur to anybody that a large number of people with high evaporation rates may have problems and not even know it?

Of course some people use humidifiers. I have a plenum mounted unit here (no longer being used). I even justified the evaporation by telling myself it was doing the same thing as the humidifier. I was wrong :)

A tank that large is certainly something that could create a problem. Blowing all of that moist air into one room may also be a problem. Instead of spreading throughout the home it may be drawn into walls or other spaces where it can be concentrated. The cold air return is a very likely place (as TIMMYE pointed out).

[8BALL_99]

I use Fantech Inline fans to vent my fish room.. They are pretty quiet. Dont really think thats what your looking for but if you tried to vent the air outside might be an option for you.. I have two one pulls air out of the room the other brings fresh outside air in.. I use this to cool my fishroom in the winter. They are connected to a relay then to a cheap 5$ thermostat. Set the temp and the fans kick on as needed..


For a 125 with an average sized sump you probably dont have to get the air outside the house.. It would be better though.. I would for sure get it out of that small space or you will have all kinds of moisture problems in that room.. I would get a fan that moves alot more air then you think you need and just hook it to a humistat..You can always get a fan control and slow it down.. But if you get one to small your only option is to replace the fan.. I agree with bean on the fact alot of people have moisture problems and dont know it.. After a few years my 180 caused rust on the ceiling fan pull chains and even the air vent in that room.. Nothing major but it really does make you want to get that air out of the house.....

Exhaust vent and Fresh Air input
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL514/944495/5364694/269970964.jpg
Fantech fans
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL514/944495/5364694/269970966.jpg

[Haxer]

Hello all,
I have a 240 gal on the way, i am planning to use a panisonic bathroom fan to vent the hot air out of the room the tank will be in, however i do not have access to the attic of my house (sealed), will it be a moisture problem in the attic if i vent it into the attic and not outside? The house is 2500 sqft with a pitched roof so their is plenty of attic space and it has edge vents....