View Full Version : Adding a PC Fan to a T5HO fixture
JustinM
03/15/2011, 11:35 AM
I was wondering if adding a pc fan to my fixture, aquaticlife 4x24, would give me an increase in par? I know what sets ATI and TEK fixtures far above the rest is their cooling, ballasts, and reflectors.
I am happy with my coral growth, but if I can get more why not.
I'm not going to change out my reflectors because I feel they are good enough for what I have. I had my eyes on a use IC 660 which would fit into my fixture perfectly. I know if I got that ballast cooling would be a must. But would just adding cooling help at all or should I wait till I get a different ballast?
Thanks in advance.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 12:03 PM
Adding a fan won't increase your par values. Are you using the stock lamps or ATI lamps? You could increase PAR by using better lamps, I use all ATI lamps in the same fixture (listed in my profile). Even with the best lamps you will never match the PAR values of the ATI or TEK fixtures with individual refelctors but it will be good enough for almost any coral. I also wouldn't bother changing out the ballasts just leave it as is and upgrade the lamps if you already haven't. Looking at about $90 to go all ATI lamps.
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd391/aardvarkie/Reef%20Central/018.jpg
JustinM
03/15/2011, 12:08 PM
Thanks for the response. I did replace with all ATI and D&D bulbs. I wasn't looking at necessarily getting as good as an ATI fixture or a TEK. Maybe I am just trying to justify my nerdness and putting on a LED lit pc fan to look cool.
I actually have the same bulbs as you except my aquablue is the D&D. In what order do you have your bulbs?
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 12:30 PM
I'm pretty sure this is how they are set up.
front (#1) aquablue special
(#2) blue+
(#3) purple plus
back (#4) blue+
Both the blue+ are on the dusk/dawn timer setting and the blue special and purple plus are my daylights. I use the preset 12hour program.
A fan would have been nice to have been installed by the manufacturer but I think unnecesary for the low wattage of this fixture. The main reason I don't add one is I don't want another cord to have to plug in.
nanojg
03/15/2011, 12:32 PM
Adding a fan won't increase your par values. Are you using the stock lamps or ATI lamps? You could increase PAR by using better lamps, I use all ATI lamps in the same fixture (listed in my profile). Even with the best lamps you will never match the PAR values of the ATI or TEK fixtures with individual refelctors but it will be good enough for almost any coral. I also wouldn't bother changing out the ballasts just leave it as is and upgrade the lamps if you already haven't. Looking at about $90 to go all ATI lamps.
This is not true, adding a fan WILL increase par.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 12:45 PM
From what I have read, optimal temp for T5 par is 110 degrees. I have no idea what the temp of my bulbs are, or even how to get a reading.
I already took my pc fan, which is a 12v, .1A 3 speed fan, and spliced the wires and hooked them up to an old cell phone charger adapter and it worked fine. I believe this would work for now because it takes 120v current and outputs +9v .8A. In the aquaticlife fixture there is a 120v to 12v adapter under the hood, I'm assuming for the led lights or the timer. If this would be worth it, I would just splice into it so I don't have another power cord either.
Kzoo, did you ever think of going blue+, purple+, aquablue, blue+? I switched the wiring around and moved 2 endcaps do keep the dusk till dawn for the blue+. Color just seemed too awkward the way you have it. Maybe a little too purple, but this way is a nice crisp white/blue color. Just my thoughts.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 12:53 PM
This is not true, adding a fan WILL increase par.
Thats not necesarily true, it could increase it if the bulbs and ballasts are running hotter than their optimal temperature range. And in this instance at 96 watts I don't think they are producing enough heat to surpass that range. Also cooling them too much could drop PAR so its a double edged sword. The only thread I saw PAR increase were with TEK fixtures that didn't come with a fan and tehy were much larger units. I believe the increase was 10% - 20%. But TEKs run very hot anyways, much hotter than these fixtures.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 12:57 PM
I going to go put a thermometer up to the bulb and see what the temp is. Don't know if it will work but I believe the thermometer goes up to 110. I shall return.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 12:57 PM
From what I have read, optimal temp for T5 par is 110 degrees. I have no idea what the temp of my bulbs are, or even how to get a reading.
I already took my pc fan, which is a 12v, .1A 3 speed fan, and spliced the wires and hooked them up to an old cell phone charger adapter and it worked fine. I believe this would work for now because it takes 120v current and outputs +9v .8A. In the aquaticlife fixture there is a 120v to 12v adapter under the hood, I'm assuming for the led lights or the timer. If this would be worth it, I would just splice into it so I don't have another power cord either.
Kzoo, did you ever think of going blue+, purple+, aquablue, blue+? I switched the wiring around and moved 2 endcaps do keep the dusk till dawn for the blue+. Color just seemed too awkward the way you have it. Maybe a little too purple, but this way is a nice crisp white/blue color. Just my thoughts.
I actually like the combo I have now, very bright white during the day (picture above) and a subdued blue for dusk/dawn. I believe the way mine was originally wired was 1 and 3 are for daylights and 2 and 4 are dusk/dawn.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 01:03 PM
From what I have read, optimal temp for T5 par is 110 degrees. I have no idea what the temp of my bulbs are, or even how to get a reading.
I have a digital stick thermometer at home and I could touch the end cap of the bulbs on mine and see later tonight.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 01:06 PM
Yep they run way hotter then 110. It went 91-94-105-108-H. It took like 2 seconds to heat it up. I need to find a better thermometer to see the actual temp. All I did was take a regular thermometer and hold the metal tip to one of my bulbs.
I am coming to the conclusion that a cooled aquaticlife fixture will increase my par if the actual optimum operating temps for T5 bulbs are 110. I do not have a par meter or any ways to come across one.
I am going to hook the fan up to where the intake holes are for my ballast and run it for an hour and see if the temp lowers at all.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 01:18 PM
The only problem I see with these fixtures is the spot for the fan is in the middle of the fixture. The fans need to be at both ends to cool the end caps and ballasts which would do the most good.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 01:26 PM
If you look at the ATI fixtures they are sort of in the middle.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 01:47 PM
I have the same thermometer at work as at home and it goes up to 302 degrees F so I can check once I get home on the temps. I'm actually curious as to just how much of a temperature drop you can get using a small case fan blowing on the bulbs. I have one or two fans and a power supply at work I can rig up.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 02:09 PM
Cool! I am curious as well. I just checked it again and instead of taking 2 seconds, literally, to max out, I would say it took about 15. It is def doing something. Are you going to blow it across the bulbs or put it on the top by the ballasts?
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 02:15 PM
I tried it out on an incandescent 100 watt bulb here at work, it was around 205 degrees with and without the fan blowing on it. Its just too hot for that little fan (80 mm) to do any thing, fan was about 2 inches from the bulb. I only had a 9 volt adapter and the fan uses max 12 volt. Might have a 12 volt at home and that might move more air.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 02:20 PM
Yep that is what I am using. A +9v adapter. I really have no way of telling except that it took longer to max out temp. Usually, I thought at least, that meant it is getting close to temp. I don't know. Something to do on a boring day.
nanojg
03/15/2011, 02:32 PM
Thats not necesarily true, it could increase it if the bulbs and ballasts are running hotter than their optimal temperature range. And in this instance at 96 watts I don't think they are producing enough heat to surpass that range. Also cooling them too much could drop PAR so its a double edged sword. The only thread I saw PAR increase were with TEK fixtures that didn't come with a fan and tehy were much larger units. I believe the increase was 10% - 20%. But TEKs run very hot anyways, much hotter than these fixtures.
I guarantee that adding a fan to that fixture will increase par and that the bulbs are getting hotter than optimal (unless the ambient temp is extremely low)
JustinM
03/15/2011, 03:27 PM
95 to 110 is optimal for T5HO. This fixture is far beyond that range. And I read on nano-reef that the TEK fixture had an increase of about 20% when a fan was added to it.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 03:55 PM
Okay I checked the temp of the lamps with my probe. With all 4 on I get approximately 120 degrees F on all 4 bulbs on the glass portion about 3 inches from the end cap and 115 F on the end caps themselves. With the daylight lamps off and just the two blue+ lamps on I got 105 F on the end caps and 110 F on the glass. I didn't try with the fan as I left it at work. The blue+ lamps were actually fairly cool to the touch while they were running alone and they've been on since 8 am and its now after 5 pm. I went and touched them the minute I walked in the house. The lamps seem to get hotter the farther out from the end caps you go so maybe the fan in the middle of them is not such a bad location after all. I think you could easily drop the temp a few degrees with a small case fan and get it closer to 110. Have to wait till I get a fan running to try.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 04:08 PM
Okay don't have a spare case fan at home so I used a house fan set on low about a foot away from the lamps blowing right on them. I only tried the blue+, 105 degrees before 83 degrees after then right back up to 105 as soon as I turned the fan off. I don't think a small case fan wouldn't be that drastic a drop but I'm sure it could knock it down by 10 degrees. Will try tomorrow if i can remember to bring it home.
JustinM
03/15/2011, 05:04 PM
Cool, do you run without the splash shield in place? I am running the fan through the top. It seems to cool them but don't know how much. I am sure my ballast is cool though.
kzooreefer
03/15/2011, 07:16 PM
I took the splash shield out to access the bulbs, the fan was pretty much blowing across all the lights from the bottom up. It was a desk fan with a 12inch blade on low which is still way more air than a case fan can ever put out but its the closest thing I had handy. It was probably about twice the air output as the 80 mm fan I had set up at work. I was thinking with these fixtures two fans would work better, one as an exhaust and the other to blow on the lamps. Not sure what can fit inside this case. I have an old pc fixture with two small 40 mm fans that might work better.
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