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11/14/2018, 12:54 PM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 231
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Ventilation Ideas
I have too much heat/humidity in my fish room and am looking for some ideas/feedback. I have a 400g display with a 125g sump plus a 55g QT, 40g QT, and 29g QT in my fish room. This room is enclosed in an unfinished section of my basement (the 400g is an in-wall display which is viewed from the finished side).
I have been running a dehumidifier and it doesn't keep up enough and also causes the room to heat too much. Right now the fish room is about 80 degrees with 50% humidity. All of the windows throughout the house are already dealing with condensation as the outside temp has dropped. I'm in Iowa so in the winters the outdoor temp is really cold and during the summer it gets hot and humid. I've seen some people use an air exchanger but I'm leaning more towards just an exhaust given my location. It shouldn't be too difficult for me to run a bathroom fan that vents outside. Is a 120 CFM bathroom exhaust fan adequate? The fish room is probably 25 x 20 with 10 ft ceilings (5000 CF). Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks! Eric |
11/14/2018, 01:23 PM | #2 |
Saltwater Addict
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vandalia OHIO
Posts: 11,624
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You would probably need more than one bathroom fan to get enough heat out. You might need to get another dehumidifier if the current one isn’t keeping up. I have 625g DT 200g sump, 125g and 75g QT and a 40g I setup for QT when needed and I have zero issues with heat and humidity is at 40%. Every situation is different though
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Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs |
11/15/2018, 08:52 AM | #3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,735
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How old is the dehumidifier? I recently replaced mine because it was getting really sluggish. The new one is energy star and keeps humidity in check. My system is smaller at 300 gal DT with 40 gal lagoon and 60 gal sump.
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11/15/2018, 05:38 PM | #4 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 231
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11/15/2018, 07:43 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Austin
Posts: 801
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On my 600g with a 100 g sump I vent my room with a constant duty bathroom style exhaust fan. In summer I open the AC vent and it helps cool the room. Winter I have to close it as the heater causes the room to get hot. I am lucky that the door to my room is in the hallway as is the intake for the A/C- Heater. I am in Austin so we do have hot summers and those stupid cold fronts in the fall and winter. Spring is the problem time. Humid gulf air comes from the south and you have to change your shirts 5 times a day. Hard to keep things dry when its 100% humidity and the dew point is 75F
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Tank sizes, 2-10's a 55 and one that's about 500gal Current Tank Info: Interior decorating happening |
11/15/2018, 10:50 PM | #6 | |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 231
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11/16/2018, 01:10 AM | #7 |
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 74
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my new house is currently under construction. finally getting my fish room. the room will be finished, with a 6 inch recess in the foundation with a floor drain centered in the room and a utility sink. my 240g will be an in wall display into my dining room. I have plans for a QT, frag tank, mixing station and possible something else. the room is air conditioned, but I tried to get the builder to install a vent in the room that would be connected to a humidistat in order to control humidity in the room but they wouldnt do it, so i'll have it installed after I close. the vent I researched to install has been used by other reefers with much success so thats the route i'll go... the model is Panasonic FV-11VHL2 one of these days i'll figure out how to make uploading pics more simple lol
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11/20/2018, 08:47 PM | #8 | |||
R.C. Fraternity President
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I would simply recommend an exhaust fan coupled with a humidity switch. My fish room is 732 cu ft, I bought an 80 CFM exhaust fan controlled it by a humidity switch.
The neat thing about having a hummidity switch is that the fan doesn't have to run 24/7, you can set the desired humidity and the humidistat automatically detects excess humidity and activates the ventilation fan. Initially I set the room humidity to 30% but during the summer I would walk in there and it was too humid for my liking, so I turned it down to the lowest setting which I believe is 20% and when I walk in the room now I would notice the difference but it's not uncomfortable. At that setting I don't have to worry about mold, from my limited research, I found that 20-40% is ideal. That's a safe level to prevent mold growth and not too dry for comfort. Here is what I documented to help determine the right size fan, Quote:
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If I were to do it over again, I would get an exhaust fan twice the size of what was recommended. Because the more I thought about it, the 8 time air exchange recommendation was for bathrooms, and most bathrooms aren't running the showers 24/7. To sum up, I think that if you were to calculate your room and instead of multiplying by 8 I would multiply by 16, you will be happy with just an exhaust fan and a humidity switch.
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Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress |
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