12v fans

Hiya

Just a quick question re the way in which people run these fans (if you have them of course)

All I really would like to know is do you have the fans, blowing the hot air out of the cabinet, or sucking cold air in.

Thanx in advance for you help

Paul

[Hawkfish]

Hi Paul,

Always suck the air in, else in no time at all you'll have a fan completely caked in a coating of salt.

Phil.

[barryb]

And huge evaporation rates! http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[Rabbit]

Surely the evaporation rate should be equal for suck or blow...

Its a function of the amount of air movement which should be equal http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[richstrat]

What do you guys think about having one blowing in and one blowing out? Surely if you only have one fan there is a limited amount of good it can do unless there is a path for this air to leave by?

I know this may lead to huge amounts of evaporation, but that's what keeps the tank cool!

Rich

[Wilfy]

Rich,
I had one blowing and one sucking but quickly changed to both blowing in the cabinet hood as the sucking one didn't help keep the temp down in summer, touching 30C.
When I changed I got a temp that did not go above 28C.
Both blowing in my opinion. http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Thanx for the input guys

Looks like blowing the air in it is then.

Incidently, has anyone tried running your fans at only 9w, as the noise from them is greatly reduced. Off course they run slightly slower, but I still think that they will do the job nicely.

Cheers

paul

[philworrall]

It all depends on the type of fan you are running and not the energy you are putting into them. The rotational speed of the fan and hence blade speed is what causes the noise,
E.g. Office cooling fans are quite (for the amount they shift where as even P.C. fans are noisy in comparison.

What fans are you running Paul??

Regards

I bought my fans from cpc plc 12v/500mA. the air flow rate is 108m3/h. The fans are actually made by Monacor, and the they are 119x119x25mm. (part no. MF64068) £8.94 each

The DC adaptor I am using is regulated so I can change from 3/6/9/12V - and runs to a max of 1200mA. (part No. PW00140) £7.83 each

Mind u you have to add vat to that price and £4.75 for express delivery. Good/professional set up tho - I will certainly use them again.

Regards Paul

[Wilfy]

RS do a silent running 12v dc fan, my tank is in my living room with two of these in and they are fine.
If you want the part no. send me a message.

Have to say Wilfy, I have had mine running also at full wack, but not on the set-up yet.

To be honest I don't think that I will be able to hear them either. Anyway if they do not run silent, it aint gonna be me who notices it, yup you guessed the person in my caption below http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

Paul

[Nessy]

Paul,
I have three 12v fans blowing into my hood, I also have a vent in the hood to allow the heat to be blown out.


Nessy

[reefer]

hi paul

i used to run the same fans on my hood and as you say just decrease the voltage a little which really makes them a lot quieter

fwiw ive up graded to to 2x6" clip on fans for the hood..thease really are pucker and safe to use..again silent running and are about 13 quid each..however had a mailshot from a company the other day that had the same fans fro 6.99!
also running a 12" fan blowing directly into the sump for evap purposes..again its a 3 speed fan running on the first speed so its silent http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Paul Firth]

A CHEAP WAY TO MAKE THESE 12V FANS VARIABLE SPEED IS TO USE A CHEAP MODEL RAILWAY TRANSFORMER I THINK A CHEAP ONE IS ABOUT £6
I RUN 4 FANS ON ONE TRANSFORMER

[reefer]

paul

EASY ON THE CAPS!
its first thing in the morning http://www.ultimatereef.net/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Blade]

Hi all – here’s my two pennies worth.

I’ve used some of the fans mentioned above in the past (several years ago on my last set up) If I remember they’re intended use was to cool heat sinks in computers, they were quiet, cheap and very efficient little operators. However, the only draw back I was because of the high salt/air content they began to corrode. Things may have improved in this respect now I don’t know!

On my Mini reef set up I use a similar product called a Tubexile by Bi –Technolgy Corp (AC not DC) - that seriously shifts air. It has a slight hum to it but it’s quite tolerable as it wired to come on automatically if the temp rises to high.

The clip fans as mentioned are again fantastic – I’ve a couple on my larger system solely as an emergency if the chillier fails for whatever reason – however, they too are not designed for salty environments and will corrode if splashed so be careful. Again ensure they are fastened safely and securely.

Blade