Installed some fans - Page 2

Delphinus · #11 09-06-2002, 12:40 PM

Actually Steve I want to jump in here and second what you say about DC fans failing. My other mental illness ... er ... hobby is growing orchids and one particular interest I had are pleurothallid alliance which require very cool temps and VERY high humidity. Thus, over the years I've made various attempts at terrariums. But basically because of the high humidity in these terrariums, I found myself burning through 12VDC fans like kleenex. I remember at one point I was replacing them every 3-4 months. Not that they were very expensive to begin with, but, what a nuisance. And potentially bad, when high temps are very bad.

My AC fans over my 50g, they may be loud, but, they move a TON of air and they are rock-solid-bulletproof. That said, I have loud fans because I cheaped out. I think I paid $5 each for them at Princess Auto. There are others that you can get at hydroponics outfits, etc. for a little bit more that don't make as much noise. But I live with the noise for the peace of mind that the temps are under control.

Over my 75g I sprung and bought myself some Icecap fans. They're quiet, but .... they were $75 each. Ouch. (Mind you, they come with a thermostat controller that sets the fans to one of three speeds depending on temperature. So that's supposed to be a nice feature. That said, I've only ever noticed my fans running at one speed. I must have my thermosensors located poorly. But I digress..)

Dez · #12 09-06-2002, 02:59 PM

Thanks for all the responses. I found some 4 inch DC fans which push 74 CF of air. I hooked them up to that adapter and you can vary the speed of it as well according to voltage. They are actually quite quiet. I was thinking of making an enclosed hood to avoid moisture in basically everything. Or what else I could do is run open tops and have both fans blowing in with ventilation slats on the top of my hood. What do you guys think? Or is there a way to vary the speed of AC fans with maybe some sort of dimmer?

Des

Delphinus · #13 09-06-2002, 05:05 PM

Supposedly you use something called a "rheostat" to vary the speed of an AC fan. Whether this is the exact same thing as a light dimmer, or not, is something I have not been able to get a straight answer on. Would sure love someone to answer that one! [img]smile.gif[/img]