Shhhhhhhh! I need quiet.... Fan Suggestions please....

[roshizzzz]

Say, I really can't go with what the local hydro store suggested.

I really need quiet in my grow room. Heat is not too much of an issue for me (LED lights in room with 9' ceilings) Planning to slurp the warm air from the top of the room and out a window. Can have smaller fans and slurp from multiple locations if need be.

Seems like the goal is "just enough" air removal and intake.
Enough to remove heat and enough to provide fresh air and CO2.

Suggestions?

Larger variable speed fan, slowed down?
Series of Computer-type fans?

Questions:
Can I have less "fresh air" if I provide CO2?

Thanks! and remember, be quiet.... http://www.icmag.com/ic//images/icons/icon7.gif

 

[NoNo]

quiet PC fan -

quiet PC fan -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O8I474/ref=oss_T15_product

19dB
45CFM

power a multiple fans with a 12v DC power supply like http://www.amazon.com/Power-Line-0900-77A-1300-mA-Charging/dp/B000QFLWAG/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_b

 

[Harvest]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=99&name=Cooling-Products

 

[whatissixbynine]

.

 

[catman]

Panasonic Whisper line of fans. Look them up.

 

[Gene Otype]

www.coolerguys.com sells pc fans already wired for household current.

 

[roshizzzz]

VERY helpful. Thanks.

Great links, Whatis...

In reading, scanning, looks like chamber air change very 3 minutes is a good target (up to every 5 mins. was noted in one thread).
With a 168CuFt. room, that's 56CFM. I better up that for fudge factors.

Seems like one or two PC fans would do, or a whisper-type room fan, controlled down to slower RPM's. With PC fans I'd need to adapt over to the standard 4 or 6" ducting. I suppose that will be covered in the DIY links? Or is there a known straightforward way?

For flowering, I'm leaning toward odor control - something like VaporTek (again, thanks for the link!), as long as I can get something that's not too overkill for my small space.

Is my thinking going in the right direction?

Thanks again.

 

[catman]

What you want is 3-5 air exchanges per minute and not an air exchange every 3-5 minutes. You see you need A LOT more CFM to reach those levels. Sounds to me you need a Panasonic Whisper without question and there are enough sizes where you do not need to order a fan controller. Stay away from speed controllers, they are bad news.

Whispers handle carbon filters well, but a VaporTek 4000 would probably do the trick as well. Could always do both.

Believe it or not my 80CFM Panasonic Whisper is noticeably quitter than a 110CFM 120mm PC fan Undervolted to be ~80CFM . The PC fan has a higher frequency pitch that can be much easier heard at a distance. The Whisper drowns out and I can't hear it sitting three feet away from me over my PC tower.

 

[mpd]

Use a duct booster fan. You can get a 4" one at Casa DePot for about $30 and it will move air without making a lot of noise. Forget the vortex fans, I just got done testing the smallest one (4" 170 cfm.) that advertises 42 decibels, but even with multiple baffles there is SOME noise (albeit less than that made by an air pump for a small aquarium). Those small computer case fans are a good choice as well.

 

[TheMonarch]

redgreenry-
"Grow Chamber Ventilation - 1 to 5 Minutes per Air Change. This is different for every type of light and setup. The more heat that is removed using a cool tube or ventilated heat means you can drop the grow chamber ventilation down further. The plants don't need very much air exchange and over 1 ACpM will cause unnecessary stress."

 

[FlyinHawaiian]

With PC fans I'd need to adapt over to the standard 4 or 6" ducting. I suppose that will be covered in the DIY links?

I need ideas here too, at HD they have 4'' dryer vent adapters for $5 that have a flap on one side, just cut that side off and you have a 4'' adapter that fits onto a 120mm pc fan. The only problem with this is 120mm pc fans are 4.7'' so your cutting off .7'' of airflow on the edges of the fan blades, I also think they edges is where most of the airflow comes from.

Another idea I had not sure if it would work, fit a 120mm pc fan INSIDE of 6'' insolated ducting.

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

Believe it or not my 80CFM Panasonic Whisper is noticeably quitter than a 110CFM 120mm PC fan Undervolted to be ~80CFM . The PC fan has a higher frequency pitch that can be much easier heard at a distance. The Whisper drowns out and I can't hear it sitting three feet away from me over my PC tower.

I believe it.

I've had people sit right next to my vertical cabinet, and they never noticed it.

As long as the exhaust is unrestricted, the panasonic whisper fans are very quiet. The rush of air is louder than the fan.

I recently installed one into a growroom and it literally bothers me that I cannot hear it running.

 

[roshizzzz]

Great info, Thanks. Best thing to do is get a Panasonic locally and just check it out. Ducting would be easier with it as it's already set up for it.

FAN CONTROLLERS... what are the problems associated with them? Catman sez they're bad news...