Why do you have to use fans?

[Kalimaa]

I hate the noise because I live where I grow. I understand that when using HPS and other powerfull lamps theres a lot of heat build up which needs to be removed. OK. But for a microgrower like me who grows 2 or 3 plants in a closet with CFLs or LEDs there isnt any heat issues atleast not during autumn and winter.
I have always used JUST ONE DESK FAN for ventilation. Not even intake and outgoing wholes which are recommended everywhere. Basicly the fan is for strengthening the stem , not so much for air flow , especially now since I dont have as powerfull lights as in my last grow.
Now I am growing with only 69w of cfl lights. Last time I grew I had more than double and only a deskfan for ventilation. It was on as the lights were on 18 or 12 hours a day. And the harvest was really good I think.
But it was a real pain in the keeping that deskfan on. Especially since they are not really designed to be kept on for 24/7 , so they make more and more sound as they get older and eventually broke down.
PC fans would maybe be more quiet , but they require an adapter of somekind and probably also require some kind of electrical work with the wires which I definately suck at. I have a cameras AC-adapter but I dont know if it can power a pc fan. I think it needs to me DC adaper of somekind. I would probably just end up buing the wrong kind of adapter or some shit , thats why I am not really excited abaut it. Besides we dont have wallmarts around here so I would have to go to an electrical shop of some kind or order it. I am not a technical person at all as you prob realize.
Its weird that people grow all kinds of plants indoors these days and very few of these require any fans to survive. Maybe just a small plant lamp like 21w CFL. I understand that cannabis needs a lot more light to grow buds , but still a wind blowing 24/7? It cant be so I mean its just a weed , it should grow pretty much anywere as long as theres enough light,co2 and nutrients..oh yeah and WATER.

 

[MicroDude]

If you feel its a myth dont use it. I use fans to keep air circulating in my small chamber. With out the air circulation I get moss and other fungus growing on top of my soil. The constant blowing makes my branches nice and hardy to support the big fat bud hanging off the top. =]

 

[VerdantGreen]

most people use an extractor fan coupled with a carbon filter to remove the smell which can be a serious security risk at times.

also plants need CO2 to photosynthesize, and they use all the CO2 in the air around the leaf pretty quickly - so if you dont have any fans or air circulation your plants will not be as happy. they also help strengthen stems as you say.

computer fans rule - you only need a 2 or 3" fan in a microgrow. connecting them up is as simple as getting an old mobile phone charger or variable voltage adaptor, cutting the plug off the end, twisting the wires together and putting some tapr round them. there is a thread about it somewhere.

VG

 

[Throwgar]

It is much warmer directly under the lights. I've found about 10f difference. If buds grow in a temperature warmer than 80f without CO2, the calyxes in the buds won't swell as much, and you'll get airy buds.

If your canopy temps are below 80f with the lights on and no ventilation, maybe you don't need a fan...

 

[bushwakka]

You need a fan, fullstop. First time i ever grew i had no fan to start, plants took ages to grow then one day i added a fan and the difference was indescribable, they just took off into the plants we all love.Most people have always had a fan and have never questioned it,well all the info was not around on my first crop and i learnt the need for a fan from experience, so by all means try it to see but i promise you that you need one, the plant grows so quick it needs the air change, no fan is very slow growth.

 

[BC Chronic]

spider mites LOVE places with no ventilation...the more air, you won't have problems like that...
plants in nature need wind to strengthen them too...air movement also brings in C02 whih all plants need too...
hope this helps

 

[Marco61]

1. Keeps air from getting stale.
2. BC Chronic is right when saying mites hate volatile conditions where the plants are moving around constantly. They love still air and plants.
3. Keeps moisture from building up on the plant's exterior.
4. Strengthens stems.

My oscillating fan never turns off. It is on all night and day.

 

[le crunch]

Listen to bushwakka - I too had no fan for several grows and got very small, airy buds. First grow I did with an exhaust fan and the buds were huge and dense in comparison. You said it yourself - it's a weed and will grow if there's enough light, CO2, nutrients and water. But just 0.03% of air is CO2 and the plant will use that up very quickly in a small cab so you need to constantly bring more CO2 in. And of course an exhaust fan is the best way to remove heat. I use one fan in my cab - a little 4 inch fan which is virtually silent.

If you want to try growing without a fan go right ahead but the results won't be as good.

 

[DocLeaf]

You do NOT have to use fans (we havent for years) ,, and nothing is a given when growing.

But added airflow helps increase yields... mainly because stem movement makes stronger plants... and helps with the exchange of air indoors (we grow outside underglass mainly and open a window)

Hope this helps

 

[Kalimaa]

Can anyone tell me if my cameras AC-adaptor can run a normal PC fan?
It says INPUT: AC 100-240V ~ 50/60 Hz 250 mA MAX.

OUTPUT: 3300 mV ---- 2500 mA MAX.

The whole in the plug, which goes into the camera is very small so if it could power a PC fan or even two would I have to strip the wire(s).

Basicly what makes the difference to me considering deskfans and PC fans is...which ones are quieter? I would bet on PC fans. For me ventilation is mostly about making the stems stronger, since I dont and have real holes in the warddrobe.

Thanks for the help and advise guys!

 

[le crunch]

I use an old 12v mobile phone charger to power my fan - try that if you have any old ones lying around.

 

[Kalimaa]

also the dekfan I have been using doesnt run like it used to six months ago. Even at full speed its quite slow.

 

[Kalimaa]

I use an old 12v mobile phone charger to power my fan - try that if you have any old ones lying around.

unfortunaly I dont have any old ones. This is the only thing resembling it I found. It basicly powers the camera , without the use of any battery.

 

[Weezard]

Atsa no good.

Atsa no good.

That 3.3 volt camera supply will not work with a 12 volt fan.

Your local thrift shop should have some "wallwarts for sale dirt cheap.
And every weekend, people sell crap electronics with suitable, (9 - 12 volt DC. > 300 ma.), power supplies for a song at garage sales.
When ya get it home, we'll help ya wire it.

Aloha,
Weezard

 

[hater118]

Can anyone tell me if my cameras AC-adaptor can run a normal PC fan?
It says INPUT: AC 100-240V ~ 50/60 Hz 250 mA MAX.

OUTPUT: 3300 mV ---- 2500 mA MAX.

The whole in the plug, which goes into the camera is very small so if it could power a PC fan or even two would I have to strip the wire(s).

Basicly what makes the difference to me considering deskfans and PC fans is...which ones are quieter? I would bet on PC fans. For me ventilation is mostly about making the stems stronger, since I dont and have real holes in the warddrobe.

Thanks for the help and advise guys!

You didn't give the electrical specifications of your fan so it's hard to tell. If i understand what you wrote your adapter has 3.3V and 2.5A output. So let's take an 8cm fan with 12V and 0.11A for example.
Your adapter must not have higher voltage than 12V and must not have lower amperage than 0.11A .
If your voltage is lower, the fan will just go slower. If it's higher - fan will go too fast If your adapters amperage is lower than 0.11 the adapter will heat up. (Am i right with last one? Never tried doing it, and i'm not an electrician).

 

[Kalimaa]

I dont have a spare PC fan. I would have to buy one or two and apparantly also an adapter or PC power supply. I think adapter would be easier and take less space.

 

[VerdantGreen]

you can get computer fans on Ebay. also power adaptors. buy one with variable voltage and you have a vari speed mini fan. i put a long screw through one of the corners and fix it to the side of the cab so it has an inch or two of clearance from the side.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Axial fans come in AC models, no dc adapters needed.

Growing indoors without complete ventilation control runs the SEVERE risk of advertising the grow to the whole neighborhood. Smelling is worse than telling. Smelling is advertising.

 

[Japanfreakier]

You don't need fans on your plants really. Many growers don't need use them and still get great yields. Air circulation is important though.

 

[Kalimaa]

Growing indoors without complete ventilation control runs the SEVERE risk of advertising the grow to the whole neighborhood. Smelling is worse than telling. Smelling is advertising.

well the smell depends on many factors. Even with a fan it wouldnt do anything about the smell I would need a carbon filter. And those are too expensive or too big for my closet and because I cant make wholes in it , it wouldnt work anyway.

I think (hope) that the smell wount leak into the corridor. I keep the doors closed and I only have 2 plants and 69w set up. Last time I grew I lived in a different appartment where I had a 125w CFL and a 50w LED lights. My room smelled a lot , but none of my roommates complained about the smell or asked any questions. And it didnt smell at all outside of my room so I dont think its going to leak , beacause now I have 2 doors on the way and a smaller setup and one less plant.
I think I can make a fair compromise , if I dont bother to buy more silent fan(s). I will leave the fan on when I am not home or for a couple hours a day when I feel like it , so that the stems become stronger.
I just really hate the sound.