What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Panasonic Whisper Fan Carbon Scrubber Tutorial: Quietest most efficient fan ever!

Makk

Member
This is a great looking filter set-up. For more effeciency the frame could be made of 2x2 instead of 2x4 and then make up the difference with a fine screen to keep the charcoal in. Would be more filtration area. just a thought.
 

mpd

Lammen Gorthaur
Veteran
Nice. I have the same issues with my new stealth cabinet design. I have the 170 cfm Vortex fan pushing through a 4" filter and there is still noise. Less than the air filters you see (and that gives me the idea of using a filter to mask the low background hum mine makes), but I should have used this Panasonic on the build out. It would have been perfect I think. I might redesign and put it into the mix and see if it can do the job. K+ for the design and the tutorial!
 

thedoormouse

New member
Hey everyone,
Thinking of building a 600w grow cab. dimensions: 4' x 4' x 8'
Do you think a regular Panasonic whisper fan would be enough to keep temps down? Say 440 cfm?
Or should I look at the Panasonic whisper inline fans? I know they are louder, but I was thinking I could build a muffler for it to cut down on the sound a little bit.
Cab may be in a Condo so noise is definitely a factor.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

Shiherlis

Member
does anybody know of a way to filter this fan if it is positioned on it's side, with the exhaust blowing up, as opposed to out the side, like it is in the orginal poster's setup? It seems gravity is what makes this difficult, as the carbon would slide down. anybody have any ideas?
 

Andyo

Active member
Veteran
Thankyou,thankyou. FV-38CH8P 472 CUFT/MIN

Thankyou,thankyou. FV-38CH8P 472 CUFT/MIN

Thanks for posting about the panasonic whisper fans.
Im in thailand and its hard to get anything up to date .
I spent big money on 4 8" xpelair inline duct fans grrrr big fuckin noise ,
I just checked they have all panasonic whisper models in thailand the largest above.A
 

Photorikki

Member
I just bought my second 240 CFM Whisper Fan!
I have wanted it for so long.

I have had one for 2 years now that pulls thru my carbon filter.
This one will cool my 2 400 watt cool tubes.

I can't wait to get it!! :laughing:
 

gus738

Member
3 Q.

3 Q.

sorry for waking up this old thread but

1) im wondering if hydro shops or stores carry these fans?

2)what would be the next best thing to the panasonic ? would it be vortex? or elicent ?

3)and last what would be required to move air out in a 7x5x8 (280 cfm)

because i was told that to exhaust air 3 to 5 times more per min


so would it be 280 x 3 = 840 or

280/3 = 93.3 x 5

basicly im trying to get air out 3 times as much per min but i dont get it can someone explain
 

Bulénath

Member
I'm back!

I'm back!

And going bigger too!

Just got two 340cfm inline Panasonic fans and I am testing them out in my 1200watt grow...

Much to say, but for now, just a little hello to revive the thread, learning and sharing.

 

early420

New member
Nice set up man. Very similar to mine except I'm only running one SSII hood with a 400w diy cool tube beside it. Same vortex as well, got mine sucking through a 50lb carbon filter. I'm jealous, i want that second SSII. You got a journal man? I'm curious about your set up.


early
 

Bulénath

Member
Early420,
50LBS of carbon is just way to much. Regardless of what the can filter specifications say, I doubt even five pounds of carbon is needed when humidity is 55% or less.


The six inch Vortex you see is attached to a custom carbon scrubber- at the far end- that can fit no more than 5lbs of carbon.

One thing I learned over the years is that the so called "professional grade" scrubbers the Hydro stores sell have WAY too much carbon!

Even with my 150hps cabinet and it's 80cfm Panasonic whisper fan, after years I dwindled my carbon usage down to about 1 pound per 120 days of 24/7 non stop ventilation!!! Provided the humidity remains a constant 55% or below to be 100% effective, I was able to apply this knowledge to my new 1200w grow cabinet, and call the Hydro stores on their bullshit.

Regardless, I still went on Ebay and ordered two carbon filters from Foot Hill Filters, which have only 5Lbs of carbon each. I figured this amount would be nearly perfect after applying my previous findings with my 80cfm Panasonic fans.

When attached to the Vortex, the static pressure alone from just 5LBs of carbon taxed the CFM down to roughly half.
When hooked up to my 340cfm Panasonic Inline fans, the CFM dropped dangerously low.

So I was forced to build a custom carbon scrubber for all three of the fans- the two Panasonic Inlines, and the single 6" Vortex.
It was a waste of $200 to buy the 5lb carbon can filters, and coupled with the $400 price of the both Panasonic Inline Fans,
I regeret not going with two or three Panasonic's Whisper Bathroom Fans.

So far it has been 1 week into flower, and no odor control is needed...yet.

I hope that only 2-3 LBS of carbon will do the trick during the end of flower. Some of you may laugh. But I believe that 3LBs WILL be sufficient for each fan.

Oh, and yeah I am working on a journal...Just need to take more pictures first!
 

Bulénath

Member
IMG_0128.JPG

View image in gallery



 

Bulénath

Member
After much research, reading the thread about Solar & Palau fans, studying the specifications on static pressure vs. CFM on each fan, the amount of heat each fan can handle, the power consumption, the noise factor and every factor comprehensible that is of great importance to the heart of each grow- the ventilation-I decided this set up would be the best:

A single vortex 6" pulling on the two Cool Sun reflectors (600HPS in each), aligned perfectly straight so the noise is reduced to its bare minimum, so the maximum air flow is maintained, so there is minumum stress (static pressure) on the fan, so over all everything is maximized. I picked the Vortex 6" for three main reasons-
1) Its metal blades can handle the heat geneated by two 600HPS hoods.
2) It isthe only fan that fit my required dimensions perfectly.
3) A vortex has an awsome Static Pressure vs. CFM ratio.

The only draw backs to this 6" vortex are-

1) Although there is little motor noise, especially compared to the Vortex 4" with the same dBA rating, the "whoooshing" of air is pretty loud.
2) It is by no means light proof. Light does escape through the fan, so I had to completely black out the actual bedroom I am growing in, not just the grow box itself!

I bought two 340cfm Panasonic Inline fans for a couple reasons. First of all, the Static Pressure vs. CFM on the 340cfm Panasonic Inline fans (340 cfm with 0.2" static pressure, 1.7 Sones, 6" duct diameter)
is equal to (give or take the slightest degree) the Solar & Palau equivilent- The 6" TD-150 S&P TD Series Inline Fan - 293/218 cfm (high/low)
Second, I got a great deal on the Panasonic Fans. And since the Static Pressure vs. CFM is almost equal to the S&P TD-150, and the Panasonic has more CFM, it seemed like the logical choice.
Also, I must add that these fans are very quiet for the air flow they provide. The noise they create is less than half of that which the Vortex 6" makes.

There are a couple of draw backs to the 340CFM Panasonic Inline fan:

1) Most siginificantly the ventilation ducting is NOT 6"!!!!! It is only 5-1/2" at the very tip, and tapers up to 6" at the base!!! So the Specification Charts all over the internet are MISLEADING and INCORRECT!
However, I was lucky enough to make this work by hooking up the fan's exhaust flange directly to the grow box's exhaust hole, aligning it perfectly, and pushing the flange all the way through to create a tight fit against the wooden exhaust hole.
2) It cannot handle as much static pressure as I thought. Like I said before, the 5LB carbon filter taxed the fan to a dangerously low CFM- so low that the fan started to make a very distinct "choppy" air flow noise- something I experienced years ago when my 80CFM Panasonic Whisper Bathroom Fan's carbon was past expiration, the build up causing too much static pressure for the fan to handle.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a perfectly aligned ventilation system, with no bends at all. Doing this takes much effort- everything has to be aligned to within 1/16 of an inch of everything else. Quite a hard task, but worth the effort!
If you look at the picture of the vortex 6" closely, you can see that it is so perfectly aligned with the 6" flange on the Cool Sun Reflector, only ductape is needed- just to secure it in place!

As for the custom carbon scrubbers, I will take some pictures of those soon and do a little tutorial. But it is still all an experiment, so it will be fun an interesting to see how these Panasonics work out.


If I could do anything different-
I would have went with my Tried and True Panasonic Whisper Bathroom Fans. The reason?

First, the carbon scrubber is super easy to build and attach to the fan.
Second, the fan pulls air straight down through the carbon.
Third, it uses an intake hole that is roughly the size of the carbon scrubber itself! So right off the bat the fan's intake has a surface area which is three or four times the surface area of the exhaust hole!!
Fourth, it maintains CFM because the Bathroom Fan models have that Static Pressure sensor! So you don't have to worry about how much CFM will be taxed becuase of your particular carbon scrubber.
Fifth, you can controll the amount of carbon in the reservior, unlike a can filter
Sixth, there are no angles that the fan has to work against. With my custom carbon scrubber built for the 340cfm inline fans, the fan still has to pull through the carbon at a 90 degree angle that is not perfectly centered to begin with.
Seventh, it would have saved money and time in the end.
 

Bulénath

Member
Also....

Also....

Sorry everyone for not being here to answer your questions when you needed answers most. I was out of the country for about a year and a half. But now I have returned to my country of Malana, safely, and I'm ready to get back to helping others.

So if anyone has questions they would like to ask, or have already asked questions that has been overlooked to your disapointment, feel free to ask for now is the time!

Bom Bolenath:)
 

Bulénath

Member
Bulénath
So none of the larger Whisper fans have static pressure sensors in them? Just the bath fans?


TeaHateSea,
The funny thing is the Panasonic Specifications are misleading, but here is what I can piece together.

The inline models that I just bought do not have that feature that maintains CFM. And the only difference between the Panasonic inline fans and the rest seem to be the "built in back draft damper" feature.

Then they made a the "Whisper Green Fan" which brags that:

"SmartFlow enabled, which means the fan is designed to perform at a constant CFM, which was nearly impossible until now because of duct length, elbows and other factors that hindered its ability to perform at rated levels. When a Whisper Green faces static pressure, its speed is automatically increased to ensure that the desired CFM is not compromised. This allows the fan to perform as rated and more importantly makes for easier installation, because the installer no longer has to worry about compromising the fan's performance."

But the REAL difference between the Whisper Green Fan and the rest is that it has a "variable speed controller" and also a "motion activation" feature which turns the fan on when it senses motion.

For years and years, there was no specification sheet that talked about the Panasonic Whisper Ceiling Fans' ability to maintain CFM, specifically. However, their ceiling fans all had this feature, and continue to be equipped with them.

So all this talk about a "Smart Flow Enabled" fan that only the Whisper Green Fan boasts, seems to me no more than hype, for the rest of the ceiling fans already have this feature.
 

bun1

Member
Awesome thread Bulénath, I was about to buy a vortex and was thinking for my stealth set-up it would've been way to loud. Then I was about to go with a dayton pole fan and heard they were also loud. I just stumbled onto this thread and figured this is exactly what I need :) After doing a couple calculations and revising my initial build plans to accommodate the whisper fan I went out and bought a whisper ceiling fan 110cfm witch should be more than enough for my needs :)

Cheers !
 
D

dramamine

Hey Bulenath, thanks for this thread! Very interesting and useful information. I'm curious about the power of the whisper fan's capabilities in a bit larger grow space, say 6'x6'x7'. I'm buying a fan soon and would love for it to be less noisy. Are the larger whisper fans able to maintain a light vacuum in such a room? Peace.

Oh, and I would have to pull through one of your DIY scrubber screens, but probably straight out the wall, no ducting hopefully.
 
Last edited:

woolybear

Well-known member
Veteran
hi noob question - how do you wire this thing so that it can be plugged in? anybody got a link to a basic electricity tutorial? ;)
 
Top