[MantisX]

Can it be done? Which wires should I get power from to run a single 80mm fan? Will it put a drain on the lights at all? I purchased the 96 watt bright kit and was told by ah that I might get a slight heat buildup as I am trying to squeeze it into a standard 30 gallon strip light. Also if the fan can be hooked up, should it be pulling or pushing air?

Thanks

Otis

 

[Adam]

I would just get a 12 volt AC/DC power adapter and a 12 volt computer fan and run it seperately. Otherwise I believe you have to match the output of the ballast with the power draw of the fan since they may not match you might need to get into resisters etc.

 

[gnatster]

I've alsway thought it best to be pushing air in as pulling air out your pulling humid air that will ruin the fan.

 

[MantisX]

Thanks go to the both of you. They told me it would be here Friday so I have a lil time to plan how to mount the fan. Your input has helped me decide how to set it up finally though. I was hoping I wouldnt need a fan, but to be on the safe side I better.

Thanks again

Otis

 

[gpodio]

Agreed, better pushing air in than out. Regarding where to connect it to, if it's a 110V fan you can connect it to the power going into the ballast, otherwise you will need to use a power adapter to run a 12V fan for example. I've used solar panels to run a fan once too, it works but it's a little more expensive. My suggestion is to go with a 12V computer case fan and connect it to a variable voltage power adapter, this will allow you to drop the voltage at will to slow down the fan and reduce the noise. I find 4-6V to provide little to no noise and still a good air flow. I have a single computer fan running on 4V to cool down my canopy with 250W MH and 110W CF and it's working very well.

Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio

 

[alexperez]

To push and pull air would be even better. I have 4 - 12 volt fans in my Light enclosure with all fans pushing air in It only made a 1 degree difference. With fans pulling air out it got 2-3 degrees cooler. With 2 fans pulling and 2 fans pushing It it got over 4 degrees cooler.
Keep in mind that there a few variables to consider
Is the enclosure fully enclosed or does it have an open back.
How much air do the fans move (CFM).
I would recommend that you get the quietest fans you can afford.
At first I had some cheap fans and the noise was way to much.
The cooling was great but I couldn't take the noise.
I got some quieter fans and while the cooling was not as good it got my tank down to 78-80 from 82-84 I had before, and no noise at all.

 

[Rolo]

What Alex said is some very good advice. I've been retrofitting my aqualight with new fans and found similarly that having some blow in, some blow out gives best results. Probably a bigger factor is the airflow due to openings as mentioned. This is why I'm adding a clear cover to the bottom of my DIY AHSupply enclousure so the only place for air to enter and exit is through the fans. All air will pass over the bulbs and bypass is eliminated.

Alex, what's the make/model of the current fans you have now?

 

[alexperez]

I got the 80 mm size at for $8.00 each
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/alarmandaccesories/silencerfan/index.htm

Be warned these fans move very little air, if you need lots of cooling it might not work.
I only needed to go down 4-5 degrees so 4 of them in my Canopy works great.

 

[baj]

I find 4-6V to provide little to no noise and still a good air flow. Giancarlo Podio

I second that. I have two fans in series, connected to a 12v adaptor and they are quieter than a single fan running at 12v.