Looking For Ideas for Canopy Fan
- Thread starter Lifer
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Dustin1300
Reefaholic
Is the canopy closed off and high humidity? If so, might not be the fan so much that's the problem but rather the environment the fan sits in day and night (Not really made for humidity)
OP
OP
Lifer
Active Member
Well it's made by Coralvue FOR this purpose and of course there is high humid air! That's the whole point of the fan so that the humidity doesn't build up too high in the canopy. I drilled mutilble holes for ventilation but doesn't help. I need a dependable fan
Dustin1300
Reefaholic
Just saying fans don't last forever in high humidity. How long are they lasting between replacement?
Breadman03
Valuable Member
Also, the fan should be blowing fresh air into the canopy. That will minimize its exposure to moisture and salt.
Check the eBay. Most are common measurements in mm and depth.
I.e. 40x40x10.
Jbj wanted $40 for the kit. I got mine for $5.
Get a couple. Most blow out in bio cubes to bring air in and to help the convection current draw heat up. Like on an led array.
Get a couple. Put them in however works best for you.
Look at the CFM rating. More CFM more air.
If that's not enough flow look at a cross current fan. It's like a tube. It's what I used in my cube for cooling the water. A lot more CFM than a standard fan because of design.
I.e. 40x40x10.
Jbj wanted $40 for the kit. I got mine for $5.
Get a couple. Most blow out in bio cubes to bring air in and to help the convection current draw heat up. Like on an led array.
Get a couple. Put them in however works best for you.
Look at the CFM rating. More CFM more air.
If that's not enough flow look at a cross current fan. It's like a tube. It's what I used in my cube for cooling the water. A lot more CFM than a standard fan because of design.
Dustin1300
Reefaholic
Something else to note is dB rating, made that mistake while building computers in the past. . Some of them sound like jet engines!
Doh!
Breadman03
Valuable Member
And orientation. I once ordered some nearly silent fans for my former canopy and was surprised to see that they could only be run standing straight up (blowing horizontal). As I tipped it slowly, it began to get quite loud. Fortunately, I had planned on having them on the back of the canopy and it was no issue, but I had never considered that orientation would have such an impact on operation of a fan.
OP
OP
Lifer
Active Member
Good point! Mine was laying down on top of my canopy now I'm wondering if that caused it to burn out quickly.
OP
OP
Lifer
Active Member
Good idea. . I'll try that
Brew12
Electrical Gru
+1
Most cooling systems in heavy industry blow the air into the place needing cooling for 2 reasons. First is to minimize the fans exposure to the harsh environment as noted above. Second is that it works better. Blowing the air into your canopy will allow the air inside the canopy to circulate better keeping things more evenly and you should achieve better results. Remember, most fans are designed to blow, not suck.
OP
OP
Lifer
Active Member
Yea that might be true but they do suck!
The two 120 mm Vantec Stealth fans in my canopy are 13 years old and still going strong. The key is the both blow cooler, dryer air into the canopy from each end with equal sized exit holes in the roof of the canopy so the hot moist air can escape. One advantage of this configuration is the hot air rises and draws cooler air in the sides by natural convection even when the fans are not running.
The Vantec are relatively low speed so have a low dB stock but I also power them with DC variable voltage controllers to vary the speed according to the cooling needs at the time.
The Vantec are relatively low speed so have a low dB stock but I also power them with DC variable voltage controllers to vary the speed according to the cooling needs at the time.
OP
OP
Lifer
Active Member
What is the best way to power them since obviously there is no pc connection
An old 12v wall wart type charger works well for constant speed or you can get a variable voltage power supply for between $5 and $15 at any electronics store or even WalMart. Cut the DC plug off and wire the two wires to the black and white or black and red wires on the fan, ignore the yellow wire on the fan. I picked up two variable voltage power supplies at Harbor Freight for $5 apiece. In summer months 9v or 10.5v works well, in winter I slow them down to 7.5 or 9v since I don't need as much cooling and evaporation.
I have 2 of these mounted in my floating canopy connected to my Apex and they are blowing straight down. Super quiet and very effective. Only have them for a few weeks so can't comment on longevity but they are fairly cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G3OLRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G3OLRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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