Fans, Blowers, and Caged Squirrels

[KingRalph]

jello folks, there are a myriad of fan manufacturers out there and i know some are VERY loud, well i'm in the market for a 6-8" fan for a carbon scrubber, and need one that is power efficient with high cfm's but not so loud.

what have been the quieter model fans you've used? (6-8")

thanks for your time, peace n green thumbs all

 

[whoamI?whoRu!]

I've only tryed/seen a few different "blowers" in operation...Dayton tops that list so far.

 

[TokenBlackGuy]

i have a 465 cfm Active Air blower which is basically a dayton blower... when i first mounted it, it was super loud and vibrated the whole house... And then i decided to hang it with bungee cords and i can barely hear it at all... all that you might hear is air movement... its as loud as a any oscillating fan,,
At first i was going to try to sell my blower or trade for a inline but now i definelty want to keep it for good...

 

[2buds]

All I can add to this is moving air makes noise. Inline fans are generally vibration free while squirrel blowers seem to carry a slight humm to them. Either way moving air makes noise, the more you move the more noise you hear. The fantec 6" and 8" use about the same amount of power, have the sam esize housing but the 8" moves much more air. Get the 8" and turn the speed down but should you need to move more air you don't have to spend another $200-300 dollars on a new fan. My dayton squirrel blowers do make the walls humm a bit while the fantec only makes the air move. Good luck.

 

[Guest]

I have a inline fan like 250 cfm or something like that. And that thing barely makes any noise at all...

 

[Guest]

I have a Vortex which replaced a Dayton. Like it much better. However, no matter which fan/blower you use or how it's mounted, you can't completely stop the noise generated by the woosh of air flow. Attaching it to mufflers or scrubbers will help though.

Bh

 

[hieagle420]

i just bought a FanTech FX 8XL fan it really quiet and has 520+CFM only paid $223 for it here is some pics..

 

[Dr.Feelgood]

8" Vortex 747 (i think) cfm. 10 year warranty. eBay for $220.

 

[Tokin White Guy]

Panasonic Whisperline fans are some badass fans for our purposes... hella quiet (1-2 sones) and about the same or maybe cheaper price than Fantech, Ecoplus, etc
check em out http://www.westsidewholesale.com/index.cgi?CATEGORY=632&HN_SessionID=@@@@1144726022.548@@@@

 

[TokenBlackGuy]

LOL... Tokin White Guy...I guess your my opposite..

 

[minds_I]

TWC,

I don't think those fans will provide the air movement we look for-I don't think it will be very effective with a carbon filter due to the back pressure issues.

For un restricted air movement it should do fine.

My 2 duckets.

minds_I

 

[Tokin White Guy]

u think so? Check out these more detailed specs... http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/whisperline.html (scroll down & click on the individual models for specs on cfms @ various static pressures)

or here http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...01&catalogId=13401&langId=-1&catGroupId=25050

 

[inc0gnit0]

do not...... this goes for anybody! Do not waste your time or money on one of those cheap ass "Inductor" fans from the Home Depot. I was having major heat issues in my closet grow and needed some way to get the hot air out of the closet ASAP. I spent $37 on a 265CFm Inductor from HD... If this things moves 30CFM i'll be surprised!!! I can't afford a god fan now. In fact I barley scraped enough together to get this Cheap
O unit. I mean i was thinking.... How bad can it be? They SUCK! And not in a good way. I'm only using it to exhaust through 4 foot of dryer hose and you can't even feel it blowing the air out! You get what you pay for. Looks like I'm gonna have to put the ladies outside. 5 days into flowere now was really hoping for a late june harvest on the indoor plants, but unfortunately.... not this year!

 

[2buds]

inc0gnit0-if you have a flea market near you, go look around this weekend, maybe you can find a squirrel fan for $20-$30 that will move some air. A squirrel fan from a central heat/air system will move lots of cfm. If you know any heat/air guys ask if they have an old one that works. Yes, the duct fans at HD are worthless, I geuss if the air is already moving through the duct they would help as a booster but not as a stand alone unit. Goo d luck!

 

[R00KIE]

Yeah if your stuck you can find cheapo fans almost anywhere.... A muffin fan would probably work well and there low $.
Like 2buds said go to a heating place and asked if they have any old squirrel cage fans. They usually salvage good parts from furnaces and stuff and they come in all shapes and sizes...
If I'm not mistaken some dryers use squirrel cage fans to pump out the hot air... Fairly small ones too, go to the dump and check some old dryers, might just find what yu need.

 

[SourDog]

fanteks are cheap if you search online and they have some efficient models (the wattage listings can be easily found out)... mine is a 4in inline, but its pretty quiet..

 

[Tokin White Guy]

I'd always thought I'd never pay all that money for a Vortex, but now that I compare it, it doesn't seem too bad a deal.

Fantech FR150 6 Inch 243 cfm $140 <shit, sry the formatting didnt work
Fantech FX6 6 Inch 256 cfm $140
Fantech FX6XL 6 Inch 392 cfm $190
Fantech FR225 8 Inch 429 cfm $215
Ecoplus 6 Inch 440 cfm $150
Vortex 6 Inch 449 cfm $180
Fantech FX8 8 Inch 481 cfm $190

Only one I might consider getting over the 6-inch Vortex would be the 6-inch Ecoplus...anybody know the Vortex & Ecoplus 6-inchers compare in terms of noise?

I am however still partial to Panasonic Whisperlines...

FV-30NLF1 6 inch 340 cfm $143 1.7 sones
FV-40NLF1 8 inch 440 cfm $157 2.1 sones

 

[Guest]

mine when i grow inside winters

 

[2buds]

If you consider a 6" inline go with the 8" and use a reducer, maybe a speed controller to slow it down, that way should you need more cfm you don't have to by another fan. Its a mistake I made that I regret everyday now that I'm broke. The fantech 6"xl and 8"xl line use the same size housing just different size ports. I think I read that the ecoplus brand doesn't really move as much cfm as the vortex but its all personal choice.
jack- your duct work looks like my spaghetti mess too.

 

[HYDnout]

You can move a lot of air thru a big hole at low velocity or a small hole at high velocity. I am going with the big hole, low velocity solution. I have a light-box in my utility room, I don't exhaust directly to the outside. I use one 20" box fan to move air in and out of the light-box, and another 20" box fan to move air in and out of the utility room. The 20" fans move a lot of air, but I have to be careful not to restrict the intake or exhaust. I can't use ducts. I find that the inlet area needs to be at least twice as big as the exhaust area. The fans will quit pumping if there is any significant back pressure.