Quiet Setup with 4" vortex: Variac? Muffler? Scrubber?

[joesmith1420]

If you have a 4" vortex to cool a box, what's the most silent setup possible? I've heard people saying that a carbon scrubber will "muffle" the fan but will it really be silent? Would using all three be over-kill? I'd like to keep it as simple as possible, while being effective. Thanks.

 

[FreezerBoy]

will it really be silent?

ROTFLMAO! Stop it! Yer killin' me! I ... can't ... breath ...

Unfortunately the answer is a resounding HELL NO! Mine was quadruple silenced with insulated duct, sound isolation box, speed control and muffler and could still be heard across the street at my neighbors door when my garage was open . And that was an Elicent, 5-10 db quieter than the Vortex.

Your best bets with a Vortex are to keep it or quests out of the grow room. Put the fan in the attic or lock people out. Anyone in the room is going to know the fan is there and will want to know what is.

If you haven't bought yet, look at this Great Inline Fans (S&P)

 

[freeradical]

I have a 6" centrifugal fan hooked up to a speed controller for my scrubber. I can't even hear it on medium setting when I stand right next to it (although it doesn't move that much air on medium). A variac is expensive, but will allow you to fine tune it to an acceptable sound. Fan speed controllers have high (max), medium (less than half power) and low (less than 20% power), which doesn't give you much options. Personally, medium is too low for me, and that's for a 6". Best bet is to try a fan speed controller, and simply return it if you're not satisfied. If that doesn't suit your needs, go for a variac. I am one that believes mufflers and such don't really do anything unless they are VERY long, which will greatly reduce efficiency. With high quality fans, the culprit is the rushing air, the fan itself is nearly noiseless.

 

[NiceShoes]

Well,

I made a homemade muffler, two 2.5 foot sections, one on each side of a 6" vortex knock-off type fan (louder I am sure) and it was virtually silent. However, I could not fit a 5.5 foot fan/muffler system in my grow room so yeah... it looses much of it's velocity traveling thru my muffler, and bends would make sound come back moderately and it was no longer able to cool my 1000 watt hps....

Without it though, I was like freezerboy, standing on the other side of the street scratching my head w/ teary eyes.... listening to what sounded like someone running an air-boat in my garage.

 

[Snagglepuss]

i remember seeing a tek where they put the vortex inside a large cooler to deaden the sound ,worked out pretty good

 

[FreezerBoy]

Lousy execution (do NOT mix power tools and credit cards with flu induced panic) but, works great! When combined with insulated duct, speed control and muffler it quiets fan enough to run behind closed doors. Anyone inside those doors will know instantly and ask.

 

[sleepyrz]

you simply cant be very quiet with a small fan

its too small of a hole and too much flow

try this

blow out of your mouth with your lips tight and then wide open

hear the difference?

same shit

you need to get a 6" on a speed controller for it to be quiet

4" is simply too small of a duct for it to be quiet

 

[Lollypop Man]

FB are you responsible for that?

Dude I can't stop laughing - the concept and engineering is brilliant but it looks like a jet-powered cooler. I'm trying to figure out how one would account for a rig like that sitting on the floor in the garage....

"Oh that? Ya that's a... droid I'm building in my spare time. No big whoop"

 

[1G12]

Using straight walled sheet metal tubing instead of accordion type dryer ducting will help quiet things a bit as it creates less air flow turbulence.

 

[FreezerBoy]

FB are you responsible for that?

Dude I can't stop laughing - the concept and engineering is brilliant but it looks like a jet-powered cooler. I'm trying to figure out how one would account for a rig like that sitting on the floor in the garage....

"Oh that? Ya that's a... droid I'm building in my spare time. No big whoop"

Please, heap thy ridicule upon me. I deserve it for this! I can only plead panic and a temperature of 103º. I think it was supposed to all live in a wardrobe box but, got jammed in a corner under a pile of foam rubber and moving blankets in the end.

Pathetic engineering aside, it really does work.