Do both fans have to be the same size?

I

itsaliveterps

Active Member
I've just bought a 6" spyder fan for the exhaust to be connected to a spyder farmer digital controller but I noticed that it says I need both fans to be the same size? So will my intake fan have to be a 6' ? To use the digital controller
 

Attachments

P

Phytoplankton

Well-Known Member
Kinda depends on how well your tent is sealed. If it's almost airtight, then yes, if you leave a vent open at the bottom, probably not. You'll be able to tell if the sides of the tent suck in. In my case I have two 8". exhaust fans and one 8" intake fan, but I leave a vent open at the bottom of the tent, no issues. I don't think the controller cares what size fans they are.
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
itsaliveterps said:
I've just bought a 6" spyder fan for the exhaust to be connected to a spyder farmer digital controller but I noticed that it says I need both fans to be the same size? So will my intake fan have to be a 6' ? To use the digital controller
Click to expand...
Isn't that to control two extraction fans for two tents and not an extractor and an intake.

Makes zero sense to have extraction and intake the same , because add in a filter to extraction probably reduces performance by 20-30% which would result in more air intake than is been extracted .
Which results in positive pressure and thus smell leakage
 
I

itsaliveterps

Active Member
coreywebster said:
Isn't that to control two extraction fans for two tents and not an extractor and an intake.

Makes zero sense to have extraction and intake the same , because add in a filter to extraction probably reduces performance by 20-30% which would result in more air intake than is been extracted .
Which results in positive pressure and thus smell leakage
Click to expand...
No? It's not referring to controlling 2 tents imho but I could be wrong?
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
itsaliveterps said:
Equal fans will provide equal pressure . Making less stress on each fan and a more balanced air equilibrium inside I could B wrong
Click to expand...
You are wrong, no offence.

You have ducting and filters to take into account. Which changes the requirements of the intake .

It's always been recommended to run less intake that outtake.
You NEED negative pressure in an active air exchange grow.

In a 4x4 you don't need any intake, well most of the time, unless the extraction needed to maintain temp is incredibly high.

But most of the time intskes aren't really necessary with less than say 2m x 2m spaces
 
I

itsaliveterps

Active Member
coreywebster said:
You are wrong, no offence.

You have ducting and filters to take into account. Which changes the requirements of the intake .

It's always been recommended to run less intake t hat outtake.
You NEED negative pressure in an active air exchange grow.

In a 4x4 you don't need any intake, well most of the time, unless the extraction needed to maintain temp is incredibly high.

But most of the time intskes aren't really necessary with less than say 2m x 2m spaces
Click to expand...
I'm going to be using 1.2 1.2 2.0 xl using a 600watt led light the controller should work all that out I'm assuming cos I never really used one friends have tho and it just made life much easier
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
itsaliveterps said:
I'm going to be using 1.2 1.2 2.0 xl using a 600watt led light the controller should work all that out I'm assuming cos I never really used one friends have tho and it just made life much easier
Click to expand...
I've never used an intake fan but they could be usefull in some situations, like a restrictive intake filter.

I do use controllers, an AC Infinity, Inkbird temperature and humidity controlls plus assorted thermometer/hydrometers.
 
I

itsaliveterps

Active Member
1212ham said:
I've never used an intake fan but they could be usefull in some situations, like a restrictive intake filter.

I do use controllers, an AC Infinity, Inkbird temperature and humidity controlls plus assorted thermometer/hydrometers.
Click to expand...
Cool does the digital controller help? Does it work? Does it really automatically control the environment? Lol
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
itsaliveterps said:
Cool does the digital controller help? Does it work? Does it really automatically control the environment? Lol
Click to expand...
Sure they work, that's why we use them. In general, you set temp and humidity targets and that controls the fan and other devices like humidifier, dehumidifier, AC, heaters, lights etc. Many also log and graph the temp etc.

AC Infinity has controls for 1, 4 or 8 devices and a new one with AI. I don't really know what the others have.
 
Last edited:
I

itsaliveterps

Active Member
Spiderfarmerled said:
You can use the digital controller with both 4" and 6" Spider Farmer fans, so your intake fan doesn't have to be exactly 6".
Click to expand...
Finally someone who actually understood the question thanks but what one would you recommend? I'm using a 6" outake in a 1.2 1.2 2.0 tent so my intake should be?
 
weedstoner420

weedstoner420

Well-Known Member
At what point do you need to use an intake fan in addition to the usual exhaust fan? Is it solely dependent on tent/room size?

Is there any specific benefit to adding an active intake fan, vs increasing the size or number or passive intake ports?
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
weedstoner420 said:
At what point do you need to use an intake fan in addition to the usual exhaust fan? Is it solely dependent on tent/room size?

Is there any specific benefit to adding an active intake fan, vs increasing the size or number or passive intake ports?
Click to expand...
In my option it's temperature difference.
I personally don't ever need an intake on any tent I've set up 8x4 square feet or below.
But someone in a hotter climate might.
Or someone running higher wattage, like 2x 1000w hps compared to 2x 600w LED.

If my desired temp is 79f and my ambient room temp is 69f then I have a reasonable amount of room for that increase and it won't require huge airflow to do it.
But if your ambient room temp is 75f and you desire the same 79f in the tent then you need a considerable amount more and you may get to the point where intake is needed or your tent would be under considerable pressure.

At the end of the day the wattage used and ambient temp dictate the requirements for extraction.( In an active air grow space, As opposed to a sealed room)

An open duct or tent flap allows a high amount of air passively.

Obviously other than that an intake allows all flaps (light leaks) to be closed , which would matter to some people, so that's another reason to have an intake.
But it has to be reasonably balanced because if the only way air can get in is through an intake fan then that can be a limiting factor , because it will limit how much air can be sucked out of the extraction. In that case the extractor is working too hard.

I'm sure a hvac guy would know more about the specific rules , but that's the general idea
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top