justin2937
Well-Known Member
I bought a 6" inline fan, unfortunately, its really loud, was wondering if I could hook it up to a light dimmer, or something similar, to drop the speed and the sound.
Well they raised the price on mine, it's up to 12.99 now. check it out
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
P@ssw0rd
I just went tohome depot and bought a wall switch type... it was like 2 bucks or 5 or sol.. i dont know...alot less than the ones recomended on here... just wire it up and your off to the races.... good luck...
Wireing it up is not big deal.... 2 wires... just conect to your existing fan cable (cut ans connect you know)... I just thought to throw this in cause i always see people posting about diy fans and electrical questions....
This is incorrect. Solid State PWM (Pulse Width Modification) speed controllers send "pulses" of 100% power at different durations to modify the pulse width and thus the total level of load on the motor.
A Rheostat, "speed controller" does not effect the voltage, it works by interrupting the electricity from a constant stream to a series of pulses, speed is controlled by adjusting the time between pulses. - GOOD
Yup! But still a freq drive is the best way to control an AC motor. (but need a motor that can handle 600Hz or so that the freq drive is spitting out)This is incorrect. Solid State PWM (Pulse Width Modification) speed controllers send "pulses" of 100% power at different durations to modify the pulse width and thus the total level of load on the motor.
A Rheostat speed controller is nothing but a two-terminal variable resistor. You are right by saying it shouldn't effect voltage, but it is much less efficent then PWM.
I'd go with a solid state speed controller for the best results.
!!!WARNING!!!
This is how to burn a fan out, and also a good way to burn a house down, Insurance won't pay shit if they find the cause to be your grow.
What you have there is a dimmer switch, it probably says all over the pack "not for use with fans" Thats because it works by limiting voltage. -BAD
A Rheostat, "speed controller" does not effect the voltage, it works by interrupting the electricity from a constant stream to a series of pulses, speed is controlled by adjusting the time between pulses. - GOOD
Please I'm begging for your sake,and the safety of everyone you share your home with, DO NOT USE A DIMMER. Now I'm sure there will be somebody who says "I use one it works fine" but thats "fine" so far, fine till the fire. Don't fuck with electricity.
This shit is real
P@ssw0rd
Yup! But still a freq drive is the best way to control an AC motor. (but need a motor that can handle 600Hz or so that the freq drive is spitting out)
but back on topic. I have had some, but not full luck with the home depot dimmers, meant for ceiling fans, to work.
Lights (incandescents ) are resistive loads Motors are inductive loads. These need to be handled differently when not run at 100%.
You are correct. The motor you are using was designed for use on a 120V 60hz circuit. Changing these parameters will almost always shorten motor life. Sometimes saving energy or utilizing the benefits of precise control outweigh the possible damage.The power is yours alone to make that call.. Also, the fan noises don't strike me as good for the fan--although I'm not up to speed on the specifics so I don't know if that idea holds water.
I've got those laying all over at work. You can get them at local used equipment houses for nothing.+1 on the insulated ducting. R8 ducting made a gigantic difference on my 6" 440cfm inline. I'm sure R6 or R4.2 would make a huge difference too. R8 is bulky but it is quite.
I've got a Harbor Freight speed controller (appears identical to the ones my grow shop sells) and I don't like it at all. It makes the fan motor sing/hum fairly loudly. It's a combination of what sounds like resonating fan-housing "sing" and motor hum. There are a few settings (barely on and nearly max) that are sort of "OK" but none of those sweet spot settings are what I need for airflow. Also, the fan noises don't strike me as good for the fan--although I'm not up to speed on the specifics so I don't know if that idea holds water.
Bottom line: running the fan full blast, insulating the ducting, and building a fan isolation box have worked better for me than trying to use the speed controller. It was more hassle to setup than the speed controller for sure--but I gotta do what I gotta do.
I'm told that a Variac speed controller will not produce ANY side-effect noises from slowing down the fan. If they weren't kind of expensive I'd have one already. Maybe in the future....
This is the 5A model but there's a 3A model as well.
Any suggestions on how I would find a used equipment house? I'm not even sure what kind of business that would be. Thanks.I've got those laying all over at work. You can get them at local used equipment houses for nothing.
Something like this will work, but you'll get killed on shipping. There's a local outlet for used electrical equipment I've used. You can probably find one in any major city.Any suggestions on how I would find a used equipment house? I'm not even sure what kind of business that would be. Thanks.