Can someone give me some info on using FAN CONTROLLERS please?

I am wanting to get a higher CFM model fan than I'm estimating I'll need
Panasonic Whisperline has 4 models, pulling 120, 240, 340, and 440cfm, and I am estimating I'll need the 240cfm model but want to get the 440cfm model in case.

If I tune down the 440cfm model to where it pulls 240cfm, will the reduced RPM mean that it wont pull at as high of a static pressure? Could this really hurt if I'm using a carbon filter?

Also, will the 440cfm running at 240cfm speeds be a lot quieter than the 240cfm running on full blast?
the 240cfm says it runs at 1.4 sones and the 440 says 2.1 sones, but I have no idea how loud this is..
I'm guessing it's overall quiet from what I've been able to find..

Any piece of this puzzle you can help me put together (any info u can give) please let me know..

Thanks a lot,
CreQ

Does anyone know, also, if you have an 8" ducted inline fan, and have an inline filter (i'm planning on having air suck thru the hood to cool it, then thru an inline carbon filter, into the inline fan, and out of the box) and convert from 8" to 6" either for the filter, or for the light hood (the hood is 6" ports, the filter I'm not sure) will it make a lot of noise?
Would it make so much that I'd be better off getting the next lower model down (340cfm) with 6" ducts already on it?

I really don't want to waste $200 on something that's going to end up being so loud it makes my stealth cabinet nonstealth...
All of these inline fans are noisy i know but i'm going for the least ammount of noise i possibly can =P

Thanks,
CreQ

I don't know if this will help but, I run a 450 cfm vortex full blast and it's not too loud unless u vent it indoors then its a little loud but not so bad if you shut the door you can't hear it outside the room.

Inline fans are pretty loud. I Have a 4" vortex and use a speedster fan controller. My grow area is 4'x4'x6' tall. The 200cfm fan is set at low and works good for that size. Also, some fans hum like a bitch if you put on a speed controller....I dont get this too bad with the vortex. You will hear it for sure if you are in the same room. I use insulated ducting which helps. It isnt so much the sound of the fan motor, but the air rushing through the duct.

For a cab grow, I suggest you have the filter at the end of the line, then duct through the hood, and finally the fan - so its sucking. This will only work if your light is sealed or else you'll pull stinky unfiltered air out the exhaust.....just my 2cents...my grow space is 65f ambient, so i dont need to pull too much air to keep things cool.

This box is going in my closet and not venting to the outside at all so I have to contsantly refresh its air.. and also keep it smell free...AND keep the noise down because it's a CONDO and i don't want the neighbors downstars or next door.. hearing it..
quite a feat I know..
My problem with putting the filter first then the hoodie then the fan is that the hoodie wont be completely sealed and can't possibly be..I can't see any way to seal it all the way minus maybe duct taping it all together or someshit...but hey that is a fuckin possibility isn't it?!?! I haven't thought about that yet and i've been frettin about designing a home-made inline filter...

Though, I was thinking I'd convert from 8" duct to some kind of BIIG duct (like 15" round or a 12"x12" square screen) and put a DIY carbon filter in there about 3 or 4" thick of activated carbon.. so it's like:
[screen][prefilter][carbon][prefilter][screen]
But yeah I'd really rather mebbe just duct tape up the reflector and see if i can seal it tight and make a filter over there..

My other option, I thought also, was to connect a filter to 4" ducting and seal that inside 8" ducting, so that air is pulled thru the filter and into the 8" ducting, then into 6" ducting and into the fan then out the box..
kinda like
==[([]) ]====
where the = is the ducting and the ([]) is the filter hehe.. and the [ ] is the thicker ducting..

I dono.. I guess I'll have to play with that as far as that goes..

So people with the vortex reccomend it?
Any cheers for the whisperline? I see the whisperlines have like 1.4 sones for 240cfm, 1.7sones for 340cfm, and 2.1sones for 440cfm, but I don't see dBa and don't see sones for the vortex, but I think the vortex is like 49 dba for the 440 and the whisperline is 2.1 sones for the 440, which is about equal.. mebbe 2.1 sones is 55 db though, i'm not sure.. i'll see if ican call panasonic tomorrow..

Any info still appreciated keep addin.. sorry to chat that up it's before bed and i'm all zonin out haha

My buddy has a box about the same size as yours and he could'nt make it work till he got an air cooled hood and went from the filter to the hood to the fan out the box. He also ran supper hot till he got a fan controller and turned it halfway down, mine was the same I run my fan for my lights at half and my exhaust at full. Should also mention my buddies box is pretty loud but as I said before if you have it in a bedroom and shut the door you won't hear it but you might feel a breeze coming from around the door. Hope this helps, don't give up.

honestly, if you are growing a strain with a lot of odor, a diy filter setup isnt gonna work. I suggest mountain aire or CanFilter. I have a can33 which takes care of all my odors, but only works well if the system is sealed and the humidity is below 80%.

I used that aluminum tape with the peel off backing to seal around the glass in my hood....no leaks.

Vortex makes agreat fan. They come with a 10 year warrenty and are made in canada. The quietest ones I've heard are Elicient (I think that is how its spelled..check google.)

Yeah someone else threw me torwards elicent, but from what i've seen they put out about half the cfm for the same size models as the vortex, and are rated at 54dba (which is what vortek says it's 747cfm model is rated at)

This is where I get confused because they claim to have the same dba rating but the elicent pulls half the air, so I was thinking a vortex at twice the rated flow, running at half speed, would be quieter? (see this is all confusing as shit to me, hehe, no experience with it at all.)

I'm thinking about just getting the 8" 747cfm vortek, and running it at 1/4 speed, but I don't know if this will cause static pressure problems? Does anyone? Will that be quieter than a 449cfm running at 1/2 speed?
Or would a 6" 449cfm vortex running at 1/2 speed do me better because it'll pull thru the filter and a 747cfm@1/4 wont?

I'm basically trying to figure out if I'll be happier with a 449cfm model running at 1/2 speed, or a 747cfm model running at 1/4 speed.. and whether or not this will cause Static Pressure problems with a filter =//
I can't seem to find any specific info..
Does anyone know? I'm trying to order this asap (today) heh..

creq2 said:

Yeah someone else threw me torwards elicent, but from what i've seen they put out about half the cfm for the same size models as the vortex, and are rated at 54dba (which is what vortek says it's 747cfm model is rated at)

This is where I get confused because they claim to have the same dba rating but the elicent pulls half the air, so I was thinking a vortex at twice the rated flow, running at half speed, would be quieter? (see this is all confusing as shit to me, hehe, no experience with it at all.)

I'm thinking about just getting the 8" 747cfm vortek, and running it at 1/4 speed, but I don't know if this will cause static pressure problems? Does anyone? Will that be quieter than a 449cfm running at 1/2 speed?
Or would a 6" 449cfm vortex running at 1/2 speed do me better because it'll pull thru the filter and a 747cfm@1/4 wont?

I'm basically trying to figure out if I'll be happier with a 449cfm model running at 1/2 speed, or a 747cfm model running at 1/4 speed.. and whether or not this will cause Static Pressure problems with a filter =//
I can't seem to find any specific info..
Does anyone know? I'm trying to order this asap (today) heh..

Click to expand...

I have a 3 can fans, a 4 inch, 6 inch & 8 inch. If you have the fan about halfway with an adjustable speed controller, you can get the noise level down, personally My 8" Can Fan + 150 Carbon Filter does not put off much noise at all. It's the best fan manufacturer, but I hear other manufacturers specialize in sound reduction. Can fan is more for reliability; I hope this helps

I have an 8 inch and a 6 inch valueline fan set. I made carboard box holders and packed them full of packing peanuts and duct taped them shut with the fans inside. That worked for noise. Right now I am running the 8 inch with blackout and noise reducing curtains wrapped around them for sound proofing. Works good. I have that HTG fan controller but when I dial the fans down I dont realli like the noise it makes. IDK, it is prob nothing. But in winer I am running my 600 without cooltube and ust pulling the air out with an 8 inch valueline fan. Cheap and loud but easily quited.

So if I need only about 150cfm I can still get an 800cfm fan and tune it down to fit?

I'm worried that tuning an 800cfm fan down to the rpms required for 150cfm will cause it to not be able to 'suck' air through the filter (greatly harm its static pressure)..

Any thoughts on that anyone? Because right now I'm leaning for going wayyyy overkill and tune it down for the best possible noise reduction, and also to ensure the fan I get will definitely vent the box (can always tune a fan down but not up is what i've read and it makes sense.. =P)

Anyone do anything similar or know if it'll work or if it'll cause problems with the static pressure like I'm thinking?

creq2 said:

So if I need only about 150cfm I can still get an 800cfm fan and tune it down to fit?

I'm worried that tuning an 800cfm fan down to the rpms required for 150cfm will cause it to not be able to 'suck' air through the filter (greatly harm its static pressure)..

Any thoughts on that anyone? Because right now I'm leaning for going wayyyy overkill and tune it down for the best possible noise reduction, and also to ensure the fan I get will definitely vent the box (can always tune a fan down but not up is what i've read and it makes sense.. =P)

Anyone do anything similar or know if it'll work or if it'll cause problems with the static pressure like I'm thinking?

Click to expand...

When viewing the installation instructions for a can fan & filter on youtube, they instruct to put the intake side of the fan into the filter, so that the air is being sucked through the white exterior of the filter, into the center of the filter, and out of the can fan and through your ducting to *push air through your cooltubes then exhaust out of the room versus pulling it. I've seen a thread on here that asked the question to push air into the Filter or pull it through, and people were doing both with results, I think as long as the air passes over the charcoal which catches the odor, it will work. But *optimally you want your Can Fan white exterior filter to catch the large dust and airborne particles from the room before passing over the charcoal. I hope this helps

I would recommend getting a 6" HO Can Fan capable of 440CFM, and buying a filter to fit; it should be sufficient. Also I recommend buying the adjustable dial, and turning it down to about halfway which (after running air through the filter), it will probably be about 200CFM, My 8" Can Fan (rated at 770CFM) w/150 filter maxes out at 400CFM at full speed. Using the adjustable dial, will bring the noise down drastically.

I also need some help with fan noise. There are two different noises made by an inline fan... the air noise and the motor noise. I have a fan speed controller that adds a loud electronic hammer type sound to the sound of the motor when cutting the speed anywhere below 75%. above 75% the hammer fades away but is still noticeable. The hammer only goes away when completely at full speed. With the speed controller turned off the fans motor seems to run smoother and much much quieter, but then the damn air noise takes over... WTF. I need both noises made to be controlably quiet. If the speed controller did it's job without adding the hammer, this would be the ideal situation.

Somebody out there must have the SUPER STEALTH method to truly whisper quiet air ventilation

I have a 8" elicient inline. It's made from thicker steel than the CanFans, but both are pretty quiet. I also went with the oversized fan so that I had plenty of top-end left when it gets too hot. Here is a VERY good speed controller: http://aeroponicsnmore.com/climate-control-ventilation-c-23_5/temp-2v-fan-speed-control-variable-idle-setpoint-p-181 It's a little expensive but it's really worth every penny. It will run the fan at your set speed (idle) until it gets too hot, then it will automatically speed up the fan and cool your grow. I love mine and I wouldn't grow without it.

Plus, my cheap speed controller made my fan hum, this one does NOT.

PS. If you are not exhausting to outdoors or suplimenting Co2, your grow is doomed. Just FYI.

Oh yeah. That Temp-2V is the chill setup for fan cooling. I have seen this product before. Love the way you just set the desired temp to increase the cfm's. I ended up moving my noisyass fan to my attic and ran a 25' section of ducting down through (inside of) the heater ducting. I had some extra plywood laying around and built a box to enclose it. Had to remove the heater grate on my ceiling but that is no biggie. Only took an hour and now the noise is a thing of the past. Pretty nice setup and no cutting of any holes in my drywall. There was an extra outlet in the attic too, so all is good. I would like to wirelessly turn the fan off/on with my timer as I am using an air cooled hood. Does anyone out there know of a way to cheaply achieve this? I'm not keen on running an extension cord all that way. So for now it will just run 24/7.

One more thing. I am getting my $20 back for that piece of ssss Speedster fan speed controller. The fan runs only at top speed now. Temp-2v on my to get list...

Here is some good ventillation knowledge.
http://www.bghydro.com/bgh/static/articles/0606_vent.asp
http://www.bghydro.com/bgh/static/articles/0706_vent2.asp

And here's one with diagrams
http://www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com/exhaust-fan-setup.html

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I gotta go home and watch the tsunami roll in. I know a nice little bar on the bluff, should be perfect! ... I'm reminded of a redneck's typical last words: "Watch this!"