Controlling fan speed?

I have both an 8" max fan and a 12" max fan. Is it possible to use a fan speed controller with these models? I have been told that an analog or rheostat model should not be used.
Hydro inovations offers a nice model as well as GroWorks. Anyone have any experience with these models?
Thanks for the help.

Are you talking about the GroZone Temp-2V Fan Speed Controller found at this link.

http://www.nehydro.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=838


I saw this advertised in one of the indoor gardening mags I get and was really interested in hearing how well it works. It's a little pricey for a speed control but has some cool features.

Is it just basically a speedster with some extra bells and whistles?

That is one of the Three that I was thinking of. The other was the 1V and the last was the One offered by Hydro Inovations. There website says that it is made by grow zone (maybe they spelled it different?)
I am going to call Can-Fan to get the skinny on thier Max Fan line. Ill post what I find out.

curioushiker said:

That is one of the Three that I was thinking of. The other was the 1V and the last was the One offered by Hydro Inovations. There website says that it is made by grow zone (maybe they spelled it different?)
I am going to call Can-Fan to get the skinny on thier Max Fan line. Ill post what I find out.

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If you talk to the Can folks please ask about the 6 and 4 if you have an extra minute and let me know. Thanks in advance.

I'd love to use the 2V if it'll work without causing hum, overheating, or premature failure. I'm hoping it's not just a glorified Speedster with some extra logic as I've heard good and bad about that controller.

I've heard so much confusing and contradictory information about fan speed control that I've yet to even try one. But it sure would be nice to use my fans, which are too much CFM for their job, with less noise and airflow sound at the duct outlets.

what models 4" and 6" do you have? Are they the high output?
LMK and Ill ask em for ya

curioushiker said:

what models 4" and 6" do you have? Are they the high output?
LMK and Ill ask em for ya

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Just the normal kind. I know that the HO versions have a temp gauge on them but I put fans in boxes so I didn't think I'd be able to get to the temp control.

Or, are the temp controls remote?

Let us know what you find out. I have a can-fan, and when I bought it a friend (who knows a fair amount about growing) warned me that I couldn't use a speed controller with that type of fan. I asked someone at the local hydro shop, and they confirmed.

Leothwyn said:

Let us know what you find out. I have a can-fan, and when I bought it a friend (who knows a fair amount about growing) warned me that I couldn't use a speed controller with that type of fan. I asked someone at the local hydro shop, and they confirmed.

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On their website they claim that the CanFans are "100% Speed Controllable."

http://www.canfilters.com/can_fans_home.htm


They even talk about some product called CanTrol. Of course, I've never seen it for sale or even found it listed on their own website as an accessory.

mihjaro said:

.

I've heard so much confusing and contradictory information about fan speed control that I've yet to even try one. But it sure would be nice to use my fans, which are too much CFM for their job, with less noise and airflow sound at the duct outlets.

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This is just a Idea,instead of reducing the speed .How bout just building you a muffler to reduce the noise.
I've never built one for a op but I have for several Industrial type appplications for items such as vaccuum pumps I don't see why you couldn't do one for your application and it might be actually cheaper.Just a thought

46and2 said:

This is just a Idea,instead of reducing the speed .How bout just building you a muffler to reduce the noise.

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I use insulated duct so I don't have any noise in the duct lines. But 400 CFM flowing out of a register boot sure can make some noise.

Plus, I'm not much of a DIY when it comes to equipment. I've found that things created specifically to do a job do it better than things that are being wronked into doing something they weren't designed for.

So, I called the folks at Can-Fan (might I add they were tough to get a hold of). I talked to a guy in shipping that seemed to know what he was talking about.
I was told that both the Max and can fans CAN be speed controlled but One MUST use a motor controller. When I asked what exactly is a "motor controller" he could not describe it. He did say that we could NOT use the type of controller that is on a ceiling fan. When I asked if a solid state controller was a "motor controller" he could not confirm that.
Soooo, what is a motor controller?
Custom Automated Products or C.A.P. for short makes several ON/OFF type controllers that WILL work with any fan.
I am thinking that ON/OFF control would be better but then I think that using variable speed would allow the fan to cool the environment while constanly bringing in fresh air/CO2.
Hydro Inovations offers a controller for their Ice Box setup that varies the speed on their 8" max fan.
But, Can fan's website shows that the 12" Max Fan needs the CanTrol.
So, if you are after variable speed the search goes on.
Hope this helps.

Also wanted to add this email that I got from the folks at GroZone. My question to them and their response:

To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 12:28 AM
Subject: TV1 CONTROLLER


Hello, I am interested in the TV1 fan speed controller. I have the Max Fan 8" as well as the 12" and was told that I need a "motor controller" to vary the speed on these fans. Can you confirm that the TV1 will work with the Max Fan line of fans?
Thank you, Adam.


Adam,
The TV1 works fine with the MAX FAN 8-in
but it is not recommended with the 12-in Max fan, since this fan has a special motor (the only one in the Series to have this special motor). MAx Fan recommends to use their own MANUAL controller
(see their product in the middle of this page http://www.canfilters.com/catalogue.html)

After test performed on MAXFAN 8 and 10 inch, we find that the 10-in is less likely to undergo thermal overload, so we would recommend the 10-in instead of the 8-in, 10-in is more rugged. However, the 8-in could stop working due to thermal overload if it is likely to run most of the time at low speed (low speed means higher current in the motor, generating more heat, causing thermal overload more "easily); when it shuts off due to thermal overload, the fan is still good, it will recover after a few hours cooling down. Using a manual dimmer would give the same result, nothing to do with the TV1 but with the motor spec of the 8-in Max Fan.


In short

• if the 8-in is OVERSIZED for your set-up, it is likely to meet thermal oveload. If it is properly sized, it should be ok.
• 10-in will work fine all the times
• 12-in needs a special manual control, as per Canfan website

Michel Sirois
Grozone
418-856-9930

i bought one for my inline. I bought the one that hight tech garden sells. The garden kind is the same thing as a router speed control. They mean a mortor like arouter when they say motor control. However I have said fuck it. It makjes the fan make a noise and it is a pain when I want it faster to forget. I

The speedster on the sun-leaves 4 inch fan makes a buzzing noise when it is used to slow down the speed of the fan. The fan it self is very quiet when ran at full speed.

I called Can-fan the other day and they mentioned I could use either their expensive Can-trol product(just a variable transformer, or variac) or a SCR-type motor controller such as the Speedster. The guy mentioned not running them at too low a speed or the motor will overheat from the reduced airflow. While the SCR-type controllers will produce a hum, the Can-fan rep mentioned it would not shorten the life of the fan.

The reason you can't just use a SCR-type DIMMER instead of a real fan control is that fan controls include extra circuitry(a resistor and a capacitor, about 2 cents(or less) worth of parts) that suppresses the high-voltage that's created when you control an inductive load(motor) with a SCR. This circuitry is usually called a 'snubber'. Anytime you chop up voltage(like you do with an SCR), you create fast voltage transitions, instead of the normal smooth sine wave. These transitions, when applied to a coil, create strong voltage spikes in opposition to the applied voltage and would quickly smoke your SCR. You don't get those spikes when you're just controlling a lightbulb, so manufacturers of light-dimmers save 2 cents and leave off the snubber. Yes, you could modify a lamp dimmer to add the snubber but with $20 speed controllers at Harbor Freight why bother.

Thanks for pointing out the Grozone Temp 2V - I've been looking all morning for that exact functionality.

mrFancyPlants said:

I called Can-fan the other day and they mentioned I could use either their expensive Can-trol product(just a variable transformer, or variac)

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They didn't mention where one could buy that, did they?

No, the guy said it was $300 and acted like I obviously wouldn't want to buy it.

He's right though - you can get a variac for $50.

the best thing i ever did was build one of these, https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/200093-fans-making-my-head-spin.html read dirty steves post.

I need to find a speed controller for the hydrofarm active air 400 inline fan and im not sure which one i should get. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

renyman said:

I need to find a speed controller for the hydrofarm active air 400 inline fan and im not sure which one i should get. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Holy shit man! I thought that my avatars rocked. Way to lay the cola to her...