How paranoid should I be about fan noise?

LWD

LWD

Active Member
RiU, I have a 440cfm fan as a secondary scrubber in my attic. I'm paranoid because when you stand at the front door of my house you can hear it through the roof vents. I'm not sure if a cop would think maybe its just the central air or would it be clear to them. I unplugged it since now and am only relying on my grow closet scrubber, I also have an Ona bucket in there as well.
 
Cascadian

Cascadian

Well-Known Member
I have the same fan and had the same concerns. It is loud as hell without turning it down. Get a reostat/solid state fan controller and back it off to about 60%, much quieter.

Don't try to use a regular dimmer, you will burn out your fan. You can find them on ebay pretty cheap, I found one for about $15 delivered. You will need to do some wiring with an extension cord and some electrical connectors and electrical tape as well but it is a quick project.
 
AimAim

AimAim

Well-Known Member
If you got a cop on your front porch sounds like you already got a problem. Two or more cops you are fucked.
 
Green Troll

Green Troll

Active Member
you know that egg crate stuff they line walls of sound studios with? like bumpy black foam? buy some of that and some MDF, make a box out of MDF big enough for your fan to fit into, secure it with rubber mounts to reduce vibration, line the box with that stuff and seal it up. you now have a fan in its own little sound proofed room. use acoustic ducting as well, it makes a huge difference. a lot of the time it is more of the noise of the air rushing through your ducts than the fan itself.
 
Cascadian

Cascadian

Well-Known Member
I use standard heat insulated ducting in my application in my garage, (I cut off some insulation to get into the tent). When I open the door I can faintly hear the fan but no air whooshing. I agree that you should focus on the source of the sound first (the fan), before moving to the ducting etc. I put my fan filter combo on 3 folded towels then wrapped the joint between the fan and filter with towels, and the joint between the fan and ducting... I made sure the towels were secured with duct tape. Makes a huge difference, especially with the fan speed backed off a touch. Not the best pic but you get the idea...
20131030_131900.jpg

Edit: make sure you wrap the fan in a blanket or couple towels as well. Good Luck!
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
LWD said:
RiU, I have a 440cfm fan as a secondary scrubber in my attic. I'm paranoid because when you stand at the front door of my house you can hear it through the roof vents. I'm not sure if a cop would think maybe its just the central air or would it be clear to them. I unplugged it since now and am only relying on my grow closet scrubber, I also have an Ona bucket in there as well.
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i would be VERY concerned. Anyone who grows, would know exactly what it is and then you risk getting robbed... and as you said, cops too. i use 2 fans myself, but i got one for intake one for strictly filtering. Since air outside is cold as hell now, i can keep my fan on low and still keep my 600w bare bulb cold.
 
MFB

MFB

Active Member
The fan sound just means there is a fan running. This is not enough evidence to warrant anything. Fans are completely legal. They could compound it with marijuana odor for reasonable cause but alone it is nothing. Smelling raw marijuana is what seems to give them the probable cause. Never answer your door to the police just tell them through the window (without opening it) that they have to leave unless they have a warrant. Cops are just assholes that try scaring you. They tried that shit with me I told them to get the fuck off my property unless they have a warrant. They said they would and haven't been back in 5 months. I don't know, maybe the judge is on a long vacation.

Even if you are completely legal, still do not let them in your house. You have rights (very little), you need to exercise them.
 
Dannoo93

Dannoo93

Well-Known Member
Green Troll said:
you know that egg crate stuff they line walls of sound studios with? like bumpy black foam? buy some of that and some MDF, make a box out of MDF big enough for your fan to fit into, secure it with rubber mounts to reduce vibration, line the box with that stuff and seal it up. you now have a fan in its own little sound proofed room. use acoustic ducting as well, it makes a huge difference. a lot of the time it is more of the noise of the air rushing through your ducts than the fan itself.
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Y the fuck do people put inline fans in boxs that is not good heat build up on the fan just duct muffler it or dont complain

Dannoo93
 
Green Troll

Green Troll

Active Member
Dannoo93 said:
Y the fuck do people put inline fans in boxs that is not good heat build up on the fan just duct muffler it or dont complain

Dannoo93
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because it works? i dont know what cheap shit fans you run, but i sure as hell don't get heat build up on my inline fan...
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
Green Troll said:
because it works? i dont know what cheap shit fans you run, but i sure as hell don't get heat build up on my inline fan...
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your putting a cover over your inline fan.

put a cover over yourself and see if it doesnt get hot...

ha for the laughs im going to add...

what high dollar piece of shit fan are you using that these cheap pieces of shit cant do?
 
Cascadian

Cascadian

Well-Known Member
I know that I don't get any heat issue from wrapping my fan with blankets and towels. Can't remember now, but I think it was a CAN fan.

It depends on the environment you are growing in but generally what I have read and from experience is that addressing the source (fan) first will give you the most DB reduction.

Just using a muffler could work great in the right setup/application but in others isolation of the fan noise itself, will give better results.
 
Green Troll

Green Troll

Active Member
fir3dragon said:
your putting a cover over your inline fan.

put a cover over yourself and see if it doesnt get hot...

ha for the laughs im going to add...

what high dollar piece of shit fan are you using that these cheap pieces of shit cant do?
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you need to learn simple physics. sound insulation and heat insulation are not the same thing. and inline fans do not get hot...at least the german made Ruck fans i use do not. and the answer to your question is obviously "keep cool"...

EDIT: just checked, my fans have an operational max ambient temp of 60 degrees C, so even if they did get hot, they still work... so now your points have been made invalid, how about getting back on track and helping this guy with his problem?
 
B

broncks4

Member
Dannoo93 - just a straight answer, please, as I need your help and have already poked around for info. It looks as though you have experience using duct mufflers. Do they work as advertised? Is there a specific configuration that works better than others? Big ups in advance.
 
E

endpro

Active Member
You could get rid of the fan and scrubber and just use an ionizer. No sound and it will neutralize any smells in the attic.
 
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