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Has anybody ordered the cooling fans that DR. Smith sells ?

cobraz

Zoa Pirate
I need to install a couple of fans with guards to cool my new tank with 2 x 250 MH. Dr. Fosters and Smith has a new 2 fan set - has anybdy ordered this yet and how well do they work.

I need something very quite to the point of not hearing them at all.
Any suggestions on the quitest fans and where to get them.

Thanks
 
I had seen these also and thought of getting them to cool my sump. Should anyone take the plunge let us know how they work.
 
I saw that, but what turned me off was 2 fans move about 32 cf/hr of and a 4 fan only does about 39cf/hr. I found a single 4 inch fan that move 70ish cf/hr. I just didn't see any value. I have the same concerns with twin 250 MH.
 
That seems really underpowered for what you could do with a DC fan and an adapter for half the cost. When I built my new hood, I put in 2 four inch DC fans that move 96cfm each and are SUPER quiet. Just wired them into a spare power adapter from an old phone. I got the fans on ebay for maybe five bucks for both of them.
 
naturebatslast said:
I saw that, but what turned me off was 2 fans move about 32 cf/hr of and a 4 fan only does about 39cf/hr. I found a single 4 inch fan that move 70ish cf/hr. I just didn't see any value. I have the same concerns with twin 250 MH.

This is good to know. Thanks!
 
zear0 said:
Computer case fans are pretty cheap and easy to shop for... Most sites provide noise, voltage and air movement ratings for them too. So, you can be sure you are getting what you need. (super Quiet/Efficient fans)

For example:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556034032.html

55CFM @ 25dba for < $7 + shipping
How would you power this fan?
 
They don't list the driving specs for that fan, but you can use almost any DC adapter, the higher the voltage, the faster the fan will run up to its operating capacity. I would bet that at least a 9V dc adapter would be plenty. You probably have a few laying around the house from old phones, answering machines, etc. Just check the back to see its rating.
 
Best bet is Radio Shack or Walmart - get one with a multi switch to set volts - usually computer fans are 12volts. They will say right on label.
 
If you have to buy an adapter, just get one on ebay. One at radioshack or walmart will be around $15-20. You can get it on ebay for a couple of bucks, plus $4-5 for shipping.

Most people have adapters laying around from old phones, cell phones, chargers, etc. Computer fans do technically use 12V, because that is the system voltage in a PC, but anything from 9v on up is probably good enough.
 
Our hood goes right to the ceiling, and I decided I did not want to cut holes in the hood for the fans as the tank/hood can be seen from three sides. So I decided to mount bathroom type vents in my ceiling and duct their output down thru the top of my hood. I went to the Home Depot and they had a bunch of bathroom fans setup in a display. You could turn them on to see what kind of noise levels they produced. I found a nice fan that moves 110CFM and operates at 1.5 sones (sones is a measure of sound that most household fans a rated with). 1.5 sones is VERY quite. They are bit costly as you get to the higher quality, quieter models, but if quiet is what you are looking for, THAT is quiet. I ended up buying them online to save a few bucks, but actually being able to hear what the sones numbers mean made all the difference for me. If you have suspended ceilings and there is clearance above it, you could get a cheaper/louder fan and duct it from another room where noise isn't so much of a factor. In fact, if you do take this route, I have 4 50 CFM fans that I paid $15 each for and am not going to use. I don't know if this will do you any good, but I figured it might help if you go that way.

-Dave
 
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