Computer fans

[Adam]

Hi,

I'm looking to find a computer fan to blow into (or out of) my wooden canopy at all times to dissipate the excess humidity.  It need not be very strong, but some airflow would be of great benefit to me.

Where is the best place in the city to find a fan like this and an adapter to be able to plug it directly in?  I want quiet, not hurricane strength but a gentle breeze, inexpensive and small.  Ideas?

[Saltcreep]

Princess Auto would be my choice. I have three or four from there and they work great. One runs all the time in my MH canopy and two others come when required, controlled by a barn fan switch which is mounted in the canopy. They come in a variety of DC voltages. I bought all 12VDC and they're powered by a simple AC adaptor. They don't draw much.

[JD]

Hi Adam,
if you want a gentle breeze only you will need to slow down what ever fan/s you use.
Using DC fans you will need to supply them with lower voltage than what they are rated for. For
example, a 12 volt DC fan can be run with say 10, 9, 7.5 volts according to how slow you want to run it.
Also, with DC fans, you can hook them up in series to cut the voltage in half effectively cutting their speed in half too.
I prefer to use AC fans. I use them in conjunction with a dimmer switch. This gives you variable speed control.
I use the cheapest rotary dimmer switch available at Home Depot with great results.

[JD]

The Source(Radio Shack) offers a 120 volt ac fan, 4", prewired.
I like larger fans. The move more air at slower speeds...quiet.
I have three 8" server fans(AC) over my sump run off a dimmer switch.
They create a ripple on the water surface with almost no noise what so ever.
Compared to a single 4" 12 VDC fan running off a 10 volt supply, it creates three times the amount of noise with
a fraction of the airflow.
Hope my babbling helps.

[Adam]

The reason I want this fan is because of the humidity in the canopy, not necessarily the heat from my lights or for my aquarium.  In fact, I would not like the extra evaporation because I already run a dehumidifier in the basement at all times.  I have to heat almost everyday because my aquarium is in a cool basement.  So with that in mind, what size fan and what voltage would be appropriate?  It gets very moist and warm in the enclosed space. Thanks.

Adam

[Funkmotor]

I'll suggest the Vantec Stealth series of fans.  I used to run several of these and they are very quiet.  Well worth the money.

The 120mm version runs on 12V @ .08A and is 28dBA - which is whisper quiet, and will run on any 12V wall wart you can find.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674640&Sku=V13-4005

Set it so that it pulls air out - not in - as that's much more efficient.

[JD]

I'll suggest the Vantec Stealth series of fans.  I used to run several of these and they are very quiet.  Well worth the money.

The 120mm version runs on 12V @ .08A and is 28dBA - which is whisper quiet, and will run on any 12V wall wart you can find.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674640&Sku=V13-4005

Set it so that it pulls air out - not in - as that's much more efficient.

I was going to buy these fans until I read the mixed reviews posted a Tiger Direct. I wonder if they got a bad batch of them at some point.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674640&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=10&body=REVIEWS#tabs

I agree with mounting the fan to suck instead of blow. They do work better that way.

[Funkmotor]

I was going to buy these fans until I read the mixed reviews posted a Tiger Direct. I wonder if they got a bad batch of them at some point.

I'd chalk a lot of it up to the difference between what people think they're going to get and what they actually get.  These fans don't push tremendous amounts of air - that's part of the deal - but for some applications, they're just the thing.