bcjm February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 Does anyone know what size of opening do I need to cut in the hood to fit a 4" fan? Would you vent the air from the side or from the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 I took the fan and put it up against the hood and drew a circle where it was needed (you dont want to cut a square or you won't have anywhere to mount it). It was around 3 inches more or less. It differs depending on the specific fan. After I drew the circle, I drilled a decent size hole, then used a jigsaw to cut out the circle. You can mount them where ever you want- may prefer to blow in one side and out the other. Most cooling comes from the increased evaporation, not direct dissapation of heat from my understanding. Thus minimally you want one fan blowing in, and a vent on the opposite side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimo February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 I used a 4" hole saw to cut mine - Easier and more precise than cutting it freehand. I would reccomend you use 2 fans, one on each side blowing in. MAke sure there is space on the back or the edges for the air to escape. Ideally there would be vents on the top for the hot air to go through. 2 fans is better because when one jams or the bearings fail (it WILL happen it is only a matter of time. Salt does nasty things to motors) one fan will still work enough to keep your lights from cooking your tank. HTH Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 25, 2003 Share February 25, 2003 Yeah- if you have a hole saw or feeling like spending the extra $$ then that is the easiest. With a jigsaw it is pretty easy with a "scroll" blade with lots of teeth. All the other ventilation holes I use a standard hole saw for (as well as holes for bulkheads in acrylic for that matter). Those can't be real easy to find though????. Most that I've seen at HD were maybe 2.5".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 I would recommend two fans also, but one blowing in and one pulling out would work more efficiently than having both blow in. I did not put any holes in the top of my hood because I didn't want any light shining up on the ceiling. For those that do have holes in the top, how do you deal with the light on the ceiling issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcjm February 26, 2003 Author Share February 26, 2003 I thought most fans are square like icecap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 The housing is square, but the fan opening is round. The square housing allows for screws/bolts in all 4 corners for mounting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimo February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 Marty - The problem with having a fan pull air out of the canopy is that the air is laden with salt and moisture that will accelerate the deterioration of the fan... Jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 Yeah, that does happen, but if you clean it regularly, it'll last several years, at least that's what I've found with the Icecaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 When water evaporates doesn't it leave the salt behind? I don't think its so much salt in the air that might damage a fan but the moisture in general. I have never had a problem with fans because of moisture myself. I must be lucky or my 8 year old computer fan is well made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcjm February 26, 2003 Author Share February 26, 2003 where do you guys get the computer fana from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelg February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 Radio shack. Read my thread on fans- as there is something to avoid like a dc fan or something like that.....it requires a transformer/invertor or something. I have one I can give you, but it is a little louder than a computer fan- it moves a lot of air though. There are alot on e-bay as well. When looking at them you want a high cfm (amount of air it moves- I'd say over 60, the ones I have move close to 90 or so) and a low db (how loud it is- a whisper is 30db or so) Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KABALA February 26, 2003 Share February 26, 2003 Prev is the shiznit!! He is right, when water evaporates the vapor is only H2O and the salt is left in the tank. So really only thing that would cross the fan is water vapor and no salt to destroy the fan. I have sscoured the web for different fans and curious if theres any cheap alternative to the icecap. Remind you that staying at least the same if not less db levels as the icecap. I probably should just break down and get them but after searching for weeks back around thanksgiving, im on a quest to find SOMETHING. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefMon February 27, 2003 Share February 27, 2003 Yea, the evaporated water is fresh, but their is allot of salt in the air from bubbles and splashing and it will attack the fans faster. Ever parked your car at the beach and seen how much salt is deposited on it from the wind? As for a canopy exhaust system, I've designed a high volume ventilation system, all I need now is the time to put it together to see how it works.... stay tuned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reeftanklfs February 27, 2003 Share February 27, 2003 Hi guys: Glenn is absolutely right. You will get salt build up (yes build up) on the fans, especially on the blades. We've been setting these things up for years, and always, after a while, you'll get the rust on the fan blades. Go with a fan that has plastic blades, like ice cap. Someone posted a thread about where to get cheap, quiet fans on reefcentral, about 2-3 weeks ago. You don't need a converter/inverter if you purchase AC fans. The fans themselves might come with only 6" leads; thus, you have to wire a power plug to it (the radio shack ones come like this), but it's real easy. HTH Grim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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