New grow

[Jonhayes97]

Set up my tent but not 100% sure about 1 thing,i have an inline fan but should it be sucking air out of the tent or blowing air into the tent?,also i have a fan speed controller it still powers the fan but doesn't let me contorll the speed anymore it stays on maximum any ideas why?

 

[VetSmoke85]

Set up my tent but not 100% sure about 1 thing,i have an inline fan but should it be sucking air out of the tent or blowing air into the tent?,also i have a fan speed controller it still powers the fan but doesn't let me contorll the speed anymore it stays on maximum any ideas why?

Can do both but if you have one fan it should be set up to pull air through your carbon filter and out of the tent. You can have the intakes passive. If it's a cheap controller they don't work very well. I have one and it doesn't control much.

 

[VetSmoke85]

Not sure if you've seen it already but @Buds Buddy has got a journal aimed at new growers to help get started. Worth a read and follow along.

Come Grow With Me: A Beginners Guide

OK ya'all, Are you ready to start growing ? Guess you wouldn't be riding the 420 Mag train if you weren't. Anyway, I'm going to keep this real simple while providing pics & details from start to finish. I'll be posting & adding pics throughout the day. Today I'll be putting up the tent &...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Buds Buddy]

Set up my tent but not 100% sure about 1 thing,i have an inline fan but should it be sucking air out of the tent or blowing air into the tent?,also i have a fan speed controller it still powers the fan but doesn't let me contorll the speed anymore it stays on maximum any ideas why?

Welcome to 420 Mag.
Is it a fan with a built in speed controller ? I've had all kinds of problems with those. I ended up cutting off the built in controllers, splicing the wires & adding my own speed controller that the fan plugs into.

 

[bluter]

Welcome to 420 Mag.
Is it a fan with a built in speed controller ? I've had all kinds of problems with those. I ended up cutting off the built in controllers, splicing the wires & adding my own speed controller that the fan plugs into.

there are different controllers for different types of fans. you need to match the fan type with the controller or you've created a fire maker. the type of fan depends on the motor, and whether it uses roller or needle bearings in the design.

 

[bluter]

i have a fan speed controller it still powers the fan but doesn't let me control the speed anymore it stays on maximum any ideas why?

it's probably a simple type potentiometer type control. if it's a cheap one the sweeps don't last. it's been a noted problem on budget fans. easiest fix is to replace with correct unit. reach out to the supplier.

also if there is excessive wear on the motor it will require a higher setting to initially power it. the controller acts more as an on/off switch in that scenario. you likely would have noticed noise or other symptoms though.

 

[Buds Buddy]

there are different controllers for different types of fans. you need to match the fan type with the controller or you've created a fire maker. the type of fan depends on the motor, and whether it uses roller or needle bearings in the design.

So if theirs different types of controllers for these fans what are they & how do we know which type we need ?
I've never seen a speed controller advertised for different types of fan bearings.

 

[Jonhayes97]

Can do both but if you have one fan it should be set up to pull air through your carbon filter and out of the tent. You can have the intakes passive. If it's a cheap controller they don't work very well. I have one and it doesn't control much.

That's the way i got it now that's wicked thanks,it worked for a few hours then just randomly stopped working but it's still powering the fan

 

[Jonhayes97]

Welcome to 420 Mag.
Is it a fan with a built in speed controller ? I've had all kinds of problems with those. I ended up cutting off the built in controllers, splicing the wires & adding my own speed controller that the fan p

Not sure if you've seen it already but @Buds Buddy has got a journal aimed at new growers to help get started. Worth a read and follow along.

Come Grow With Me: A Beginners Guide

OK ya'all, Are you ready to start growing ? Guess you wouldn't be riding the 420 Mag train if you weren't. Anyway, I'm going to keep this real simple while providing pics & details from start to finish. I'll be posting & adding pics throughout the day. Today I'll be putting up the tent &...

www.420magazine.com

Got that one saved there's so much detail in that thread!

Not sure if you've seen it already but @Buds Buddy has got a journal aimed at new growers to help get started. Worth a read and follow along.

Come Grow With Me: A Beginners Guide

OK ya'all, Are you ready to start growing ? Guess you wouldn't be riding the 420 Mag train if you weren't. Anyway, I'm going to keep this real simple while providing pics & details from start to finish. I'll be posting & adding pics throughout the day. Today I'll be putting up the tent &...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Jonhayes97]

Welcome to 420 Mag.
Is it a fan with a built in speed controller ? I've had all kinds of problems with those. I ended up cutting off the built in controllers, splicing the wires & adding my own speed controller that the fan plugs into.

No it's a separate fan and separate speed controller,i got it from Mars hydro in a kit,it didn't specify that it would come with a speed controller

 

[Buds Buddy]

See the 2 Fan Speed Controllers in this pic. These work great. I always buy these, but they run $17 ea. instead of $10 or $12 that the ones that plug straight into the outlet run.

 

[VetSmoke85]

See the 2 Fan Speed Controllers in this pic. These work great. I always buy these, but they run $17 ea. instead of $10 or $12 that the ones that plug straight into the outlet run.

Do you get the fan hum with those? I need a good controller as the £10 one I have just causes an awful hum when reducing the speed. Think I need a variac one. Cheapest I've found is £56. Looked into building my own but the only variable transformers I could find cost more.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Do you get the fan hum with those? I need a good controller as the £10 one I have just causes an awful hum when reducing the speed. Think I need a variac one. Cheapest I've found is £56. Looked into building my own but the only variable transformers I could find cost more.

Only hum is when it 1st starts up for maybe 10 - 20 seconds. Then I only hear air.

 

[bluter]

So if theirs different types of controllers for these fans what are they & how do we know which type we need ?
I've never seen a speed controller advertised for different types of fan bearings.

there is a cage type - looks like a big snail, uses roller bearings, and comes with a motor that is best suited to run full out. rolling the voltage back causes resistance and an overheat situation leading to premature failure and possible fire.

it needs a capacitor to be properly controlled. 100% of the voltage needs to be delivered to the motor at all times. this one has a capacitor, but it's not set up for control. this fan runs full out or nothing. it is of the type that more commonly causes issues.

a lot of old school grows burnt because of these fans.


the second type is an impeller fan, sometimes called vortex which is actually a brand. it uses two separate fans and works a bit like a jet engine. it uses roller bearings or sometimes brushless motors. rollers are preferable and much more common.

these fans almost always have smaller cases, and are usually just a bit larger in diameter than the ducts they connect to. these fans often come with a control and use a simple potentiometer or rheostat type control. the largest difference is the fan motors are able to deal with varying voltage. - the bearings i refer to are used in the different electric motors.


both fans are mistakenly called inline fans which is unfortunate. really only the second one is.

the 'speed control" on this one is a potentiometer type control. it sends a signal, but does not vary voltage itself.

a rheostat type control would plug in to the wall, and the fan would plug in to the rheostat. it looks very similar, and is used on the same type of fan this one is on. it does not play well with the first snail / cage / needle bearing type of fan. a rheostat controls voltage directly.


light movers and fans are always the thing that burns a grow down.

 

[Buds Buddy]

This is the one I have. Looks like the one in your 1st pic but it comes with a built in Fan Speed Controller. Makes no sense for it to be built in if slowing the fan down is a fire hazard.

 

[bluter]

the thing on the side is the capacitor. it would be built for it. the fan motor may be a newer roller design as well. it does not look like a cage in there, think i see blades, but i can't be sure. it has a rheostat control, not potentiometer.

 

[bluter]

that fan looks better than the one i have for sure lol

 

[Buds Buddy]

the thing on the side is the capacitor. it would be built for it. the fan motor may be a newer roller design as well. it does not look like a cage in there, think i see blades, but i can't be sure. it has a rheostat control, not potentiometer.

It no longer has that speed control. I cut it off & now it plugs into my other speed controller. Works better.

 

[bluter]

It no longer has that speed control. I cut it off & now it plugs into my other speed controller. Works better.

you've upgraded with another rheostat type. your fan already was a type that could accept it, and began with a rheostat control.

if it was a potentionmeter control it would not have a plug in, and would have melted. before other spectacular stuff. some people try to adapt them, or other controls, with horrible results.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Wasn't much difference in fan speed with the original. This one I can tell the difference pretty easy.