Mars Hydro 6” fan & filter combo kit unboxing & set up.

I ordered a bigger exhaust because my space has grown a little. My last grow using a 4” ac infinity in a 34” x 60” x 83” tent.. it needed to be turned up too higher than I’d like to scrub the air well.
This time I’m in a 48” x 48” x 78” tent, so I got a 6” fan with a controller knob. Tho it looks cool I opted for the model without the thermostat controller. I already have wireless hygrometers to monitor the environment from my phone.
I needed a new filter so I just went with the kit.

Nice.

It came with some straps, but I only used one. I’m choosing rope ratchets to hang the fan + filter from the hanging support poles. The strap is being used to ease the mind & be a secondary support.
While checking everything out I noticed some weights clipped to the fan blade. I’m going to assume the fan was tested, and may have been slightly imperfect. I ran it & everything sounds good so I’m satisfied at the moment.

Clamps were included to secure the ducting.


the driver was removed since I was going to be removing the old fan. Saves a slight battle with heat in late flower.
I figured this will help keep the driver at a nice temp.

The second strap kinda came in handy. I used it along with a couple of soft rubber plant ties to bunch up the excess ducting on the roof.

Ummm? You hung the fan upside down. Use the mounting bracket. Also use flat nylon ratchet straps/tie downs to hang heavy items. Vibration and uneven loading will ruin your fan very quick.

MICHI-CAN said:

Ummm? You hung the fan upside down. Use the mounting bracket. Also use flat nylon ratchet straps/tie downs to hang heavy items. Vibration and uneven loading will ruin your fan very quick.

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I’ve always had it suspended inside the tent to prevent vibration. This is the first time I believe the fan was hanging the way it is now though.. good eye. Any chance I can cut corners & toss a level on it to adjust, or should I re-hang?

HydroKid239 said:

I’ve always had it suspended inside the tent to prevent vibration. This is the first time I believe the fan was hanging the way it is now though.. good eye. Any chance I can cut corners & toss a level on it to adjust, or should I re-hang?

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Rehang it with matching hardware. 2 straps on fan and 2 on filter. Differing materials stretch and vibrate differently. Only trying to save you a buck down the road. And level the fan at least if connecting filter with flexi pipe. Level it all if direct mating.

MICHI-CAN said:

Rehang it with matching hardware. 2 straps on fan and 2 on filter. Differing materials stretch and vibrate differently. Only trying to save you a buck down the road. And level the fan at least if connecting filter with flexi pipe. Level it all if direct mating.

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The 2 pieces are connected directly to each other with a clamp on the connection & aluminum tape wrapped just for extra piece of mind. They’re hanging from the ropes only. The strap has a little slack & is only there as a failsafe if a rope ratchet decided to give which is unlikely. I still may hang the fan with the bracket facing up tho.

HydroKid239 said:

The 2 pieces are connected directly to each other with a clamp on the connection & aluminum tape wrapped just for extra piece of mind. They’re hanging from the ropes only. The strap has a little slack & is only there as a failsafe if a rope ratchet decided to give which is unlikely. I still may hang the fan with the bracket facing up tho.

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I've got fans hanging horizontally, vertically, and whatever angle. My fans don't care, .

I use bungees to hang, or add some foam between the fan and wall if I mount to lessen vibration. I've also got a couple sittings on the floor. Like I said. My fans don't care.

PadawanWarrior said:

I've got fans hanging horizontally, vertically, and whatever angle. My fans don't care, .

I use bungees to hang, or add some foam between the fan and wall if I mount to lessen vibration. I've also got a couple sittings on the floor. Like I said. My fans don't care.

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I haven't gone vertical lol I can't see a way to do it & not get in the way taking up valuable space. If I were to do a 1 plant scrog It could work maybe.. I need to smoke again.

HydroKid239 said:

I haven't gone vertical lol I can't see a way to do it & not get in the way taking up valuable space. If I were to do a 1 plant scrog It could work maybe.. I need to smoke again.

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In my closet I've got one vertically, and have for 3+ years. It's a cheap 6" Active Air, but it's still rocking.

How much was the fan and filter combo?

Drasik said:

How much was the fan and filter combo?

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200 bucks

HydroKid239 said:

200 bucks

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bit pricey for a 6" but if it does the trick then your good. I also noticed that u mounted it upside down and having it secure does ensure it wont wear. How as the thermostat function been?

Drasik said:

bit pricey for a 6" but if it does the trick then your good. I also noticed that u mounted it upside down and having it secure does ensure it wont wear. How as the thermostat function been?

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Quality ain’t cheap. It’s just as solid as my AC infinity. And same price if bought separately. I was also digging the color match. The hanging of the fan has been the same for 2 years now. No issues, just routine cleaning. I still have a fully functional 4” ipower fan that was bought in the beginning of it all. It’s my intake now.
I mentioned above that I did not get the thermostat. I use inkbirds.

Glad to see you went ahead and got a properly sized fan for the job. There really is no place for a 4" fan in the grow room/tent sphere. It's always better to have a large fan and turn it slower for the same or more air flow/pressure when it comes to EC control. I spent 30 years in the HVAC. Industrial and commercial world as a tech and manufactures rep for pumps, blowers, boilers, chillers, controls and all that jazz. As far as how your mounted up and hung,,, it's fine. Just get it as level as you can and rock it. Fan can be in a horizontal or vertical plane,,, it does not care like old designs and bearings did. It's a shame they put balancing weights on the blades. Those will get slung off over time. If you want to be proactive you can mark those blades with a sharpie. Take the balancing clips off and weight them. Then go to the three opposite blades and take the same weight off the back side of the fan blades. Not the leading edge like where they put the clips. With just a bit more taken off the center blade of the three. One thing everybody can do is put the carbon filter on the discharge side of the fan/blower. Putting the filter on the suction side of the fan/blower always limits and hurts performance and causes more noise. A fan/blower is a pump. It's goal is to make differential pressure. Differential pressure is what causes the air to move. When you limit the amount of air the pump has access to it will never make the cfm or pressure it's suppose to and the byproduct of that is noise. If you put the filter on the discharge side of the pump. This is called inducing head which is fine. The fan blade/impeller is then loaded up and is doing all it can do in it's most efficient way. And also will run as quiet as the design will allow. The prefilter supplied can have one end sewed up shut and then can be put inside the filter with the other end pulled out over the slip flange and the male blower flange/housing slipped into the filter flange and held together with a clamp, screws or tape. Then toss the whole mess on top of the tent and forget about it until it's cleaning and maint. time. This will get the fan/filter out of your grow space, give more room for your lights and other fans. And your fan and filter combo will run better and quieter. AC Infinity will email you a fan curve if you call and ask for it. Don't know if Mars will or not. But the fans performance and curves are engineered with no filter on the suction or discharge side. Attached is a AC Infinity curve. Should be about the same for the Mars.

HydroKid239 said:

Quality ain’t cheap. It’s just as solid as my AC infinity. And same price if bought separately. I was also digging the color match. The hanging of the fan has been the same for 2 years now. No issues, just routine cleaning. I still have a fully functional 4” ipower fan that was bought in the beginning of it all. It’s my intake now.
I mentioned above that I did not get the thermostat. I use inkbirds.

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I wouldn't exactly call Mars Hydro high quality, the same mfgs that makes their fans sell the same unbranded fans for for considerably less. You can always score a 6" fan and small filter for about $150 CDN. I only say this because I work in the industry and have seen these prices available. Not trying to knock you because getting a packaged solution is fine but I know a lot of ppl on this forum are on a budget and so just mentioning options.

Drasik said:

I wouldn't exactly call Mars Hydro high quality, the same mfgs that makes their fans sell the same unbranded fans for for considerably less. You can always score a 6" fan and small filter for about $150 CDN. I only say this because I work in the industry and have seen these prices available. Not trying to knock you because getting a packaged solution is fine but I know a lot of ppl on this forum are on a budget and so just mentioning options.

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I still think for another $50 to get you a fitting filter, ducting & clamps is well worth it. It’s all hooked up & working well. I appreciate you sharing other options. Nothing wrong with looking out & helping save someone a few bucks. Cheers.