pc fan or mini oscilating fan?

so i feel like having a space full of fans is needed for mold control and keep temp in control but fire hazard and reliability. will check into any links to fans posted

On a long enough timeline everything breaks. I usually get a couple of years out of an oscillating fan. Never had one catch fire, or even smoke. I did have a buddy find my grow because of a squeaky fan. If you're in the US make sure the one you buy has the UL on the label.

Air flow is important, you need a fan that can make the plants move. Fans help make the plant strong so it can support big colas. If cost is the prohibiting factor get what you can afford this time & upgrade in the future.

Blugrass said:

On a long enough timeline everything breaks. I usually get a couple of years out of an oscillating fan. Never had one catch fire, or even smoke. I did have a buddy find my grow because of a squeaky fan. If you're in the US make sure the one you buy has the UL on the label.

Air flow is important, you need a fan that can make the plants move. Fans help make the plant strong so it can support big colas. If cost is the prohibiting factor get what you can afford this time & upgrade in the future.

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yea i didnt mean indefinetly but to get at least a good year or two out of it with much use but thats good i figured a lot of people have the osc mini fans with no issues i think ill get one as emergency cause i need somethjng asap that way i can afford to get the veg tent and 250w led as the one i have now 130w is just too weak, if feeding nutes in hydro coco makes them grow as fast as i seen for the first time personally, im sure bumping up the light wattage will contribute to more growthspurts. this is relevant because i think with more space i can have an actual normal size fan in there and maybe a soft inline fan like ac infinity and minimize threats of dead air. the inline fan i have is so freakin obnoxious it could easily with carbon filter vent out a whole 6x6 or 8x8 with 27 mm h2o static pressure 275 cfm. hard to find a dial for brushless motors

medidedicated said:

yea i didnt mean indefinetly but to get at least a good year or two out of it with much use but thats good i figured a lot of people have the osc mini fans with no issues i think ill get one as emergency cause i need somethjng asap that way i can afford to get the veg tent and 250w led as the one i have now 130w is just too weak, if feeding nutes in hydro coco makes them grow as fast as i seen for the first time personally, im sure bumping up the light wattage will contribute to more growthspurts. this is relevant because i think with more space i can have an actual normal size fan in there and maybe a soft inline fan like ac infinity and minimize threats of dead air. the inline fan i have is so freakin obnoxious it could easily with carbon filter vent out a whole 6x6 or 8x8 with 27 mm h2o static pressure 275 cfm. hard to find a dial for brushless motors

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with the 2x2 im only having one or two plants so theres plenty of space for any fan pc or osc. i started considering tthat shortly after posting this thread because legal limit is 12 so with craming 4 in that space its selling myself short and risking mold in the low half of the surface. maybe get a couple 2x2s and a 3x3 veg tent and spread out the pots is what i thought about and really utilize each aspect of the pot light space ratio with some plant training, scrogging to make best use of the 12 limit. keeping watts low so temp can stay in range with or without AC during summer and 130w is already hot but not dangerous, i could touch it directly. i know im probably looking at popcorn buds but i know about the fan strengthening stem thing thats also why i need something asap but whats selling me on pc too is its just 27$ to replace with 150.000 hrs life span its just the mounting gear for 130$ that you buy just once for the fan that points up towards light but will not oscilate but its only a 2x2. and no trace of fire threats online in reviews. not here either so far. these are things i can care a little less about if i owned the space but til then if i get questioned on safety i need to be able to sell it amd i have so far but now i need fans. i will own a space soon and try it all HPS 1000w and all lol

Just hang a Honeywell tower fan, you’ll be good.

Jjgrow420 said:

I'm more nervous about those small fans lighting up then the big ones. They're super mass produced and the components are tiny and plastic mostly.

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oh i just read this the correct way, you mean the pc over the mini osc, thank you for your imput, but may i ask if thats true then why is this an award winning brand that u cannot find 1 out of hundreds of thousands of reviews of this happening but with any mini fan ive looked into (not any on here that were suggested yet) i find a rational amount of bad reviews of smoke and DOA, rational meaning that its enough to be concerned, should i be? i could make a circle graph showing pros and cons of each and the mini osc fan wont have awards and non-existent danger hazard reviews, may be mass produced but with quality and reliability as these are deseigned to protect 1000$ and up of pc towers that people wouldnt equip with janky pc fans when these mini osc fans are just deseigned to move air and 97% of the time are general purpose not to be relied on for 3000$ crops as they would be using industrial equipment and just isnt the same thing anymore. and i just checked, noctua fans are UL listed like a mug. lol

medidedicated said:

oh i just read this the correct way, you mean the pc over the mini osc, thank you for your imput, but may i ask if thats true then why is this an award winning brand that u cannot find 1 out of hundreds of thousands of reviews of this happening but with any mini fan ive looked into (not any on here that were suggested yet) i find a rational amount of bad reviews of smoke and DOA, rational meaning that its enough to be concerned, should i be? i could make a circle graph showing pros and cons of each and the mini osc fan wont have awards and non-existent danger hazard reviews, may be mass produced but with quality and reliability as these are deseigned to protect 1000$ and up of pc towers that people wouldnt equip with janky pc fans when these mini osc fans are just deseigned to move air and 97% of the time are general purpose not to be relied on for 3000$ crops as they would be using industrial equipment and just isnt the same thing anymore. and i just checked, noctua fans are UL listed like a mug. lol

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im not an electrician or huge on electrical equipment i dont know much and didnt mean to sound biased im genuinely considering all replies im more pushing to hear about cons of pc fans, this one particularly as it sounds too good to be true lol im sure there fire risks with ANY electrical equipment but if it can be next to anything in equivelence and not stand out as a hazard thats great. but out of anything i looked into buying its the fans that are worry some

Lenin1917 said:

Just hang a Honeywell tower fan, you’ll be good.View attachment 5139490

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nice! i never knew these existed i thought it was a dehumidifier lol two in opposing corners sounds great for a bigger tent which i will get very soon

medidedicated said:

nice! i never knew these existed i thought it was a dehumidifier lol two in opposing corners sounds great for a bigger tent which i will get very soon

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one on the lowest setting is enough for a 4x4-5x5, got 2 in my 8x4. Hanging thems only really necessary if you want to fill out the whole floor.

nothing wrong with pc fans, lots of them are very high quality.
i do use a few of them running 24/7 since years in grow setups.
depending on the usecase they can be a very handy tool, dont need much space.

i saw some let them hang on a strip, they circulate then a bit.

I use PC fans in small (4'x4') tents Arctic 140mm 1.4 Watt

Can attach to strip to make a unit I hang on a level with the plants,
or down the corner of the tent attached by wire to the one below in strings of 3 fans.

Has kept me mold free -would be guaranteed an appearance of bud rot nearly every grow before I put these in.

I use a cheap speed controller and power from a quality "Wall wart"

Low power consumption (I pay £0.33 PKWH)
and low chance of fire.

ProPheT 216 said:

Air circulation should work its way up thru the plant, a clip on or any oscillating fan above the canopy will work, I usually have 2 or 3 fans pointed at the floor to just cause a constant breeze running up the walls and up thru the plants.

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Can you show me a picture of how you got your fans angled. These clip on fans (to me) are nearly impossible to setup properly, i spent an hour trying different positions. Maybe I'm just dumb though

1 fan like that blowing down at the ground for every 2.5 square feet and 1 oscillating clip on blowing right across the canopy for every 2.5 square feet is my rule.

Instape said:

I use PC fans in small (4'x4') tents Arctic 140mm 1.4 Watt

Can attach to strip to make a unit I hang on a level with the plants,
or down the corner of the tent attached by wire to the one below in strings of 3 fans.

Has kept me mold free -would be guaranteed an appearance of bud rot nearly every grow before I put these in.

I use a cheap speed controller and power from a quality "Wall wart"

Low power consumption (I pay £0.33 PKWH)
and low chance of fire.

Click to expand...

exact same reason had me pick Artic 140mm ones too, have their version made for static pressure running on 5V from a USB port (handy to have some USB ports in the tent anyway).
going to be way less then a watt, prob more like 0.5W.
these artic ones are quite cheap also, ive payed about 5 bucks a pc in a bundle.
6 of them blowing on the fixtures and through their gaps on to the plant.
its normally enough to keep them happy.

ive never tried the "hanging" method you described, but good to hear it works well for you.

update: as stated needed something asap and this turned out to be cheap option UL listed perfect for 2x2 for now. was about 20$ cheaper than leading brands options. dont mind the crammed space the big plants will move to new tent

Jjgrow420 said:

That's me. I'm so stooopid View attachment 5139102

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I can empathize, homie.