Second exhaust fan died in under a year , best option to fix this or stop it from happening??

LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
I'll believe that the filter placement is more of an issue when more filter makers make true inline filters rather than 'terminus' filters. In all honesty, having my fan in front of the filter wouldn't be an issue in my tent. They're both hanging there above the lights and not hard to move the fan/filter order, but it takes having a filter that ports to a duct then outside. Nearly all hits on google for inline filters that have duct flanges on both ends shows that they're pretty much all just sound/duct mufflers and not actually filters that are designed that way.
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
One advantage to the AC Infinity fans is that they use brushless EC motors. They get quieter as the speed is reduced as opposed to an old-school motor controller which works by quickly cutting power to control speed which actually trades wind noise for motor noise.
 
JeffWix

JeffWix

Well-Known Member
yesterdaysnews said:
I've never understood why the manufactures and users of exhaust fans and filters are so hell bent and bound to do it wrong. Always set up your exhaust fan to blow into the carbon filter. Never,, ever suck through it. You put any filter or device on the suction side of the blower and you completely destroy the fans performance. All specs manufactures supply is of the exhaust fan unit with no filter attached to it at all. I was a manufactures rep for 20 years in the pump, blower, chiller, boiler, controls industry. Mathematically there is no difference between a pump and blower/exhaust fan. The only difference is the viscosity of the fluid that is moved. And fluid is moved by differential pressure. There is a massive pressure drop across a carbon filter. When you put that pressure drop on the suction side of the fan. It's the same as putting a piece of cardboard over the intake and blocking 40% of the intake opening. CFM plummets and the ability for the fan to make pressure drops like a rock. This also causes the air to slow down around the motor thus inducing heat rise in the motor and increasing bearing wear. The fan will get a bit more dirty quicker but you will also find out the fan will be much easier to clean and service. I've switched all the old big and heavy end suction heavy end suction blowers out for AC Infinity 6" units. The wife sews one end of the prefilter closed turning it into a bag filter. I then put the bag filter inside the carbon filter. Pull the open end of the bag through the slip flange and insert the fans discharge slip flange in. A couple of taps and it's sealed up. Cut a short lenght of 6" flex duct and put it on the intake side of the fan. Toss the unit up on the top of the tent and run the flex duck into the tent. The only pressure drop the fan see's is the tent. Putting the filter on the discharge side is called inducing head. That will back us up on the fan curve. But it allows the fan blade/impleller to remain loaded properly and the pressure created helps to over come some of the cfm loss.
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That is all fine n dandy...but my fan that I mentioned in a previous post is meant to have a heavy draw and is continuous service rated...20+ years and still running 24/7.
 
yesterdaysnews

yesterdaysnews

Active Member
I'll take this any day over the old school POS boat anchor setups.
ACI.jpg

Pure junk,,,, Does not make rated cfm or pressure with the filter off. Good at eating power, making noise and wasting space at biblical levels.
office.jpg
 
xox

xox

Well-Known Member
+1 for vortex fans, i also have one thats approaching 10 years old cant argue with the quality of the bearings there also canadian made the outer part that houses everything is also metal no plastic on the outside.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
yesterdaysnews said:
I'll take this any day over the old school POS boat anchor setups.
View attachment 5116748

Pure junk,,,, Does not make rated cfm or pressure with the filter off. Good at eating power, making noise and wasting space at biblical levels.
View attachment 5116757
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Goody for you. That fan does not serve the purpose of exhausting a tent any better than my Active Air. It does not grow better weed. But since you bought one it has to be the best now doesn't it? And it looks cooler so you get some style points.

Enjoy it. It's yours.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
xox said:
+1 for vortex fans, i also have one thats approaching 10 years old cant argue with the quality of the bearings there also canadian made the outer part that houses everything is also metal no plastic on the outside.
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What? You're using one of those old school POS boat anchors? It's only lasted close to 10 years and is still running? Better get one of those plastic fans. They're so much better and will increase your grow by 25%. :mrgreen:

I wonder how many of those New School plastic fans will last 10 years.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
Goody for you. That fan does not serve the purpose of exhausting a tent any better than my Active Air. It does not grow better weed. But since you bought one it has to be the best now doesn't it? And it looks cooler so you get some style points.

Enjoy it. It's yours.
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I've been impressed with my Active Air ones. I've also got Vortex VTX fans. 3+ years and going strong. I got an Infinity here too now that I'm gonna try out next time I setup a new tent, but I'm sure the Active Air and Vortex have higher static pressure readings. The Infinity is still in the box so I haven't even really checked it out.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
PadawanWarrior said:
I've been impressed with my Active Air ones. I've also got Vortex VTX fans. 3+ years and going strong. I got an Infinity here too now that I'm gonna try out next time I setup a new tent, but I'm sure the Active Air and Vortex have higher static pressure readings. The Infinity is still in the box so I haven't even really checked it out.
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I have nothing against the Infinity fans. I'm sure they work just fine. It's just annoying when some know it all starts calling what they're not using some piece of garbage when it is not true at all. They bought one so it's the best. Pure simpleton mentality. Same type of crap with some grower that spent an arm and a leg for their fancy LED so they have to start saying HID's are garbage.

I've already read posts where someone bought one of those fans but since they have there are new features so now they have to buy a new one despite the current one working just fine.

 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I have nothing against the Infinity fans. I'm sure they work just fine. It's just annoying when some know it all starts calling what they're not using some piece of garbage when it is not true at all. They bought one so it's the best. Pure simpleton mentality. Same type of crap with some grower that spent an arm and a leg for their fancy LED so they have to start saying HID's are garbage.

I've already read posts where someone bought one of those fans but since they have there are new features so now they have to buy a new one despite the current one working just fine.

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I know. I agree. I was hesitant to buy a plastic fan, but figured I'd try it out. Then I will have personal experience with them too. The Active Air ones have worked just as well as the Vortex so far. I have a feeling the Vortex might have a higher static pressure rating, but probably not by much. That's just a guess though. I forget the actual numbers.

Companies that are constantly releasing new models are annoying. Reminds me of Nintendo. They would have the next 3 or so Gameboys ready, but they sold everyone a regular one, then added a little LED so you can see in the dark. Then a color version. Then a color version with a LED. Then the SP, and so on. Even though they've got the next versions all ready. Just milking people. I was working there back then and I got annoyed with their practices, so I took my N64 and all the shit and traded it in for a Playstation, :lol:
 
xox

xox

Well-Known Member
i think the only reason id buy an infinity fan is one of those guides where you take it apart for automation and connect it to home assistant with node red i think id switch to hydroponics just so i could tinker with all that home assistant stuff on a raspberry pi.
 
Derbud420

Derbud420

Well-Known Member
Been running vivosun 4" for 5 years 24 hours a day. Still chugging. Got a newer 4 inch in second room. 2 years so far so good
 
DrOgkush

DrOgkush

Well-Known Member
With ac infinity I like the feature of being able to set alarms and what not and control everything from my phone. Also like the DB levels. I guess there’re quite silent. I also have their tents. So Idk. I have a crappy kinda loud 18 dollar off brand plastic 6inch for intake. It works for what I bought it for. Been about 8 months. No problems. I expect it to break though. But not yet. Lol. I guess it’s time to match my tent and get the s6 which is what’s in my cart. I hear their lights are good too. The people I got my fan from actually offer a subscription for 1 a month. So I think they except it to break.
But I also keep it cleaned daily
 
1

1212ham

Well-Known Member
tommyinajar said:
They sure don't all plastic. My metal $55 8" I-power is really 3 years old, the only one that lasted.

ok I'll bite- Why the hell do you need a $75-$100 increase over non BT Fan for---REALISTICALLY??

an exhaust FAN w/ BT-lol what's next BT Refrigerators?? (oh yea, they have those too, silly rich clucks.)
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How the hell did you come up with $75-100 over a non BT fan? A Cloudline is another $30 with the controller 67.
I paid around $90 for a T4 with the 67 controller.

I use it to control temp and humidity in addition to logging temp, humidity and VPD.
The 69 controller is wi-fi and can operate 4 devices including timing and dimming of their lights.
 
W

watsongreenthumb

Active Member
Get a can-fan, hyper fan, or a vortex. I still have the very first 6" can-fan I bought back in 2009 and it still works great. I have a couple old vortexes too, also great fans. I have never had a hyper fan but everyone I know who does loves them. I think the 8" only pulls 75w and they are fully speed controllable and use dc motors. I have a 10" can fan max fan pro (what a mouthful!) that ran 24/7 scrubbing from 2015 to 2018ish, sat in storage for a few years, then has run continuously for the last year. Like most things you get what you pay for. I have seen the AC Infinity fans at hydro stores, They don't look as well made as a max or hyper fan but I don't have any firsthand experience with them. one thing that will kill a fan is using a speed controller on one that isn't meant for it. If I was on a tight budget I would buy a used fan from any of the first 3 brands I mentioned off ebay or fb marketplace, probably get a good centrifugal for $50 or less.
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I have nothing against the Infinity fans. I'm sure they work just fine. It's just annoying when some know it all starts calling what they're not using some piece of garbage when it is not true at all. They bought one so it's the best. Pure simpleton mentality. Same type of crap with some grower that spent an arm and a leg for their fancy LED so they have to start saying HID's are garbage.

I've already read posts where someone bought one of those fans but since they have there are new features so now they have to buy a new one despite the current one working just fine.

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I assume that the release of the new AC-I controller is probably an example of giving the public what they want. The updates to the unit and the updates to the software for it and the older one read just like the email exchange I had with the company where I asked a general question and that led to them saying 'well what would you like in a fan/controller setup, we're collecting wish lists for our engineering team.' I gave them my list.

That could be taken as pushing a pump-and-dump product release model, or it could just be providing what a bunch of people asked for. I like the fans and controllers I have right now...they've done good stuff like now including VPD calculations with adjustable LST offsets and matching graphing. I also particularly asked for a controller that not only could work with two fans (both the original digital controller & the 67 did this) but also gives the ability to program different fan levels for any of the connected devices... And the addition of WIFI. I happen to like it and use it (even my inkbird temp control has that).

Again, others may not have a use for it or care. That's fine. I don't use AC in my setup, so good active fan control works great for me in stabilizing the tent environment.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
LeastExpectedGrower said:
I assume that the release of the new AC-I controller is probably an example of giving the public what they want. The updates to the unit and the updates to the software for it and the older one read just like the email exchange I had with the company where I asked a general question and that led to them saying 'well what would you like in a fan/controller setup, we're collecting wish lists for our engineering team.' I gave them my list.

That could be taken as pushing a pump-and-dump product release model, or it could just be providing what a bunch of people asked for. I like the fans and controllers I have right now...they've done good stuff like now including VPD calculations with adjustable LST offsets and matching graphing. I also particularly asked for a controller that not only could work with two fans (both the original digital controller & the 67 did this) but also gives the ability to program different fan levels for any of the connected devices... And the addition of WIFI. I happen to like it and use it (even my inkbird temp control has that).

Again, others may not have a use for it or care. That's fine. I don't use AC in my setup, so good active fan control works great for me in stabilizing the tent environment.
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The thing is that they're targeting the grower with a small tent that would be better off if they worried more about knowing how to water a plant than some new gadgets that allow them to access their fan remotely while in bed in the other room.

Many skip the most important part of growing which is the plant and focus too much on all this tech stuff. Stick a seed in some dirt, give it water, let it grow, harvest when done.

Those fans do absolutely nothing more than other fans. They just have these "Cool" features.

Just like Spinner rims don't make a rig drive any better it's just bling.
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
The thing is that they're targeting the grower with a small tent that would be better off if they worried more about knowing how to water a plant than some new gadgets that allow them to access their fan remotely while in bed in the other room.

Many skip the most important part of growing which is the plant and focus too much on all this tech stuff. Stick a seed in some dirt, give it water, let it grow, harvest when done.

Those fans do absolutely nothing more than other fans. They just have these "Cool" features.

Just like Spinner rims don't make a rig drive any better it's just bling.
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In my case the features help keep the environment of my tent within a pretty reasonable range of temp/humidities, especially when I'm not at home to micro-manage any of that.

My comparison to music forum holds true as well...people tell others to quit posting about gear or buying gear and spend more time practicing. My response to that is that I can post/talk about gear AND practice. One doesn't have to take the place of the other.

This is less a debate about 'rims' and more a debate between having an automatic transmission or a manual transmission. Both are functional. One you have to make all the changes yourself, the other does it for you. None of that stops you from needing to know how to drive a car or how to do an oil change.
 
Lenin1917

Lenin1917

Well-Known Member
Shit, I’ve been using the same $35 6in ipower fan for like 2 years now. I’ve literally only turned it off for cleaning between grow cycles.
 
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