Fans

[Joe Fish]

I'm looking for a way to cool my new light setup in my canopy. Should I use jsut regular PC 12v fans? Or the 120v fans? If I get the 120v fans I could just hook them up to the lights so when they come on so does the fan. This way the fans wouldn't be on all the time.

Do any of you know of a way to power a 12v fan like this?

 

[GIS Guy]

You can power a 12v fan w/ a 12v transformer.
I have hardwired mine, but you could install a switch and/or put it on a timer.
You will want to match the milli-amps from the 12v fan to the 12v transformer.
If the transformer is too low the fan won't have enough power.
If the transformer is too high the fan will be too noisy and have too much power.

http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/407298-post21.html

 

[Joe Fish]

I understand all that, but I want to be able to wire the fans to the MH lights so when they come on the fans do to. How could I do this? I can't run the 12v fan right to the 120v line.

 

[GIS Guy]

No you can't, not without some sort of power reducer.
There are 110v/120v to 12v power converters, but you'd have to modify them a bit for hard wiring.
Adapter power 110v to 12V

Or you'd have to use something such as the Coralife Power Center or hardwire a 120v fan to the MH power cord.

 

[Joe Fish]

I was thinking about the 120v fans for that reason, but not sure what I want to do yet. Sounds like more work if I go the 12v route. I was planning on getting another coralife power center, but the dumb 12v adapter takes up more than one spot on the strip.

 

[GIS Guy]

You could always try Power Strip Liberators.

I have seen some pretty small 120v fans at wallyworld.

 

[Joe Fish]

I"ll have to check them out. I like those extensions to plug in those adapters. Are the 120v fans really that loud?

 

[GIS Guy]

I'm not sure how loud they are.
I wouldn't think they would be at all; at least no more than any other house fan.

You'd definitely have some thinking to do about how to attach it.

Blades are 4 inches
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That's what I saw at wallyworld.