Grow room fan question for temperature control and dark cycle use

With some controllers you can set idle speeds.


If the CAP controller you have has this you could set idle speed to something like 15% that way they would always run at that speed unless temps increased.



J

meybe add a 2nd fan,much smaller on a timer? I have run a PC fan 24/7 on a room to keep some air moving while using a bigger fan on a thermostat to control temps

Originally Posted by jondamon

With some controllers you can set idle speeds.


If the CAP controller you have has this you could set idle speed to something like 15% that way they would always run at that speed unless temps increased.



J

I'll Have to browse the catalogs and look for a controller with an idle speed setting, that would probably work pretty well. The CAP controllers I've seen don't have that, so I'll widen my net. Thanks for the idea, had no idea there was such a thing!

Originally Posted by mrmadcow

meybe add a 2nd fan,much smaller on a timer? I have run a PC fan 24/7 on a room to keep some air moving while using a bigger fan on a thermostat to control temps

Good idea madcow, I've got an old 8 inch booster fan laying around. I could throw it on a timer and run it every so often in the dark. The only thing that worries me is probably needing to tie into a filter still because venting without a carbon scrubber is gonna stink up the whole block. And if I do that I'm gonna need an electronic dampener on a T or Y vent (so I can close it when the other fan runs, they would have to share the same in and out ducts as my primary fans) and another inline fan (at least a decent fan, cheap ones don't pull through a filter usually in my experience). When you ran your PC fan did you use a filter? Did you have it in a room or a tent?

Yea having a second fan means all kinds of trouble of needing a second filter. I was trying to think of a solution for my own room and finally decided I would just run a dehumidifer in the room at night. unfortunately thats alot of power being used to clear the humidity, and thats also alot of room being used by the dehumidifer considering the small size of my room. But it seems the easiest way to control night time humidity. What is the CAP controller you are talking about Arcadia? my flower room is getting away with no forced venting for now becuase the plants are small and only burning small lights on them, but I need to get this all sorted pretty soon as I'll be putting in more lights for flower

actually having a small fan with a small filter might be the best way to go now that I think of it. Unless there is a device that can run the big fan at a very low idle(if there is something that can do this please show me it, it sounds perfect for what I'm doing). Having a fan run at all times means you always have negative pressure, and any air escaping is being filtered. If you simply turn off all your fans and run a dehumidifier there will no longer be negative pressure and minute air leaks could cause some stink, If you have really smelly plants or lots of plants.

I wish I knew more about electricty... I thought of a cool way to work the fans but I'm not sure if this is safe or if it would work: If you split the power line that runs your fan and had one line go through a timer(or humidistat) and the other line go through a thermostat and then merged the two lines together just before the fan then the fan would run any time either the thermostat or the humidistat were to switch on. But I don't know exactly how you would do that or if it is safe to do.

Heres how I would do that: have an extention cord with 2 plug ins on it. Plug a thermostat into one plugin, and a humidistat into the other. Create a custom extention cord that has 1 female and 2 male ends(this is why its dangerious because if one male becomes unplugged it could electrocute you or short circuit on any conductive material). Plug one of the males into the humidisat and the other male into the thermostat. plug the fan into the female. Mr mad cow you're in the electrician thread alot maybe you can clarify whether or not that will burn down the house lol.

I have a similar setup, fan-wise and controller. Those are large fans, I assume you have a large room? I have done it both ways withs a dehumidifier and a heater. I think the heater is cheaper. I use the radiant heater kind on a timer so it runs only at night with a fan blowing at it away from plants, that's why you need some extra room so it's not near the plants. The heat will help raise dew-point/lower relative humidity as well as make your exhaust come on.

Another alternative is to set your night temp so low that it will never be acheived. Then run your lights through a timer that is on for 12 hours(the daytime) and then flip every other peg for the other 12 hours. During the daylight time your fans will run as normal. During the night your fans will come on for 15 then off for 15 all night long.

Lately though I have just been running the intake and exhaust fans all night.

Good luck grower.

I have to find a solution because my intake temperature is 50 degrees so I cant have that coming in all night long or my plants will not be happy. The heater idea is pretty good, a bit expensive though because to heat my 4x6 room takes 1500watts! Its a cold basement

Originally Posted by Thedillestpickle

I have to find a solution because my intake temperature is 50 degrees so I cant have that coming in all night long or my plants will not be happy. The heater idea is pretty good, a bit expensive though because to heat my 4x6 room takes 1500watts! Its a cold basement

I hear you man, winter's a bitch! So is Summer.

On a side note, I use the heat from my lights to heat my house all night long so this helps offset the heating when lights off. Of course this is only possible for certain applications.