Calling all PC growers - are you leaving your fans running 24-7?

Just as the title states - do you leave your fans running 24-7? If so, how is your PC wired? I currently have 1 power strip wired to my power supply for fans. I then was going to put a second power strip with a timer on it for the lights.
What I'm trying to avoid is having 2 power strips inside the PC but can't think of a way without powering off the fans when the light timer kicks on.
 

i69

Member
You could plug in the light timers into the power strip. Depending on how big your timer is you could only have 2 or so lights, and use the rest of the outlets for the fans. I'm not an expert so I have no clue whether or not this is unsafe, but I assume it would not do any harm.

**Edit- You could put 1 timer on the Main power strip, and plug the second power strip into the timer. Then use the second one for your lights and to first one for your fans. Don't know if the timer is able to fit a 3 prong plug, but hopefully it will work.
 

HardCorps420

Active Member
My main outlet is hidden behind a dresser, I simply plugged in the light timer there. Just what i69 said basically lol. It goes, strip, timer, strip for lights. This way you can add another timer but they can be wherever your main outlet is. Hope that makes sense, stoned homie.

:peace:ut

-HC
 

umbrellacorp

Active Member
Im kinda confused by this, what are you hooking your power strips to? The pc power supply is DC out. Unless you tapped onto the ac wires coming in before the transformer.
 

umbrellacorp

Active Member
Well i get that he wants the lights off without killing the fans, but just want to know how hes plugging power strips into a DC out. And he said plugged fans into a strip. (poss using phone chargers?) They should be wired right into the harness either to red (5v) or yellow (12v) wires. Apologies if i misunderstood the situation lol.
 

Jogro

Well-Known Member
If you want to run your fans 24-7 it won't hurt, but you don't have to.

Personally, I wouldn't. Less noise = more stealthy.

Simply run the power supply for your fan off the same timer as your lights and you're good to go.

I don't know exacty how your case is wired, but this is how I'd do it:

-Entirely remove computer power supply from inside its case and "hijack" its connection to a standard (<$5) extension cord female end (which will fit into power supply case).
-Plug timer into extension cord end (should also fit into case).
-Plug lights AND fan DC adapter into timer (110VAC=>12VDC transformer is less than $10). Either use a dual output timer, or split the output using a cube-tap.

Done.

Doing it this way also gives you the option of running the fan 24-7 if you like; just plug it into one of the "free" slots in your extension cord female end.
 

moarpheus

Member
Quick answer, yes. I have two power bars in my PC grow, one vertical, one horizontal at the top for the lights... You plug the one power bar with the lights into the timer, and the timer into the second power bar. Then you just plug the fans into the rest of the second power bar's outlets, no timers on them, so ultimately yes fans should be on 24/7 to mimic the optimism of nature. I'm growing bagseed bubba kush with this setup, a flawless organic grow at the moment.
 

moarpheus

Member
It works out in your favor, buds and leaves gain a purple tint during flowering if you keep your fans on at night. My case gets down to 16 degrees celsius at night and my girl loves it!! She's purpling up nice :D To give you a better picture, I run two 92mm exhausts, one 92mm intake, and one 92mm blowing at the canopy. And this cools 92w of 2700k CFL. All you need!
 
Hey,
I have a PC grow box too and my fans stops when the lights turns off.
I know that when your plant sleeps, it's better not to stress her.
 

1kbkbad_express

New Member
i was wondering the same thing, ill probably get another timer and have my fans working for the 12 hours of light then have them on intervals during night (to prevent any mould or any bad stuff) my lights are wired to a timer on an extension cable which inside a shoe box behind my pc (nice and hidden and saves room inside my pc case) my fans are on a 12v 3A adapter also connected to that extension cable!
 
I will have one fan running 24/7. I imagine during flowering that with the one fan running through some carbon it will reduce the smell during sleep time for the plants. I don't have carbon over my intake (mrgrowpro) so smell could definitely leak out. I'd rather push air out where I want to, through carbon, than it smelling my room up, if only for that reason I'll keep a fan going nonstop.
 

v12xjs

Well-Known Member
In my experience, fans need to be on all the time.
In such a confined space and with the lights off, the plants will respire, which will raise humidity up to more than 80% within a couple of hours. That is a good thing in vegetative growth but it will cause issues with bud rot later in flowering
A simple solution is to use 2 adjustable power supplies, both set at 6 volts and both wired into the fans. Have 1 connected to the mains and the other connected to the light timer. This way the fans will run at 6 volts when the lights are off and at 12 volts when they are on without the need to manually switch things off and on.
 
Top