High quality Inline fan or Cheap inline fan with a duct muffler? Least Noise?

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cickcne200

Member
Hello there i have a question for the veterans out here, i don't need any advice from newbs or people that havn't had experience with what i am asking. I am looking to buy a new 6" inline fan and i don't know whether to go with a more expensive fan such as a sunleaves inline fan, which is made of all plastic and quieter than a cheap china made inline, or if i should go with a cheap ebay inline fan and then stick one of those duct mufflers over it. It will cost me the same amount either way, I would assume the cheaper fan with the duct muffler would be the most effective and quietest way, but i would just like to know for sure. If you know the decibles or anything like that it would be very appreciated too. Thank you for your time. Here are a couple links in case you don't know what im talking about.

Sunleaves inline
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=0BUrTpHkEoGftweMtM3XAg&ved=0CFMQ8wIwAA

Duct Muffler
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Duct-Muffler-6in.asp


And also i am looking at the 6" because that is what i have always used, but would it be alot better idea to spend a little more and go with all 8" things? i am running a 600w
 
I have seen a few posts here and there on this site and others where people get dynamat ( the stuff people line there cars with ) and they put it on the housing of the fan and it knocks the noise down. Just an idea.....
 
Ice guard for ROOFING works like dyno-mat. just put it on the walls of your tube and it will deaden some nosie

I am a NEWB and i have no experance with inline fans and growing, BUT I KNOW CAR AUDIO...lol
 
There are two noise issues associated with the fan. Airborne noise and impact noise (conduction of vibration straight from the motor housing to the framing you are attaching to). The aniline mufflers will draw down your efficiency a bit. For airborne fan noise, you may well find them overkill for the airborne noise of the fan. Insulated flex works well. Less overall fan noise from an oversized fan running at 1/2 speed, compared to a smaller fan running at full speed. So consider getting a variable speed motor controller for ceiling fans. Available at Lowes and HD for $20.For the fan vibration conduction, you can certainly apply the various Dynamat-type materials, but they are more effective at reducing the noise from the fan body rather than reducing vibration from passing into the wall or ceiling framing. Consider attaching the fan to a small resilient clip and channel assembly, rather than a direct attachment of the fan to the framing. This disconnection makes the conduction pathway much less efficient, consequently much less vibration enters your wall or ceiling.
 
Get the cheap one but also get a fanspeed controller, as most of the year(not summer) it can be run at 60-80% ,thats 30% less noise.
 
I would get the cheap inline fan and pair it with this duct muffler: Phat Muffler. Don't bother with that HTG muffler, it's actually a piece of junk. The Phat Muffler costs the same and is MUCH better.

Another option would be to invest in a Vortex inline fan as it comes with a 10 warranty and is pretty quiet on it's own when paired with the right fan controller. You can find that also at Greners.com.
 
Joker those two mufflers would appear (appear) to be identical. Typical increase in cross sectional area (6" to 10" or such) as well as internal baffles. You have some experience with both so I'd vry much like to hear if you might have a sense as to why one works better than others
 
The HTG muffler uses acoustical foam inside while the Phat Muffler uses glass fiber for noise reduction. Here is a link to Phat Muffler.com. When I first got started, I bought HTG's own carbon filter and duct muffler. The carbon filter literally could not stop a fart from smelling and the muffler still produced quite a bit of noise. I ended up having to spend more money on a Phresh Filter and a Phat Muffler to get the results that I wanted and now I am happy.

The HTG muffler uses a steel outer shell with cheap acoustic foam and does a very poor job of reducing noise, while the Phat Muffler uses an aluminium outer shell with glass fiber to reduce noise. Not only is the Phat Muffler lighter, but the way it is designed produces a much quieter muffler. It's end flanges come down further as opposed to HTG open design which further reduces noise. I'm not an expert on sound or audio, but I do know when I buy a product and it works better than another. I hope that helps explain the differences.
 
Ah! Foam. That explains it. Foam is a terrible source of absorption. Fiberglass can't be beat. This is true in wall and ceiling construction also. Foam sucks, fiberglass (uncompressed in construction) rules.The heavier steel sides of the HTG unit would actually provide some small advantage as steel is heavier. Mass is a big deal. But the primary issue is that foam. Thanks MUCH for clarifying that.
 
No problem at all, my friend. I have to say, the HTG muffler is really built on the cheap. The foam hardly absorbs any of the noise, while the Phat muffler really kills the noise. The thing that killed me was the Phat muffler was basically the same price as HTG's muffler at Greners. But I had no idea of what I was doing then and learned the hard way.
 
Wow. MidnightJoker, talk about timing. I just hooked up a 6" fan and the exhaust noise is quite noticable. Not more than 10 minutes ago I sent an inquiry about the Phat mufflers. I appreciate your real world experience. I'm gonna order the 6x13 - largest I can fit. I already have the speed control.

What can I do to help silence the actual fan itself that you have found most effective?
 
I bought 2 pieces of equipment that have completely gotten rid of my noise problem. My grow room is in my bedroom, so keeping noise to a minimum was a concern for me.

1. I bought the 6"x13" Phat muffler from Greners.com.

2. I bought this Variac as my speed controller.

I am not sure what speed controller you purchased, but if it's this Speedster, then you might want to consider buying the Variac. The reason being is that the Speedster works by constantly shutting your inline fan on/off at a high rate, creating even more noise as your inline fan is being overworked. Eventually, the life of your fan will be shortened. The Variac is a transformer which regulates the voltage to your fan and doesn't turn it on/off creating no noise what so ever. Hope that helps you...Good luck.
 
Thanks. I just oredered the 6"x13".

The speed control is a Tjernland Model SCP. It goes along with the Tjernland M-6 fan. I believe it is a transformer type as well.

Does your grow vent into your room or is it self-contained?
 
I run a Vortex 6" fan attached to a Can50 carbon filter. To that, I have attached insulated flex ducting. The whole assembly is suspended via bungee cords, with foam lined strapping as a "safety net" to catch the filter/fan if bungees fail. The fan is then powered via a speed controller.

Though not silent, the noise is absolutely in the safe zone, unless I crank up the speed controller on hotter days. As I live in a house, not an apartment, I can get away with a little noise.

If I was in an apartment or other 'less safe' locales, I would opt for a duct muffler, and possibly a box to encase the fan.

This is a great thread that you should check out if it hasn't been suggested already. (haven't read all posts)

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/122532-quiet-neighbors-can-hear-you.html
 
novice11 said:
Thanks. I just oredered the 6"x13".

The speed control is a Tjernland Model SCP. It goes along with the Tjernland M-6 fan. I believe it is a transformer type as well.

Does your grow vent into your room or is it self-contained?
Click to expand...

I vent into my bedroom, but I have a Phresh Filter 6"x16" that I also picked up at Greners. My bedroom is air conditioned so my intake air is cool. My temps run between 75F-78F. If you don't have a carbon filter already, I would highly recommend getting one and I would get the Phresh Filter. It scrubs the air perfectly.
 
Greners.com
Vortex 450 CFM is QUIETER then an ECO 350 CFM.
then add phat muffler (i run one too!) because it stops the air "whistling".
trust the Joker :)
 
Yes, I already have a large carbon filter, it's not a Phresh but it is working well. Right now it is....carbon filter/6" fan/flex duct/((phat muffler when it comes))/ air register. I am also pulling in A/C air as input.

I am hoping the duct muffler will kill the airflow noise, but there is still the "thrum" of the fan itself. I have it resting on a silicone pad. I'd like some advice to kill that bit of noise/vibration/whatever as well. Thanks.

I will check out that thread as well, but hoping that someone here can assist.
 
You should've skipped muffler. This fan already has a freq. filter/capacitor so a speed controller is entirely useless except for making more noise and wining except for the 8"-12" fans. This fan is as quiet as well ever get as is because it's all plastic.The only thing audible about this fan is the moving air coming from it. Sunleaves windtunnels are the best fans to get.
 
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