Does 1 FT Make a Difference?

JoeBlow5823

JoeBlow5823

Well-Known Member
dbz said:
Their fans are certainly high priced but not junk. I have used hundreds for over a decade in electronic enclosures and server racks and have yet for one to go out.
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Grow equipment and server cooling are very different things. Axial or "mix flow" style fans are no good for moving air through filters, lots of bends, or essentially anything with a large air pressure variation. Centrifugal fans are the only thing that can really force air around really well. AC Infinity only offers the axial/mix flow style fans. If you are trying to pull air through a carbon filter and exhaust it to a different part of your house, ac infinity is not going to work very well for you. Just a little bit of resistance and CFM's go waaay down. This is the Vortex VTX800 centrifugal fan vs their "S Line" mix flow style fans.

VTX800.JPG

Vortex S line.JPG

As you can see with just a little bit of static pressure, the mix flow fans can still perform ok. But at a certain point they basically stall out. The centrifugal fans are able to move air much more consistently as static pressure increases and are still able to move 300cfm @ 1.75 where the mix flow fans are "stalled out". If your not using a carbon filter with your ac infinity fan, it should work just fine. But if you have a filter and 30 foot of duct, its probably not going to be moving much air.
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
JoeBlow5823 said:
Did you check out the 60x32x80 vivosun tent? Its a really nice size. you can easily reach any part of the tent through the one door. And its 80'' tall.
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weird size ive never seen that before but it would actually work really nice for my space. thanks.

i am not a fan of those tents w green poles and black w green piping. ive had a few that I just gave to a friend. the material doesnt seem to hold up as well as the Coverts. are the vivosuns a lot better than all the no name ones that use that same design? i figured they were all from the same factory and just whitelabeled.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
I've not read all of the replies it might have been said, a taller tent is easier to maintain temperatures, it's not just 1ft it's 9 square feet extra.
 
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JoeBlow5823

JoeBlow5823

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
are the vivosuns a lot better than all the no name ones that use that same design?
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YES. The vivosun is very very very similar to the covert. I know exactly what you are talking about. Those no name ones are JUNK. I bought one thinking it was the same as a vivosun- looks identical in pictures with the green poles and metal corners. Definitely not the same. Its now torn apart in a pile in the basement. Not sure if im going to try to give it away for free or just trash it.
 
dbz

dbz

Well-Known Member
JoeBlow5823 said:
Grow equipment and server cooling are very different things. Axial or "mix flow" style fans are no good for moving air through filters, lots of bends, or essentially anything with a large air pressure variation. Centrifugal fans are the only thing that can really force air around really well. AC Infinity only offers the axial/mix flow style fans. If you are trying to pull air through a carbon filter and exhaust it to a different part of your house, ac infinity is not going to work very well for you. Just a little bit of resistance and CFM's go waaay down. This is the Vortex VTX800 centrifugal fan vs their "S Line" mix flow style fans.

View attachment 4776213

View attachment 4776214

As you can see with just a little bit of static pressure, the mix flow fans can still perform ok. But at a certain point they basically stall out. The centrifugal fans are able to move air much more consistently as static pressure increases and are still able to move 300cfm @ 1.75 where the mix flow fans are "stalled out". If your not using a carbon filter with your ac infinity fan, it should work just fine. But if you have a filter and 30 foot of duct, its probably not going to be moving much air.
Click to expand...
I have not had the first performance problem with mine, it's quiet and I know their products are built well not cheaply. I have no need for 30 ft of ducting nor do most I would imagine. If so, perhaps a more suitable fan would be needed and the calculations could be made. They are expensive, due to my experience with their other lines of fans I went with a quality manufacturer I knew for my smaller needs. Im sure many other fans can pull 10gs in a slingshot maneuver around Mars but their product got me what I wanted out of it, I just hope for the same longevity as their other products.
 
JoeBlow5823

JoeBlow5823

Well-Known Member
dbz said:
I have not had the first performance problem with mine, it's quiet and I know their products are built well not cheaply. I have no need for 30 ft of ducting nor do most I would imagine. If so, perhaps a more suitable fan would be needed and the calculations could be made. They are expensive, due to my experience with their other lines of fans I went with a quality manufacturer I knew for my smaller needs. Im sure many other fans can pull 10gs in a slingshot maneuver around Mars but their product got me what I wanted out of it, I just hope for the same longevity as their other products.
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Thats where Vortex has a 10 year warranty vs 3 years from AC. You can find an 8'' vortex for just under 200, same price as the 8'' ac.
 
J

JClayGrows

New Member
JoeBlow5823 said:
Grow equipment and server cooling are very different things. Axial or "mix flow" style fans are no good for moving air through filters, lots of bends, or essentially anything with a large air pressure variation. Centrifugal fans are the only thing that can really force air around really well. AC Infinity only offers the axial/mix flow style fans. If you are trying to pull air through a carbon filter and exhaust it to a different part of your house, ac infinity is not going to work very well for you. Just a little bit of resistance and CFM's go waaay down. This is the Vortex VTX800 centrifugal fan vs their "S Line" mix flow style fans.

View attachment 4776213

View attachment 4776214

As you can see with just a little bit of static pressure, the mix flow fans can still perform ok. But at a certain point they basically stall out. The centrifugal fans are able to move air much more consistently as static pressure increases and are still able to move 300cfm @ 1.75 where the mix flow fans are "stalled out". If your not using a carbon filter with your ac infinity fan, it should work just fine. But if you have a filter and 30 foot of duct, its probably not going to be moving much air.
Click to expand...
Wow, I am very happy I found this as I am designing a two tent set up with 2*1k HPS and was about to buy two of the AC Infinity S8s. I plan on having the lights cooled by one fan and using the other fan to replace air. Each tent with its own filter, coming together on a Y with one over-powered fan. That graph tells me these fans would be completely ineffective in both applications. I'm also considering using smooth pipe-like duct instead of flex ducting. I'm trying to find a formula to calculate the effect of duct length on pressure/air flow. My current design calls for a pretty long run on the lights, 35'-45' total length, not in a line.
 
JoeBlow5823

JoeBlow5823

Well-Known Member
Just run one fan and filter per tent. I have a Vortex VTX 8'' fan that pulls air through the tent intakes (which have filters over them), through the charcoal filter, then push the air through the hood, through another 15' of cheap flex duct with a 180 and 90 bend, and down into the basement where the air then has to circulate its way back upstairs (literally up the stairway) on the other side of the house and back to the grow room. I only run it at 40-50% and I'm running 1100w HPS with the house at 68 degrees, the tent never gets over 73 degrees. Usually stays around 71. And as far as carbon filters go, the bigger the better. Im running a 10x39'' phat filter reduced to 8'' for the fan. Bigger filter = less restriction on flow. Plus the carbon has more surface area to absorb smell.

IMG_6536.JPG
 
coherent

coherent

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
always wondered how you reach the back if a 4x4 or 5x5 lol. thanks for pointing that out, feel like an idiot. also thanks for pointing out that extra height. even the 2x4 is 7ft tall vs 5ft for the AC infinity version.
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Actually you can easily reach in the back. The door on the AC Cloud series 4x4 tent unzips not just in the front, but the zippers continue completely around the side and the back. So, you can unzip and open 3 sides of the tent. Its height is 80inches.
 
Severed Tongue

Severed Tongue

Well-Known Member
After my initial research and for what's available where I am, went with Vivosun tents through Amazon.ca

I got a 36x36x72 for flower and a 36x20x62 for seedling/clones and Veg

For the price, these tents are great, and decent quality. Mylar is quality. Zippers are quality. Stitching is quality.

One complaint is the the frame is light and in turn doesn't keep the tent taunt when running inline fan, negative pressure sucks it in a bit... No biggie for me, just running a single plant in flower in center of tent, but if I had filled it, would need to brace the frame halfway up to keep it square.

2nd complaint is no real way to properly use clip on fans. Yes you can clip them on frame, but in a closed tent, it causes vibration which in turn causes noise, and having the fan close to the tent wall impedes it's ability to push air.

Pretty sure these are every tent though lol. No biggie, home depot and $15 on some wood, easy to add to frame.


Get 10% off with this code
20210126_095712.jpg
 
J

JClayGrows

New Member
JoeBlow5823 said:
Just run one fan and filter per tent. I have a Vortex VTX 8'' fan that pulls air through the tent intakes (which have filters over them), through the charcoal filter, then push the air through the hood, through another 15' of cheap flex duct with a 180 and 90 bend, and down into the basement where the air then has to circulate its way back upstairs (literally up the stairway) on the other side of the house and back to the grow room. I only run it at 40-50% and I'm running 1100w HPS with the house at 68 degrees, the tent never gets over 73 degrees. Usually stays around 71. And as far as carbon filters go, the bigger the better. Im running a 10x39'' phat filter reduced to 8'' for the fan. Bigger filter = less restriction on flow. Plus the carbon has more surface area to absorb smell.

View attachment 4807786
Click to expand...
Thank you! How do I like post and give rep? I've seen this a lot on forums and it was my original plan but I have read a few articles that argue against it, saying that this was not the intended use of air cooled technology and that in order for it to be truly effective you need two separate systems. But in a space as small as a tent, a set up like yours definitely seems to be the most efficient use of both space and equipment.
 
Doug Dawson

Doug Dawson

Well-Known Member
JClayGrows said:
Thank you! How do I like post and give rep? I've seen this a lot on forums and it was my original plan but I have read a few articles that argue against it, saying that this was not the intended use of air cooled technology and that in order for it to be truly effective you need two separate systems. But in a space as small as a tent, a set up like yours definitely seems to be the most efficient use of both space and equipment.
Click to expand...
Welcome to RIU. Forget liking posts. After a bit of time and a few likes from members it will appear beside the reply button. The thank you was the important part and you did that so don't sweat the cartoon thumb button missing. That will correct itself in time.
 
J

JClayGrows

New Member
Doug Dawson said:
Welcome to RIU. Forget liking posts. After a bit of time and a few likes from members it will appear beside the reply button. The thank you was the important part and you did that so don't sweat the cartoon thumb button missing. That will correct itself in time.
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O cool so would I be able to join the two tent lines on the outtake into a pants wye, maybe 12" before taking it outside. I would prefer only one visible duct.
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
coherent said:
Actually you can easily reach in the back. The door on the AC Cloud series 4x4 tent unzips not just in the front, but the zippers continue completely around the side and the back. So, you can unzip and open 3 sides of the tent. Its height is 80inches.
Click to expand...
I wound up going for the Covert 4x4 to get the extra height.
 
JoeBlow5823

JoeBlow5823

Well-Known Member
JClayGrows said:
saying that this was not the intended use of air cooled technology and that in order for it to be truly effective you need two separate systems.
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Dont believe everything u read. Also, a lot of it has to do with what will work for your specific environment.
 
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