Second exhaust fan died in under a year , best option to fix this or stop it from happening??

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
I don't need all the BT Crap on a fan , honestly. I run mine full bore 24/7, seems gimicky. Yes they have a "bare" model.

The 2x the price for 2x the warranty is a turn off, my math it's a wash- If it was a longer warranty I might believe it. Do they really last any longer, or just prettier? The big heavy metal ones seem to be heftier, and uglier = cheaper $.

IDK, that's why I'm asking.:D
Vortex VTX is a beast. My favorite fans so far.
 

tommyinajar

Well-Known Member
LOL God made youtube for a reason,
(For only me I guess, since everyone here has 10-year-old perfectly working fans..) :blsmoke:
 

JeffWix

Well-Known Member
I use 2...6" heavy service, continuous use, heat rated motor for radon gas removal under a slab type foundation...they have been running continuous since 2003 when I finished the house and moved in...I have one that is used for what it is supposed to be used for...Radon Removal... and one that is used for the room and has been run continuous since 2003 as well...that is over 20 years...Grainger's.
 
Longer duct with the fan at the furthest end. These lower end manufacturers don't use very good motors and the heat, dust and pollen eats them up. You wouldn't buy an open air cooled motor for your metal shop but they'll sell you one for your grow tent thats not totally enclosed.
Only way to do it with the cheap ones is good filtration and longer duct or branch lines.
 

HydroKid239

Well-Known Member
LOL God made youtube for a reason,
(For only me I guess, since everyone here has 10-year-old perfectly working fans..) :blsmoke:
Here’s a couple pictures to help prevent all that dust from building up so fast.
I put this on my 4” intake. (It’s an old ipower with a controller knob on the power cord)
FE0A5B8B-3AE3-461A-9B4A-558BE9CBF9DA.jpeg43865B03-B56E-4C4F-90A2-8488C6AACE37.jpeg
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Here’s a couple pictures to help prevent all that dust from building up so fast.
I put this on my 4” intake. (It’s an old ipower with a controller knob on the power cord)
View attachment 5112842View attachment 5112843
Those look interesting. Just added one to my Amazon cart for next time I order.

I'm using Dust Shrooms, but they're more expensive, and bigger. Gonna check those out though.
 

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
They sure don't all plastic. My metal $55 8" I-power is really 3 years old, the only one that lasted.

ok I'll bite- Why the hell do you need a $75-$100 increase over non BT Fan for---REALISTICALLY??

an exhaust FAN w/ BT-lol what's next BT Refrigerators?? (oh yea, they have those too, silly rich clucks.)
Because it also acts as a temperature/humidity/VPD tracking and graphic app as well as letting you control your fan; current conditions, multiple graphs of temp/humidity/VPD logged for you to review and further adjust your setup during different time periods.

I really like the Controller 67, but I'll be grabbing a Controller 69 once they're out...It allows not only BT but WIFI connectivity so I can alter my fans' speeds based upon the temp/humidity data received without being home all the time. It also will have the ability to have 4 different control sets, so you can automate/adjust multiple things. For instance I'll be able to have my exhaust fan running slightly harder than my intake fan and they'll keep that setup as they ratchet up and down to meet environmental conditions.

Also, with 4 connectors, I'll be able to use and control circulation fans from the same unit rather than having my circulation fans on different timers or smart plugs.

C671.jpg C67.2.png
 

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
Here’s a couple pictures to help prevent all that dust from building up so fast.
I put this on my 4” intake. (It’s an old ipower with a controller knob on the power cord)
View attachment 5112842View attachment 5112843
20 square feet of MERV 13 for under 20$ on Amazon. 1 square foot or less across the intake duct with a duct clamp tightened to keep it in place, cut another square change every 6m-1y.
 

HydroKid239

Well-Known Member
20 square feet of MERV 13 for under 20$ on Amazon. 1 square foot or less across the intake duct with a duct clamp tightened to keep it in place, cut another square change every 6m-1y.
That would be good to use once the filter is spent. I can always remove it, and replace it with that in the cap made for the flange.
I bought a roll of Hepa filter for something else, but that shits too thick.. I tried it out. Mess around & burn out the fan motor trying to pull a nice flow thru consistently.
Thanks for the suggestion, as I wasn’t looking for bulk filter material to be cost effective like I should have.
 

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
That would be good to use once the filter is spent. I can always remove it, and replace it with that in the cap made for the flange.
I bought a roll of Hepa filter for something else, but that shits too thick.. I tried it out. Mess around & burn out the fan motor trying to pull a nice flow thru consistently.
Thanks for the suggestion, as I wasn’t looking for bulk filter material to be cost effective like I should have.
I actually ran a double layer of it at first to damp down my intake fan (S6) to match my exhaust fan (T6) and maintain negative pressure. Then I fussed my setup a little bit and got it down to a single layer. Stuff is super easy to work with/cut, etc. so yeah, you could definitely use that round metal cover with it.
 

HydroKid239

Well-Known Member
I actually ran a double layer of it at first to damp down my intake fan (S6) to match my exhaust fan (T6) and maintain negative pressure. Then I fussed my setup a little bit and got it down to a single layer. Stuff is super easy to work with/cut, etc. so yeah, you could definitely use that round metal cover with it.
Right now I have that 4” fan with the small filter taking in air, and a mars hydro 6” extracting. The ipower can’t keep up, the tent looks as sucked in as it should. Nice unwritten feature in my “ever so bowed” trellis.. it keeps everything in the middle. The 2 colas on the outside of the net are tied to it for lights out. I let ‘em bounce around free in the day. The corner comes in & pushes up on the back left so that leaf is a little mangled.. don’t mind that. 7BF384F4-D0EE-4C3E-BE60-361DFD909F0D.jpeg
 

Bookush34

Well-Known Member
I have two Fusion Breath fans. 4” and a 6”. Got to be 7+yrs now. They are in a insulated wood box. Haven’t seen them in years. Haha. I don’t run a filter and it’s short duct runs. I also have a bunch of ac infinity stuff. It’s great stuff. If anything breaks. I’ll replace it with ac stuff
 

yesterdaysnews

Well-Known Member
I've never understood why the manufactures and users of exhaust fans and filters are so hell bent and bound to do it wrong. Always set up your exhaust fan to blow into the carbon filter. Never,, ever suck through it. You put any filter or device on the suction side of the blower and you completely destroy the fans performance. All specs manufactures supply is of the exhaust fan unit with no filter attached to it at all. I was a manufactures rep for 20 years in the pump, blower, chiller, boiler, controls industry. Mathematically there is no difference between a pump and blower/exhaust fan. The only difference is the viscosity of the fluid that is moved. And fluid is moved by differential pressure. There is a massive pressure drop across a carbon filter. When you put that pressure drop on the suction side of the fan. It's the same as putting a piece of cardboard over the intake and blocking 40% of the intake opening. CFM plummets and the ability for the fan to make pressure drops like a rock. This also causes the air to slow down around the motor thus inducing heat rise in the motor and increasing bearing wear. The fan will get a bit more dirty quicker but you will also find out the fan will be much easier to clean and service. I've switched all the old big and heavy end suction heavy end suction blowers out for AC Infinity 6" units. The wife sews one end of the prefilter closed turning it into a bag filter. I then put the bag filter inside the carbon filter. Pull the open end of the bag through the slip flange and insert the fans discharge slip flange in. A couple of taps and it's sealed up. Cut a short lenght of 6" flex duct and put it on the intake side of the fan. Toss the unit up on the top of the tent and run the flex duck into the tent. The only pressure drop the fan see's is the tent. Putting the filter on the discharge side is called inducing head. That will back us up on the fan curve. But it allows the fan blade/impleller to remain loaded properly and the pressure created helps to over come some of the cfm loss.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I've never understood why the manufactures and users of exhaust fans and filters are so hell bent and bound to do it wrong. Always set up your exhaust fan to blow into the carbon filter. Never,, ever suck through it. You put any filter or device on the suction side of the blower and you completely destroy the fans performance. All specs manufactures supply is of the exhaust fan unit with no filter attached to it at all. I was a manufactures rep for 20 years in the pump, blower, chiller, boiler, controls industry. Mathematically there is no difference between a pump and blower/exhaust fan. The only difference is the viscosity of the fluid that is moved. And fluid is moved by differential pressure. There is a massive pressure drop across a carbon filter. When you put that pressure drop on the suction side of the fan. It's the same as putting a piece of cardboard over the intake and blocking 40% of the intake opening. CFM plummets and the ability for the fan to make pressure drops like a rock. This also causes the air to slow down around the motor thus inducing heat rise in the motor and increasing bearing wear. The fan will get a bit more dirty quicker but you will also find out the fan will be much easier to clean and service. I've switched all the old big and heavy end suction heavy end suction blowers out for AC Infinity 6" units. The wife sews one end of the prefilter closed turning it into a bag filter. I then put the bag filter inside the carbon filter. Pull the open end of the bag through the slip flange and insert the fans discharge slip flange in. A couple of taps and it's sealed up. Cut a short lenght of 6" flex duct and put it on the intake side of the fan. Toss the unit up on the top of the tent and run the flex duck into the tent. The only pressure drop the fan see's is the tent. Putting the filter on the discharge side is called inducing head. That will back us up on the fan curve. But it allows the fan blade/impleller to remain loaded properly and the pressure created helps to over come some of the cfm loss.
I've been doing filter-fan-hood-exit for years without any issues. Using a 400 cfm fan with a speed controller turned almost all the way down I get plenty of airflow through the filter and out to exhaust. It's not wrong if it works. Plus the configuration I have everything in is the only way I can fit and hang everything from the top of the tent. I don't want anything outside of the tent.

It works, it exhausts the tent and filters the air. That is the purpose and it does it so it is not wrong at all. You have your way but that doesn't mean it's the best way or the right way. If it works for you then fine but the way I'm doing it works for me and I'll continue to do it this way.
 

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
I've never understood why the manufactures and users of exhaust fans and filters are so hell bent and bound to do it wrong. Always set up your exhaust fan to blow into the carbon filter. Never,, ever suck through it. You put any filter or device on the suction side of the blower and you completely destroy the fans performance. All specs manufactures supply is of the exhaust fan unit with no filter attached to it at all. I was a manufactures rep for 20 years in the pump, blower, chiller, boiler, controls industry. Mathematically there is no difference between a pump and blower/exhaust fan. The only difference is the viscosity of the fluid that is moved. And fluid is moved by differential pressure. There is a massive pressure drop across a carbon filter. When you put that pressure drop on the suction side of the fan. It's the same as putting a piece of cardboard over the intake and blocking 40% of the intake opening. CFM plummets and the ability for the fan to make pressure drops like a rock. This also causes the air to slow down around the motor thus inducing heat rise in the motor and increasing bearing wear. The fan will get a bit more dirty quicker but you will also find out the fan will be much easier to clean and service. I've switched all the old big and heavy end suction heavy end suction blowers out for AC Infinity 6" units. The wife sews one end of the prefilter closed turning it into a bag filter. I then put the bag filter inside the carbon filter. Pull the open end of the bag through the slip flange and insert the fans discharge slip flange in. A couple of taps and it's sealed up. Cut a short lenght of 6" flex duct and put it on the intake side of the fan. Toss the unit up on the top of the tent and run the flex duck into the tent. The only pressure drop the fan see's is the tent. Putting the filter on the discharge side is called inducing head. That will back us up on the fan curve. But it allows the fan blade/impleller to remain loaded properly and the pressure created helps to over come some of the cfm loss.
That's great, but many of us are running the exhaust to a window or wall vent and can't really have a carbon filter sticking outside or otherwise it's just venting back into the room which is something we don't want either.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Spend the extra money and get ac infinity and you won't need to worry about your fan crapping out.

I have one thats been running almost continuously for over a year and a half and its still working fine.
I won't. They are too long and take up too much space. I don't need or care about digital readouts and controls or remote monitoring. My Active Air 6" filter has been running for years and it's still working fine.

So many always say "Spend the money". I haven't, I won't, and I still grow more weed than I can use. I could spend more money but I'd just be wasting it because spending more money isn't going to benefit me in any way.
 
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