Rigging fans - Electrical help por favor

M

Modo

[I hooked up my old 3" computer fans over my sump over the weekend and one is gone kapoot and the other cavetates alot more than I like. Pretty much ran them into the ground and the salt ate them up pretty bad on my old system.

So, I was looking to DIY some new ones. My only question is, can I solder the leads to the fan HERE to an AC plug without a relay? They are 120VAC fans, but I'm no electrician and don't want to order the wrong thing.

If these aren't what I'm looking for, please let me know what specifications I should be.

Thanks!]



Edited By Modo on 1078956853
 
[Jose would know for sure, but from what I can tell, yes, it will run on a normal cord. It won't be grounded unless you attach a third (green) wire to the body of the fan.

You should test it after it is temporarily connected to the cord, away from any water.]
 
[It looks like you should be able to. Use the right solder and some heat shrink tubing to insulate the connection though, or better yet crimp some male insulated spade plugs to the fan and then female to the cord and no soldering and easy to disconnect if you have long wire runs. Wire nuts work too but they can fall off.

IMHO, if your electrically inclined or think you can do it (work with low voltage components) you should get DC fans that run off of like 12v and then use a pot (potentiometer) to controll their speed (noise/evaporation) by lowering the voltage some, but at the cost of some airflow. An old wallwart (dc adaptor) and the pot in series with the fans and your set. Or just connect the fan to the wallwart and your set. It's safer than running 120 AC over your sump too.

By the way Fry's sells fan air filters in the pc section. (thin material to trap dust.) Salt shouldn't be an issue if you mount them high enough.]



Edited By DallasJose on 1078962497
 
[Thanks guys for the replies!

I like the idea of the DC conversion and the variable speed. Not too sure if I could get it together though. It's worth a shot at little over $12 a fan. Why not?

I thought about getting a relay and running a lower voltage over the tank, but saw these and thought it would be easier. Plus, I'm not up on my electrical skills and building a relay might be beyond me.]



Edited By Modo on 1078963224
 
[Those will work just fine the way you said. Just connect them they way you were.

I would suggest a GFCI outlet and a grounding probe since those fans seem to carry no ground and are 120v AC, your breaker might not trip right away if one fell in the water (very dangerous). The gfci will trip right away.

I was just bouncing an idea since I thought you were rewiring the whole thing.

For the DC fans with speed control
You would need a dc 12v adaptor (~1000 ma rating)
Potentiometer (5-10 watts dissapation)
Fans 12 volts DC
misc wiring exc.
maybe some help]
 
[Hi All
I have had 2 120mm computer fans running in my sump for almost a year, get ready for this, I have them pumping fresh air in not salt air out, That goes out a vent on the other end of the cabinet.
Joe]
 
[
I would suggest a GFCI outlet and a grounding probe since those fans seem to carry no ground and are 120v AC said:
Jose, I definately have a GFCI. It's one that plugs inline from my powerstrip vs. in-wall. I do need to get a grounding probe anyway. Might was well order one while I'm at it. Thanks for the heads up.

I'll post up if I try the DC conversion. It doesn't sound too difficult.

Hi All I have had 2 120mm computer fans running in my sump for almost a year said:
Joe, I'll be using these over my sump for cooling. The fans will be blowing across the surface of the water for evaporation, which in turns drops the temp of the water. I don't have any place for a chiller or the funds at the moment.]
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
[For about nine bucks you can get these great little 8" fans that clip on and occilate at walmart. They move a lot more air than any of those little 4" fans and they are quieter. You can clip them on to hoses or whatever inside the cabinet and then to be safe I would use a plastic zip tie to secure them in place.]
 
[Tommy, they have changed the fan somewhat since last fall. The new one is still clip on, but no longer occilates. But it is $6.74 SKU#066257119594 . The store in Plano has a large area where all of the fans are together, not sure of the dept. I have always taken the front screen of off the fan , it comes off easily. That way it cleans easier and moves a little more air, plus the front screen feels like a painted metal of some type, I did not want to worry about it rusting. For the price I never worried too much about keeping them clean, I just get another fan.]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top