Today I'm going to start this thread about blower choices and hopefully you can find some info to help with your application!
There are many different brands and cfms of various blowers but there are really only two types that we indoor growers use to get our indoor enviroments controlled. Inline and Squirrel Cage.
Experienced growers will tell you that one of the most overlooked aspects to a successful indoor crop is air control yet many growers place air control at the bottom of the priority list.
First I'll start with the squirrel cage type. The blowers made by Dayton and Hydrofarm are pretty much the industry standard as far as quality. They range in moderate cfms from 90 to 465 for small blowers and then you have massive industrial that push cfms into the 1000's.
The pros of the squirrel cage blower is low cost for good results and are very reliable. Most have motors that are rated for continuous use. You can also use a device called the Speedster Variable Fan Control to slow the roll on squirrel cage blowers during the Winter and such. Speed controllers do not work with inline blowers.
The cons are the odd shapes make them awkward to position, you typically need to buy additional adapters for the duct work and wall mounting, and they can run hot. With their odd shape it can be difficult to wrap with insulation for noise or heat control.
Inline blowers are the new sexy when it comes to air control and there are way more options to choose from over the old school squirrel cage.
Your top inlines are going to be Elicent and Vortex while the bargain inline will be the Active Air/Eco Plus/ Hydrofarm models. These things are bad ass. Even the smallest cfm models are very efficient, quiet and reliable. They usually do not need adapters and are easy to position. Their fluid shapes make it easy to wrap with insulation to control heat and reduce the already little noise they make. However all of that covienence is reflected in the cost and some can be twice as expensive as their squirrel cage counter parts of the same general cfm range. That price difference is what keeps the squirrel cage on the market.
When deciding on the right blower cfm, Hydrofarm and several other web sites have air flow calculators to help determine which cfm is right for you. I like to take that number and nearly double it to really get firm control over heat build up and humidity. It's kind of like lighting. I have never heard of a garden having problems because the air was too fresh or too much light, have you? Another important aspect to consider when installing air intake and exaust is to place the blowers in duct lines so that they pull the air instead of pushing it. Good luck!
Hydroponics Calculator - on Brite Ideas Hydroponics
There are many different brands and cfms of various blowers but there are really only two types that we indoor growers use to get our indoor enviroments controlled. Inline and Squirrel Cage.
Experienced growers will tell you that one of the most overlooked aspects to a successful indoor crop is air control yet many growers place air control at the bottom of the priority list.
First I'll start with the squirrel cage type. The blowers made by Dayton and Hydrofarm are pretty much the industry standard as far as quality. They range in moderate cfms from 90 to 465 for small blowers and then you have massive industrial that push cfms into the 1000's.
The pros of the squirrel cage blower is low cost for good results and are very reliable. Most have motors that are rated for continuous use. You can also use a device called the Speedster Variable Fan Control to slow the roll on squirrel cage blowers during the Winter and such. Speed controllers do not work with inline blowers.
The cons are the odd shapes make them awkward to position, you typically need to buy additional adapters for the duct work and wall mounting, and they can run hot. With their odd shape it can be difficult to wrap with insulation for noise or heat control.
Inline blowers are the new sexy when it comes to air control and there are way more options to choose from over the old school squirrel cage.
Your top inlines are going to be Elicent and Vortex while the bargain inline will be the Active Air/Eco Plus/ Hydrofarm models. These things are bad ass. Even the smallest cfm models are very efficient, quiet and reliable. They usually do not need adapters and are easy to position. Their fluid shapes make it easy to wrap with insulation to control heat and reduce the already little noise they make. However all of that covienence is reflected in the cost and some can be twice as expensive as their squirrel cage counter parts of the same general cfm range. That price difference is what keeps the squirrel cage on the market.
When deciding on the right blower cfm, Hydrofarm and several other web sites have air flow calculators to help determine which cfm is right for you. I like to take that number and nearly double it to really get firm control over heat build up and humidity. It's kind of like lighting. I have never heard of a garden having problems because the air was too fresh or too much light, have you? Another important aspect to consider when installing air intake and exaust is to place the blowers in duct lines so that they pull the air instead of pushing it. Good luck!
Hydroponics Calculator - on Brite Ideas Hydroponics
