growbox too noisy.

[ktm250]

I have finished setting up my growbox with 2 x 120mm sunon fans and they are too noisy.The box is made of plywood and i am ussuming that it makes the fans echo a bit.So i coverd the whole outside of the box with carpet to try and smother the noise a bit,but it hasnt worked very well if at all.I am very dissapointed as i cant have it this loud because of the neighboures.The box is in a 10x10 shed.Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Al B. Fuct]

I have finished setting up my growbox with 2 x 120mm sunon fans and they are too noisy.The box is made of plywood and i am ussuming that it makes the fans echo a bit.So i coverd the whole outside of the box with carpet to try and smother the noise a bit,but it hasnt worked very well if at all.I am very dissapointed as i cant have it this loud because of the neighboures.The box is in a 10x10 shed.Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Get a 300W fan motor speed controller, about $35 from Bunnings. The fans will probably move enough air even at about 80% speed, where they will be significantly quieter. A 300W speed controller will handle about 20 of the 120mm muffins you have. If 2 fans at 80% speed don't move enough air, add another pair of 120mm fans, one intake, one exhaust.

 

A small amount of duct on the outlet and intake fans should shut them up a bit. You can run the ducts into noise traps or mufflers, basically boxes lined with foam rubber and with about a half dozen 50mm holes.

 

A 200mm centrif blower would make your noise problems go away and move several times more air, tho.

[bufo marinus]

Yeah Al is right about the 200mm centrifugal blower, much quieter.

However those little fans you have will work ok to exhaust a 400w hps

Vibration is the culprit here

You have to get those fans hanging in mid air on rubber.

Grab some cable ties and some thick rubber O-rings and see how you go, get your fans hanging level about a 1mm from any exhaust/inlet openings.

It will work

PS I used to run 1 inlet and 2 exhaust as well with that size. Happy gardening

[Al B. Fuct]

bufo, that task of vibration isolation would be much facilitated by adding some duct flanges to the 120mm fans. As is, I'm sure he's done the sensible thing and mounted them right on the wall/ceiling surface of the cabinet. They need to be supported in free space and isolated from the cabinet structure to prevent transmitting vibration.

 

However, I have some of these Sunon fans. Super durable. They are not too badly balanced (when the blades are clean and not gacked up with months of dust) and so don't really vibrate badly, but they DO make a lot of noise from their blades due to the high rotational speed. You either have to slow them down or put 'mufflers' on them.

 

I think a small centrif is the gee-oh here.

[pipeman]

take the carpet out for starters mate, you don't want carpet in the growroom, its a home for mold.

 

as far as the noise you just need to connect ducting to either side of the fans and wrap em in insulation. I've seen fans that sound like jet engines turn into something you can barely hear after this treatment. Make sure you seal up the insulation with plastic on the outside too to prevent fibres being released in the air which may be unhealthy for you to breath in.

[Indycar]

I don't want to jump the gun here. But i can't help think noise will be lesser worry here. In time when you bud up the plants, the smell will be the bigger issue. You might get away with it as a veg cab alone. But once the stinky resinous buds come along, there's a fair chance the surrounding neighborhood will get wind of it.

 

I've done a couple of small/budget builds like this before, and to be honest. It's damn frustrating. Now, i'm not saying this is rule of thumb. But unless you got up to $1000 to play with for a proper setup (light, fan, scrubber, etc...). I personally wouldn't bother trying to grow a bit of personal (indoors). Like most things, you only get out of it what you put into it.

 

Apart from that, all the best with it ktm250.

 

[Token Jet]

If you have got a clark rubber near you, you might wanna check out their soundproofing foam. It comes on a roll about 1.5m wide and costs about $30 per linear metre. I bought some the other day but haven't installed it yet so I can't tell you how good it is. The guy said it was useful for pool pumps etc.

[ktm250]

The carpet is actually nailed on the outside of the box not inside.I think i will try suspending the fans in mid air 1 or 2mm away from the inlet/outlet holes.I am thinking of just screwing 4 screws on the inside and tying some string around them and the side of the fans.Does this sound like the g.i.joe?Also,those speed controllers sound like a brilliant idea for my situation.I also have a ozone generator that i will put in when the flowers get nice and smelly(where should i put it?Should i put it closer to the top?Behind the outlet fan?Or,just at the side of the top of the plant?.Thanks guys.

[rippa]

I put my water pumps into a plastic box surrounded by the clark rubbber noise supression foam and it works very well, cant hear shit. Goodluck Edited August 14, 2007 by rippa

[Token Jet]

Yeah, this shit has even got silver backing on one side so I imagine you could do the whole inside of your cupboard with it and plenty of duct tape and a staple gun.

 

Oh no on second thoughts the foam side would be better facing the noise source, which means it would be hard to clean.

 

Just ignore this post.