A lot of people have asked me how I wired a PC fan to supply cool air to my HL tank or just so they can cool off their lights so I finally got around to making this tutorial. If you just need to wire a fan for your lights just follow the wiring*. If you need to supply cool air to a HL tank through a duct you'll need to build a mount for the fan, there may be a bunch of ways to accomplish that but this is how I do it.
*I am not an electrician - good luck!
First are the parts:
Power supply for a 12V DC computer Fan
If you buy one like this you can run up to 1 AMP worth of fan, the one I will be running is 0.36A. Be sure to buy a sufficiently powerful power supply to run your fan. A cell phone charger might not be powerful enough. This model has variable voltage so I can make my fan run at various speeds. I think I got these off ebay for $9.99 each postage paid.
I got my new fan from Radio Shack because they are sturdier than the cheaper all plastic ones but also a bit pricier. This new model they have moves air at 85 CFM it's actually cold in front of it! This fan was $19.98
*WHY DON'T I USE ROUND "DUCT FANS"? BECAUSE THEY'RE LOUD!!!
This is the panel the fan will be mounted to so it can blow into the terrarium. The panel can then be mounted or hung where it can gather cool air. This panel is found in the duct work department and is called a 4" Ceiling Collar and was $3.68
The other part you need for the fan mount is a 4" Duct Starter Collar and is $2.31
Also get a tube of Amazing Household goop glue to glue all the parts together a 3.5 oz tube is $4.57
Begin by putting the Duct Starter Collar into the Ceiling Collar:
Now fold down all the tabs as tightly as you can (it'll still be loose):
Run a thick bead of Goop around the join of the Duct Starter Collar and the Ceiling Collar, do the tabbed side as well.
As the duct starter dries and cures it's time to wire the fan.
Cut the plug off the end of the adapters cord. and strip the last 1/2" or so of the wire covering and twist the positive lead from the power pack (black with white stripe) to the red lead from the fan and the solid black wire on the power supply to the black wire on the fan.
keep the positive and negative apart and plug it in if it doesn't move you did it wrong. Unplug it and reverse the connections. If it moves play with the voltage selector and see how it sounds/feels as it speeds up and slows down, then unplug it and move on...
If your connections are good go ahead and unplug the power supply and cap the connections - don't skip this step! You WILL start a fire if the uncapped connections should happen to cross.
As an extra step I use Gorrilla Grip black duct tape to secure my caps on my connections, they can still come undone over the years and need to be recapped and retaped but it lasts far longer than caps alone.
Now, making sure you know which side of the fan blows and which side gathers the air glue it to the flat side of the Ceiling Collar/Duct Starter assembly so that it will blow cool air into the duct and then into your terrarium.
Let it cure for 24 hours or so before it's ready to attach to a duct and use to cool your terrarium. It will still be stinky for a few days because Goop is a very smelly, and thick silicone type glue.
*I am not an electrician - good luck!
First are the parts:
Power supply for a 12V DC computer Fan
If you buy one like this you can run up to 1 AMP worth of fan, the one I will be running is 0.36A. Be sure to buy a sufficiently powerful power supply to run your fan. A cell phone charger might not be powerful enough. This model has variable voltage so I can make my fan run at various speeds. I think I got these off ebay for $9.99 each postage paid.
I got my new fan from Radio Shack because they are sturdier than the cheaper all plastic ones but also a bit pricier. This new model they have moves air at 85 CFM it's actually cold in front of it! This fan was $19.98
*WHY DON'T I USE ROUND "DUCT FANS"? BECAUSE THEY'RE LOUD!!!
This is the panel the fan will be mounted to so it can blow into the terrarium. The panel can then be mounted or hung where it can gather cool air. This panel is found in the duct work department and is called a 4" Ceiling Collar and was $3.68
The other part you need for the fan mount is a 4" Duct Starter Collar and is $2.31
Also get a tube of Amazing Household goop glue to glue all the parts together a 3.5 oz tube is $4.57
Begin by putting the Duct Starter Collar into the Ceiling Collar:
Now fold down all the tabs as tightly as you can (it'll still be loose):
Run a thick bead of Goop around the join of the Duct Starter Collar and the Ceiling Collar, do the tabbed side as well.
As the duct starter dries and cures it's time to wire the fan.
Cut the plug off the end of the adapters cord. and strip the last 1/2" or so of the wire covering and twist the positive lead from the power pack (black with white stripe) to the red lead from the fan and the solid black wire on the power supply to the black wire on the fan.
keep the positive and negative apart and plug it in if it doesn't move you did it wrong. Unplug it and reverse the connections. If it moves play with the voltage selector and see how it sounds/feels as it speeds up and slows down, then unplug it and move on...
If your connections are good go ahead and unplug the power supply and cap the connections - don't skip this step! You WILL start a fire if the uncapped connections should happen to cross.
As an extra step I use Gorrilla Grip black duct tape to secure my caps on my connections, they can still come undone over the years and need to be recapped and retaped but it lasts far longer than caps alone.
Now, making sure you know which side of the fan blows and which side gathers the air glue it to the flat side of the Ceiling Collar/Duct Starter assembly so that it will blow cool air into the duct and then into your terrarium.
Let it cure for 24 hours or so before it's ready to attach to a duct and use to cool your terrarium. It will still be stinky for a few days because Goop is a very smelly, and thick silicone type glue.