Alternatives to garbage oscillating fans

RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
Why are all oscillating fans so awful? Even brand new ones start getting loud after several months of use. Is there an alternative setup where I can post a stationary tower fan that would give full coverage airflow in a 4x2?

One possibility is I can remove the base and then mount the tower horizontally at the top of the tent under the light on the right side, and set it at a slight downward angle where the airflow would flow downward to the plants. However, would I mount it on the side of the tent with the vent or without the vent? Basically my concern is would blowing airflow down toward the vent itself interfere with the ability of the fan to cycle fresh air through the tent? Currently the fan sit in the bottom right corner and blows air in a 90 degree arc. Basically what feasible options are there for mounting a stationary fan that can provide adequate whole tent coverage without negatively impacting the ability of the fan to circulate through fresh air. I'm guessing ideally the fan would be mounted high on the same side as the vent and would blow air in the same direction as the incoming air?
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
Could put a bunch of smaller fans in different positions around the tent, and use a couple of them with timers so they cycle on and off, one after the other. That way it's never blowing towards one area too much or for too long.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
Drop That Sound said:
Could put a bunch of smaller fans in different positions around the tent, and use a couple of them with timers so they cycle on and off, one after the other. That way it's never blowing towards one area too much or for too long.
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I was hoping to avoid buying more fans as 10 to 1 they all seem to be crap after like 6 months. I have enough coverage with the tower fan, Im just debating if there is a way I can mount it to avoid oscillation.
 
Rennpappe

Rennpappe

Active Member
RuggedWombat said:
Why are all oscillating fans so awful?
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Place it exactly horizontally to avoid excessive wear.
And oil the fan axis regularly with a tiny drop of oil, twice per crop or so.

When you use household equipment in an industrial setting you can expect you'll have to do some maintenance.
 
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RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
Rennpappe said:
Place it exactly horizontally to avoid excessive wear.
And oil the fan axis regularly with a tiny drop of oil, twice per crop or so.

When you use household equipment in an industrial setting you can expect you'll have to do some maintenance.
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By exactly horizontal you mean have it point straight ahead at the other wall with no downward angle? The fan would be stationary and no longer oscillate when mounted horizontally.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
Rennpappe said:
Exactly :hump:
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And does it matter if the air flows toward the intake vent or away from it? I'm assuming mount it on the same side as the vent so the air will hit the opposite wall and be forced downward before flowing through the canopy? I want to make sure I'm not blocking the ability of the air to either enter or exit the tent with the air current. Or I suppose opposite side of the vent would mean the air would flow downward and mix with the fresh air coming in through the vent?
 
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marzig

marzig

Well-Known Member
RuggedWombat said:
Why are all oscillating fans so awful? Even brand new ones start getting loud after several months of use. Is there an alternative setup where I can post a stationary tower fan that would give full coverage airflow in a 4x2?
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Have you tried the AC Infinity Cloudray S6? I was having the same problems until I bought one and have had zero problems for well over a year. I bought two more this year which are now gen2. Added features include adjustment of how wide the oscillation pattern is. A little more than others at $50 but worth it.

I also clean the blades between every grow, amazing how much plant goo is on them, and this puts added stress on any fan. I also lightly oil the motor shaft with a drop or two of a good quality clock oil at that time. I run all three now in my 2 x 4 tent with the older one above the lights.

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Rennpappe

Rennpappe

Active Member
I read you have some tower type. What I mean is that you should keep the oscillating axis as vertically as possible to avoid excessive wear.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
marzig said:
Have you tried the AC Infinity Cloudray S6? I was having the same problems until I bought one and have had zero problems for well over a year. I bought two more this year which are now gen2. Added features include adjustment of how wide the oscillation pattern is. A little more than others at $50 but worth it.

I also clean the blades between every grow, amazing how much plant goo is on them, and this puts added stress on any fan. I also lightly oil the motor shaft with a drop or two of a good quality clock oil at that time. I run all three now in my 2 x 4 tent with the older one above the lights.

View attachment 5379127View attachment 5379126
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Funny enough yes I used this exact fan and it worked for awhile, but then the motor slowly got louder and louder over time when oscillating. I think the above post about residential equipment for commercial use is the answer. Fans just aren't meant to be ran 24/7 for months on end and inevitably that wear and tear shows in the part with the most mechanical movement which is the oscillation itself. Another reason why I'm hoping to find a one fan solution in a stationary spot to be done with moving fans for good.
 
MissinThe90’sStrains

MissinThe90’sStrains

Well-Known Member
I recently went on a YouTube video watch of fans and comparisons. It seems that a lot of the oscillating fans are just “old tech” and use a single AC motor for both oscillation and fan control. The motor gets overburdened quickly and fails, usually do to overheating. Mounting the fan with any sort of angle puts additional torque on the motor, causing it to fail sooner. It sounds like they are just cheaply built, shit products. One of the videos did hype up the new AC Infinity fan, saying it has 2 better DC motors instead of the traditional single AC motor, but I haven’t bought any. Instead, I bought several non-oscillating clip fans and mounted 3 per tent, hoping for the best. I used to use box fans, but they blew too hard, took up too much floor space, and don’t mount well :-(
 
DarkWeb

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
It's only a 4x2 tent. You have a exhaust fan up high? You have a open intake vent hopefully opposite lower wall? Go to the hardware store and get a clip-on fan and put it inside. It's a small space you don't need a huge or multiple fans. My ACE fan has been working for years.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
MedicalHydroponics said:
Something like this using 2 opposite directions for racetrack airflow. https://www.amazon.com/Hon-Guan-Inline-Booster-Controller/dp/B0C7Z82L7P/ref=pd_aw_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_m_m_t_7?pd_rd_w=RlD48&content-id=amzn1.sym.5c97c170-02be-4e9b-90c7-2e7b8e65d504&pf_rd_p=5c97c170-02be-4e9b-90c7-2e7b8e65d504&pf_rd_r=5BR9PMMETTT6VPP6P1SK&pd_rd_wg=pM4Da&pd_rd_r=e8194abf-3a20-4cdf-b9c9-c8e4edd19ced&pd_rd_i=B0C7Z82L7P#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
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So in this case a booster fan in the bottom left by intake vent to force air in, and then maybe an ACI cloud ray underneath the lights on the opposite end up high blowing air straight forward over the canopy?
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
DarkWeb said:
It's only a 4x2 tent. You have a exhaust fan up high? You have a open intake vent hopefully opposite lower wall? Go to the hardware store and get a clip-on fan and put it inside. It's a small space you don't need a huge or multiple fans. My ACE fan has been working for years.
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Do you need air flow directly on the plants or just air flow to dissipate heat over the canopy?
 
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