Cooling Fans for CF-Retro-Hood?

[Tiffi]

So many people seem to install cooling fans into their DIY hoods.

Are they really necessary for Retrofit Compact Flourescents?
Does it get so hot under the hood 8O ?

 

[DragonForce]

It really depends where you live and how hot your house is inside. I would definatly get a fan or 2 depending on tank and hood size. What if its a hotter than normal day in summer and your tank temps rise? then you can just turn on your fans to stable the temps a bit.

The main problem with high output lighting systems is that it can push your water temps to high, 82+ so with a cooling fan you are pulling or pushing all the hot air out of the hood. Also the cooling fans will pull some of the heat away from the water to bring temps down, our 24gal nano cube is usualy 79-82 which is almost pushing the max. We down even use our heater. Plus im setting up a 40 gal reef system. Im using 175watts of 10k metal halide, custom hood being built with 2 cooling fans. My room in upstairs so im thinking my temps will be low 80's which wont be to much of a problem with proper oxygen exchange, but certainly must be watched.

 

[Tiffi]

But regular Compact Flourescents don't have a high output, do they? I thought they should be cooler than others.
If they are not, what kind of fans are you all using? Which ones are nice, quiet, and cheap?
What electronic parts do you need for building, lets say, computer fans in a hood?

 

[greenmaji]

computer fans are rated for how many volts they need to operate correctly.. its simplest in my oppinion to get a AC/DC transformer(converter), the square type plug, to power these and just mount them into your canopy or striplight. HTH

 

[BillyZ]

So many people seem to install cooling fans into their DIY hoods.

Are they really necessary for Retrofit Compact Flourescents?
Does it get so hot under the hood Shocked ?

Many pre-made light hoods also come with cooling fans. There are a few reasons you want to keep cooling in mind for your lights. One reason is the effect it can have on your tanks water temperature. With powerful lights over your tank they can increase the temperature of your water beyond your target temp range. The other reason is bulb life. Bulbs that run hot will die much faster than bulbs that are allowed to run cool. In a DIY hood, it is generaly advised that your fans blow air out of the hood, rather than into the hood. Blowing cool air into the hood can create "cold spots" on the bulbs which can cause them to crack or simply shorten their life.

 

[Tiffi]

I have about 1" space on the upper back part of the canopy for air to come in/go out. I thought it would be good to blow cold air in and let the warm air that rises get out through that slot.
I guess I will have the vents suck the air out then...

 

[Pipertron]

Im new to this so I dont know much about fish keeping, but when it comes to venterlation what you want to do is create a vacuum. So have the fans blowing out the hot air thus sucking in the cooler air.

 

[fishfreek]

The only PC bulbs I would touch while on where 36W bulbs. The 55W and 96W bulbs are way to hot to touch after being on for just a short period. Icecap has a very nice fan. Its 120MM in size and comes with the power brick to run on AC current where as computer fans will require a 12V DC powerbrick to operate. The icecap fan has a temp prob that will speed the fan up as the prob detects temperatures at specific levels.

I have one blowing into my caonpy on a 250W MH and it keeps the air inside the canopy just a few degrees above room temp.

A fan will also help prolong the life of the PC bulbs.