Canopy Ventilation system?

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
What kind of ventilation system do you have on your lighting system? On your canopy? How much air needs to be drawn from the outside of the canopy? Do you find your computer fans rusting up or clogging over time? what do you do to prevent your fans from corrosion and clogging?
Has anyone heard of an egg crate top? Heat rises, and a partially open top canopy does make sense...
When installing a fan on your canopy, should it blow into the canopy or out of the canopy?
How do you prevent dust from getting in your water if you have a fan blowing across and into the canopy?
Are there any other cooling methods out there to vent canopies besides fans?
 
tonysearsjr

tonysearsjr

Member
mine is a 6x8 room so not the major heat build up but i did cut a floor vent in and put a squirrel cage fan (from small furnace) underneath.pulls cool fresh air in from basement and exits through a exhaust fan to the outside. probably overkill but that's how i like it...the more the merrier.
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member
Interesting that you started this thread. I was about to ask where would be the best spot to place two small computer fans in my canopy and in which direction to face them.I currently have two 5" fans blowing across either end of my tank but there's really no way for the air to exit except for about 1" the runs the length of the back of the canopy.
Sent from an undisclosed location using an undisclosed device.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonysearsjr http:///t/392617/canopy-ventilation-system#post_3487571
mine is a 6x8 room so not the major heat build up but i did cut a floor vent in and put a squirrel cage fan (from small furnace) underneath.pulls cool fresh air in from basement and exits through a exhaust fan to the outside. probably overkill but that's how i like it...the more the merrier.
LOL...before I would cut a hole in a floor to vent with a fan, I would get a chiller...use the hole in the floor to toss laundry to the basement to be washed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptor72 http:///t/392617/canopy-ventilation-system#post_3487597
Interesting that you started this thread. I was about to ask where would be the best spot to place two small computer fans in my canopy and in which direction to face them.I currently have two 5" fans blowing across either end of my tank but there's really no way for the air to exit except for about 1" the runs the length of the back of the canopy.
Sent from an undisclosed location using an undisclosed device.
2 fans... one pointing going into the canopy to push good cool air and the other pointed out to draw off heat.
If you want more...that's all good as long as you also have air being drawn off out of the canopy. The fan/fans that draws off heat is the most important.
Me: I hang my T5HO light (and my MHs when I used them) over my canopy, I hang them on a pulley system so I can raise them or lower them to change bulbs or dust them. I used to use the fans and they did clog up and they did corrode....That's why I started hanging the lights....the fans are on the unit to cool the light.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/392617/canopy-ventilation-system#post_3487606
If a canopy can be properly ventilated, I wouldn't have a problem using a canopy at all.
A canopy makes the tank look "finished" and more a part of the furniture. A canopy only gives the illusion of the top being sealed up...the back is open to allow ventilation and hanging equipment. I can't speak for those who build their own but I have never seen a canopy completely sealed up. I have seen some of the builds, and they add ventilation portals and some had fans built into the sides.
 
tonysearsjr

tonysearsjr

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/392617/canopy-ventilation-system#post_3487603
LOL...before I would cut a hole in a floor to vent with a fan, I would get a chiller...use the hole in the floor to toss laundry to the basement to be washed.
2 fans... one pointing going into the canopy to push good cool air and the other pointed out to draw off heat.
If you want more...that's all good as long as you also have air being drawn off out of the canopy. The fan/fans that draws off heat is the most important.
Me: I hang my T5HO light (and my MHs when I used them) over my canopy, I hang them on a pulley system so I can raise them or lower them to change bulbs or dust them. I used to use the fans and they did clog up and they did corrode....That's why I started hanging the lights....the fans are on the unit to cool the light.
white grate is the hole...was originaly gonna run my sump in the basement ...and thats dads office..lol...no dirty clothes want a chute tho
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Is your tank in the wall and that's the back view? Where is Dad's desk in all that if it's his office?
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
I have no fans, the back of the canopy is open, I have slits in the top of my canopy, and that's it.
Heat is never a problem. I do have very low output/very unhot running lights though.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
This canopy has 7.25 cubic feet of space.
What I did is use the same rule used for calculating the required size bathroom fan for it's space that will give you a turnover rate of 7.5 times the volume of space per hour.
In my case, I would need less than 1 CFM (cubic feet per minute) to achieve my 7.5x turnover per hour for the canopy. I have 2 (65 cfm) fans pulling fresh air in and 1 (65 cfm) pulling air out as well as 2 large vent grills on the back to let the thing breath. So I'm like 10 times over the recommended rate for removing moisture from bathrooms. I've got it figured to having somewhere around 100x turnover per hour. I wanted to go a little overkill in order to help gaurd against any heat generated issues from potential lighting sources.

Fans on the ends can be beveled down and aimed at waters surface. When all flow is turned off I can see the fans creating ripples (waves) on the waters surface.

The fans can also be beveled upwards at lighting sources if need be.

They are ducted to pull fresh/cooler air from behind the stand drawing air from the direction of the ground (which should be cooler air since warm air rises in the room. The warm air from the canopy will be pulled and vented through the back and directed upwards in order to help it flow naturally to towards the ceiling where it can get cooled off by the cool air coming from the vents from the home's central a/c.

 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Thanks, I was just throwing that out there as one way to ventilate a canopy. Seth, asked about how do you prevent dust from being blown into the water, I don't know if it matters much but I can take some pieces of filter floss and stick them in the ends of the pvc intakes to act as an air filter if need be. And I think that fans blowing onto the waters surface cools better than pulling air out of the canopy. Unless, you can do both :)
 
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