Cooling Fan duration

[Rokerites]

Don't mind if I ask this silly question....I am currently using cooling fan to lower the temperature of my plant tank, however always has the lingering doubt of how many hours does fellow members (those using cooling fan) switch on their fans? is it 24/7 or is it as long as the lights are on?
I am a little uneasy at leaving the fan to runs 24/7 because when I feel the transformer , its often very hot..... worry it may overheat and cause a short-circuit or worse , cause an electric fire

May fellow member share their practice, views and advices, THANKS

[mmramos]

mine is turned on 24/7 if i turn off it for 10 minutes, fish tank temp will shoot up

[Shadow]

mine is also 24/7, get adaptor with safety logo on it.

[celticfish]

i have my fan on a timer for 15 minute intervals for 24 hours.
i.e. on 15 min, off 15min, on 15min...
you get the idea?

[Green Baron]

Becareful if you run your DC fan 24x7. I run mine 24x7 for 1+ year and recently I started smelling burnt smell. It took me a few days before I found the source of the smell. Whew !!



Can you imagine what could have happened if I did not detected the melt down

Now I am thinking of switching to using computer power supply ...

[kemp]

i leave my fan on 24/7.

[|squee|]

Mine's attached to the same timer my lights are to.

[Shadow]

i have my fan on a timer for 15 minute intervals for 24 hours.
i.e. on 15 min, off 15min, on 15min...
you get the idea?

Interesting idea, maybe I shoul try it too. Any impact on the water temp?

[mmramos]

Becareful if you run your DC fan 24x7. I run mine 24x7 for 1+ year and recently I started smelling burnt smell. It took me a few days before I found the source of the smell. Whew !!

Can you imagine what could have happened if I did not detected the melt down

Now I am thinking of switching to using computer power supply ...

I think you have a defective adaptor here.. those adaptor we are using for the fan are similar to the one we use for the cordless phone, alarm clock,etc which are also running 24/7. so far no problem (touchwood)

just my 2 cts.

[aquascaping1982]

me too on the fans 24/7..non-stop.

[lyh]

AC fan can be used to run 24hrs although it is more expensive compared to the DC fans. However if you add the price of the transformer with the DC fan it's about the same cost as getting an AC fan.

[cairocks]

Think I haver read somewhere that if the amp of the transformer does not patch the fan's by a large difference, excess heat could be produced. not too sure too high or too low though. Used to use a computer PSU to power 3 computer fans for my tank for over a year until one night it shut down with a bad burning smell too. Lucky it is attached to the fans and not my computer.

[tcy81]

i leave my fan on for 24/7 cos worry that the flucuation of temperature will cause stress to my fishes

[mtanec]

24/7 for me too..

meltdown should not occur.. usually the ac adaptor would have stopped working if there is anything goes wrong before it can start melting.. that melted adaptor is one that is not developed fully compliant to basic fire safety policy.. so when you buy, there must be a "approval" sticker or "QC passed" sticker..

[Rokerites]

i have my fan on a timer for 15 minute intervals for 24 hours.
i.e. on 15 min, off 15min, on 15min...
you get the idea?

Sounds a great idea!

I may give this a try with a slight twist to it.
I will use two fans instead of one and have both of them on timer. They will switch on alternately.(eg fan A on for the 1st hour, then off, while fan B will be off the 1st hour and kicks in on the 2nd hour)
Not only will the fan's transformer have plenty of time to cool down, it will also be able to keep the aquarium constantly fan cooled.
Only down side is that I will have to spend more on an extra fan as well as the timers.

[Rokerites]

can I ask fellow members, which type of fan will be more advisable? AC or DC type?

[taysh75]

can I ask fellow members, which type of fan will be more advisable? AC or DC type?

I am usinga DIY DC fan and is very happy with it. I am using a DC adapter but has to make sure the adapter is able to handle the ampere of the total fan used.

By the way, the market has regulated and non-regulated DC adapter. The latter one is much cheaper for the same amp needed. For fan wise, it is okie.

[tawauboy]

adaptors can be run 24/7.
for safety sake, pay more for one that has safety markings such as ce, tuv or ul markings. avoid those that do not have any safety markings.
also, get an adaptor that can provide 1.5~2x the current required to drive all your fans. this will provide some margin.

notebook ac adaptor is a good option. fully certified and has a sufficient "juice" to power multiple fans.

[bslong]

the adaptor melted must be somethings short in the circuit, I once encounter that my fans dropped into the water, and the adaptor melted was lucky that no fire occurs, cos discover it only when I reached home after work.......so please secure your fans properly.........