Advice on Venting Canopy

CuzzA said:
I would cut two holes in the side of the canopy. One at the top and one at the bottom. Install a 140 mm fan in each. Both blowing cool air in. Typically you don't need an exhaust fan because the air will blow out around the cracks of the cabinet doors. Unless of course they are really flush and air tight. If that's the case then I would have one blowing in (bottom) and one blowing out (top). You could test both ways with a thermometer in the canopy.

I would do the same thing for the sump. Also add a fan blowing directly on the water. The one blowing directly on the water will substantially reduce temperature in my experience, but evaporation will also increase a lot.
Click to expand...

Thanks, CuzzA. That sounds like a slightly easier option. And good point about light beaming out of the cabinet doors - hadn't thought of that! The doors aren't air tight, so venting them won't be necessary, I guess. You mentioned 140 mm fans... Mcgyvr had recommended a 120 mm one. How about two of those on the side of the canopy, one low and one high? I imagine I could run two of them on a single 1A 12V power supply.
 
I'm sorry, I meant 120, but 140 would be fine. Could get loud though.

Here are the fans I use. 120mm, 74 cfm, but most importantly 15dba. SILENT. You cannot hear them. 12-15 dba is at the cusp of being able to hear noise depending on the person. Tigerdirect sells them.

I run 5 of these all wired together on one power supply as they only use .11 amps. 2 in my canopy, 2 in my stand, 1 over the return section of my sump. Temp dropped 5 degrees.

http://www.silenx.com/quiet.fans.asp?sku=efx-12-15

Yes, two on the side. But the vent cover you linked won't work. Instead get something like this below and stain it to match the color of your wood canopy. And don't permanetly mount it. This way you can pull it off to clean the dust from it and the fan. Saltwater is sticky and they will need to be cleaned.

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Cool. So the more of those fans I run, the better, I'm guessing. Since they are lower CFM than the other (42 dba) one, maybe I could do 3 or even four of them all on that one side, all wired to a single power supply... I do have a 6" Air King fan pointed at the water surface in the canopy. The sump is on the other side of the wall in a bathroom (it's not enclosed in a cabinet), so I was thinking I might just clip another Air King fan on it.

CuzzA said:
I'm sorry, I meant 120, but 140 would be fine. Could get loud though.

Here are the fans I use. 120mm, 74 cfm, but most importantly 15dba. SILENT. You cannot hear them. 12-15 dba is at the cusp of being able to hear noise depending on the person. Tigerdirect sells them.

I run 5 of these all wired together on one power supply as they only use .11 amps. 2 in my canopy, 2 in my stand, 1 over the return section of my sump. Temp dropped 5 degrees.

http://www.silenx.com/quiet.fans.asp?sku=efx-12-15

Yes, two on the side. But the vent cover you linked won't work. Instead get something like this below and stain it to match the color of your wood canopy. And don't permanetly mount it. This way you can pull it off to clean the dust from it and the fan. Saltwater is sticky and they will need to be cleaned.

attachment.php
Click to expand...
 
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I would try two first toward the back and see what happens. Then add two more if you find that doesn't do enough.

Also you're homes ac temp plays a big role.
 
Cool. What size hole would I need to drill for the 120 mm fans? I think I have a 3" hole saw, but can go pick up a bigger one if need be.
 
Well 120 mm is 4.75". I would probably just draw a circle with a simple compass and cut the holes with a jigsaw. (Harbor Frieght if you don't have one). I would seal the bare wood from the cut. These fans are nice. They come with rubber vibration dampening pegs too.
 
I fully agree with CuzzA about NOT cutting holes in your doors.

that would look bad.

And.. how is your sump on the other side of the wall? Did you knock a hole it the wall for the plumbing? (but..your in an apartment).

Since your sump is in the bathroom.. I'd start by putting all the fans on it I could. For that, you don't need any clip fans.. Go to wall mart, get a freaking HUGE stand up fan and set it right next to it, blowing right across the water in the sump. I'm talking a wind tunnel tornado making fan.

I'd do that first, see how much it brings the tank temp down. If you need/want more, THEN go to plan B: Cutting holes in the side of the canopy.

.
 
I think I prefer the hole saw option - just easier to get a perfect circle. And I don't have a jigsaw...

Anyhow, smedlin - yes, I drilled a few holes in the wall to run 1.5" PVC through the wall. The idea of putting fans on the sump is good, but they'll have to be clip-on - not a lot of room in there to have floor fans going.
 
Hole saw would be easier. But for the cost of a hole saw that size that will likely be used this one time and never again, you could buy a jigsaw at HF for less and use it for other projects. Just a thought. Either way gets you where you need to be. ;)
 
CuzzA said:
Hole saw would be easier. But for the cost of a hole saw that size that will likely be used this one time and never again, you could buy a jigsaw at HF for less and use it for other projects. Just a thought. Either way gets you where you need to be. ;)
Click to expand...

You do have a point there!
 
What's the top of your canopy look like, is it enclosed?
If so I've seen people route channels in a decorative way, just another option, less visible.
Looks really nice, I too would hate cutting into anything visible if it can be avoided.
 
That's a very good idea, TangingOut. But I think cutting two 4" holes in the side of the canopy seems a lot easier / more feasible than cutting through two layers of sheetrock, etc., in order to install an exhaust to the bathroom.
 
I was thinking to go along with the fans you intend to install on the side, but to me cutting through dry wall isn't a big deal and is easy to patch up.
 
OK, just received two of the 120 mm, 15 dBA fans. I've got a 12 volt power adapter lying around that I can use... But one question - the Silenx fan's three wires are all black, so I don't know which is the "yellow" wire. Is there any way to tell? I'm hoping it's the middle one. Otherwise, I suppose I could just guess, and if I guess wrong, just switch the wires. I know I'm not going to blow anything up; just would be nice to avoid the guesswork. :)
 
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