Does Radion´s fans stay on 24/7?

[Leopardshark]

Hello,
I´ve noticed that the fans of my G4 Radions stay on even at night when the lights are off. and the 3 buttons on top of them as well. Is this normal?
If I unplug them at night is it ok?
I´m planning to connecting them to one outlet of my APEX to turn them on 15 mins before lights go on and 30 mins after lights go off to let internals cool off before cutting power on them.
Regards
Marco

 

[mfinn]

Hello,
I´ve noticed that the fans of my G4 Radions stay on even at night when the lights are off. and the 3 buttons on top of them as well. Is this normal?
If I unplug them at night is it ok?
I´m planning to connecting them to one outlet of my APEX to turn them on 15 mins before lights go on and 30 mins after lights go off to let internals cool off before cutting power on them.
Regards
Marco

Yes it is normal for the fans to stay on and the buttons as well.

I would not ( and don't) cut the power to them at night.

 

[Leopardshark]

I would not ( and don't) cut the power to them at night.

Why?

 

[mfinn]

Why?

That's a question Ecotech has to answer.

 

[ca1ore]

It's kind of annoying actually that the fans stay on 24/7. Doesn't seem like it ought to be necessary, but ETM would have to answer.

 

[slap]

the fans are really annoying loud. especially if you have more than one G4 pro lamp. come ecotech, change this by firmware update!

 

[jccaclimber]

I read elsewhere that it is to prevent internal condensation/electrical damage. The recommended solution was to put the lights on a timer/controller/whatever that cuts power whenever you want the fans off.

Honestly it isn't a terrible idea if condensation failures are a notable warranty issue, but I know what you mean about fan noise.

 

[ca1ore]

Not sure how water would condense inside these units. They're unlikely to be colder than the surrounding air.

 

[jccaclimber]

Agreed, but they don't need to be. If they are the same temperature as the surrounding air, but the tank is warmer there is still a risk. I doubt they made the change without cause, especially as it probably doesn't help fan life.

 

[Leopardshark]

especially as it probably doesn't help fan life.

and it increases needless power consumption.
I think there is a reason but I don´t find the logic (apart of the condensation, which would make some logic to me).
But if the room they are installed in is not very very humid, I see no sense in keeping them on all night.

 

[ca1ore]

Agreed, but they don't need to be. If they are the same temperature as the surrounding air, but the tank is warmer there is still a risk. I doubt they made the change without cause, especially as it probably doesn't help fan life.

Doesn't really make sense to me, though your last point is a good one.

 

[jccaclimber]

Think of it like steam rising from a pot on the stove and condensing on the bottom of a microwave.
I do wonder about the mechanism sometimes though. My freshwater tanks have lids and operate in a dry room, but sheets of paper that I leave on top of them do look like they got wet over long (months) timeframes. Personally I'll bet salt creep from splashes is a greater concern.

 

[ps2cho]

My XR15w' G4 Pro's fan only turns on when its running at 100%, otherwise 60% or less, it barely comes on at all.

 

[ca1ore]

I just bought a 15 and noted that the fan wasn't running. Turns out that the 15 fan only comes on as needed versus the 30 which runs all the time. Curious.

 

[pecan2phat]

This is why I changed all my XR30s to XR15s, could not stand the fan noise at night!