I am using this blower: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O8D0IC/ - it works great but is really loud. Is there such a thing as a quiet ventilation fan?
Is it that load? Can you post a video?
I use a Greenhouse fan (the kind they sell for folks growing pot) from one of the greenhouse supplies on ebay.
I went with the 6" model, and put it on the far end of my duct (well away from my laser) I use a speed control and tone it down for the laser, as it could suck in a workpiece (literally) on full power. Makes a great welding fume/sawdust evacuator too. Look to Grizzly.com for a full assortment of exhaust duct, fitting & tool connector. I’m using a 55gal drum as a “trap” so can use it as a shop vac too. Works great for pulling coolant mist off my milling machine. In the end, the $100 I spent on the blower and probably another $100 on plumbing was a good investment.
The safest way to do exhaust is to put the air mover on the discharge, that way the duct is under low pressure and leaks will not push noxious fumes into your living spaces. It also suppresses fires (which is a good reason to use aluminum ductwork, not plastic.
If you’re going with a dedicated laser exhaust one of the 4" blowers would do the job well on a speed control. Get the better one, not the ones that are basically a fan in a tube. The better ones use a blower wheel.
Those marine blowers are OK in a pinch but not a long term solution if you’re going to run the laser much.
I use a vortex s series fan. It’s and 8inch fan and the s actually stands for silent it sounds no louder than a house fan I have it mounted under my daughters crib in the basement and you can’t hear it and that thing sucks some air
I too bought 270CFM fan off ebay. very efficient at drawing smoke out but yes very loud.
can I buy a speed controller from ebay? if so what would I buy?
I am OK to solder it in but don’t know what to buy,
cheers
Need to know your electrical Specs. The type of motor is also important, some motor types won’t tolerate s speed control. If you can put up a link to the blower I’ll spec one for you.
@Scott_Marshall oh ok not as easy as I thought.
yes thanks it is this one
it is 12volt
I bought one of these to power it
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281043734565?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
This one ought to do you well. It may seem overkill at 15 amp rating for a 5 amp blower. but these Chinese devices are rated at the power they will handle for 5 seconds or less, if you want it to run at a safe temperature, you need to figure on about double the actual current you expect to use it for.
I searched ebay to find you the best deal, and it’s only $4 US. I’m not sure but I’d expect they ship to Australia.
I use these for speed controls on 90vdc motors on small machine tools and have decent luck, I also use them for the dimmer on my K40 lighting kits. (this is a better price than I usually pay)
Order quick to get the price, they show only a few left.
Good luck, Scott
@Scott_Marshall took a few weeks to get here but hey, cheap.
installed
perfect
so much better having control over the fan speed
thanks for this suggestion scott.
“Elicent” brand in-line fans are quiet and reliable.
i picked up this fan but wasn’t sure of how to go about providing power to it. can you help?