Advice Needed On Replacing Fans On Light - Need To Find What Rating etc

sare^baw's · 27 Dec 2017 at 21:28

Hey guys

I recently bought a second hand marine tank and a load of aquarium gear, i have it all running but the noise from the fans on the light unit are doing my head in. They are £16 each to buy replacements, i dont want to do this because they might end up being just as loud, the 2 fans together are overpowering in the living room, there is a constant whooshing noise. There is no model name on the fan or spec. What test can i do to find out what rating the fan is ie voltage and anything else, so that i can buy quiet pc fans that i know will run quietly.

Any advice on this, also the fans are too close to the unit and not much air is moving, im thinking of mounting the fans higher to increase air flow too.

The light unit see link

http://www.swelluk.com/tmc-v2-ilume...MI-Ia424-r2AIVYTPTCh2cqAgDEAkYAiABEgKXJfD_BwE

pic of the fan

no fan

with fan on, it may not seem so bad in the video but it fills the living room, its the loudest thing on my setup.

GeX · 28 Dec 2017 at 07:27

To test the voltage, get a multimeter on it. I'd also check with the supplier that it's meant to run the fans like all that time. I'd expect some kind of fan control, perhaps that is broken and is causing the fans to run on full power?

If you do buy new fans, you need to make sure that they're going to shift the same amount of air as the fans already in there.

Tealc · 28 Dec 2017 at 09:37

If the voltage is always at 12v then they are running at maximum speed. If the voltage is less than 12v then they are likely controlled to some fashion.

Removing the awful fan grille may help. Those sharp edges would create a whistling sound as air is drawn in through it. Looking at the system it is poorly designed for airflow, almost as if they put it on there as an afterthought when the system started melting itself.

As you mention it may be worth backing the fans away a bit to increase their effect. Possibly mount them on the outside.

sare^baw's · 29 Dec 2017 at 18:09

Tealc said:
If the voltage is always at 12v then they are running at maximum speed. If the voltage is less than 12v then they are likely controlled to some fashion.

Removing the awful fan grille may help. Those sharp edges would create a whistling sound as air is drawn in through it. Looking at the system it is poorly designed for airflow, almost as if they put it on there as an afterthought when the system started melting itself.

As you mention it may be worth backing the fans away a bit to increase their effect. Possibly mount them on the outside.

Thanks for your reply. I will try and read the voltage when the fans are running. I agree they do seem to be an afterthought and no real airflow is produced. I can try and get some nicer fans with grills and mount them on the top of the fan covers, they are about 20mm from the surface.

GeX said:
To test the voltage, get a multimeter on it. I'd also check with the supplier that it's meant to run the fans like all that time. I'd expect some kind of fan control, perhaps that is broken and is causing the fans to run on full power?

If you do buy new fans, you need to make sure that they're going to shift the same amount of air as the fans already in there.

I have an old dial needle multi-meter, ill test the live wire once the fans turn on. Is the voltage all that i need to consider here? Maybe bigger fans would work better and move more air if mounted away from the surface.

I got a reply from the manufacturer. I just got a basic reply saying they fans might make a noise if they are not cleaned and also the salt water can get into the bearings, lube the bearings and clean the fans and see if that helps she said. As i thought she suggested buying their fans but i dont think that is a good idea at £16 a fan. The noise is more the air whooshing noise rather than a noisy bearing.

sare^baw's · 1 Jan 2018 at 14:09

sorry for the delay guys, i tested the black and red terminals when the fan is being powered to run, i seem to be getting 55v. Im not that clever when it comes to using these meters, did i do it the right way, i set it to 250 dcv and when i checked the contacts it reads 55v. What does this suggest?

[/url]

GeX · 2 Jan 2018 at 15:47

set it to 50v, you are expecting 12v.

Steeps · 2 Jan 2018 at 16:21

Could there be a fault with the thermal cut-off? Reading some reviews the fans are not always on and only power up under heavy use.

samcat · 2 Jan 2018 at 16:41

GeX said:
set it to 50v, you are expecting 12v.

In a surprising amount of kit 50v fans are used.. So its quite possible that its using a 50v fan.

Although in a damp environment I would be surprised, lower voltage is generally safer.

GeX · 2 Jan 2018 at 17:49

From reading http://ultramarinemagazine.co.uk/reviews/tmc-v2-ilumenair-900-great-par-at-a-great-price/ which does look to be for an older version without WiFi, it suggests the PSU is 24V. I'd expect the fans to be 12V or 24V in this case.

Also worth noting;

[qute]The iLumenAir is in effect a large heat sink. Sitting on top are two fans which blow air onto the unit’s chassis to provide cooling where it is most needed, in this case, on top of the two multi-chip ‘white’ LED arrays. I could hear a little noise from the fans, but they weren’t troublesome and of course will not activate continuously, assuming you set the unit in anything other than purely daylight mode. According to the instructions, the fans will activate at around 38 degrees centigrade, you may find you can amend your program to stay under this threshold.[/quote]

If the fans are on all the time.. it does sound faulty as Steeps suggests.

sare^baw's · 3 Jan 2018 at 01:51

GeX said:
set it to 50v, you are expecting 12v.

Thanks for your reply. I did this and it went off the scale, i set it back to 250v and it reads the same.

Steeps said:
Could there be a fault with the thermal cut-off? Reading some reviews the fans are not always on and only power up under heavy use.

Thanks for your reply. Im not sure about the thermal cut off. I think i have been misunderstood, my fans come on for a long time but they are not on all the time, at a guess 50% of the time when in daylight mode. Its interesting what GeX says below and he quotes the review, it may help not having daylight mode turned up full, this is something i can experiment with.

samcat said:
In a surprising amount of kit 50v fans are used.. So its quite possible that its using a 50v fan.

Although in a damp environment I would be surprised, lower voltage is generally safer.

Are 50v fans hard to find, what kind of places sell them? Having tested it again it does seem to be 50v. You would expect a lower voltage of fan especially when it is above a fish tank.

GeX said:
From reading http://ultramarinemagazine.co.uk/reviews/tmc-v2-ilumenair-900-great-par-at-a-great-price/ which does look to be for an older version without WiFi, it suggests the PSU is 24V. I'd expect the fans to be 12V or 24V in this case.

Also worth noting;

[qute]The iLumenAir is in effect a large heat sink. Sitting on top are two fans which blow air onto the unit’s chassis to provide cooling where it is most needed, in this case, on top of the two multi-chip ‘white’ LED arrays. I could hear a little noise from the fans, but they weren’t troublesome and of course will not activate continuously, assuming you set the unit in anything other than purely daylight mode. According to the instructions, the fans will activate at around 38 degrees centigrade, you may find you can amend your program to stay under this threshold.

If the fans are on all the time.. it does sound faulty as Steeps suggests.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your reply. I had not seen that review and so it was an interesting read.Maybe the fans are have been used a lot when used by the previous owner and they could do with being replaced, they do get a bit quieter when you raise them a little but they are still a little loud. Its very interesting regarding reducing the daylight settings of the daylight mode, well worth experimenting with. They are not on full but the daylight mode is very bright so it could be well worth experimenting with the settings and level of light. Im a bit of a novice when it comes to lighting for marine fish and corals and so i will need to make sure everything gets sufficient light to thrive in my tank. So as the fans seem to be 50v for sure, it looks like that is what i need to find.

samcat · 3 Jan 2018 at 08:22

sare^baw's said:
Are 50v fans hard to find, what kind of places sell them? Having tested it again it does seem to be 50v. You would expect a lower voltage of fan especially when it is above a fish tank.

They are nominally 48v fans, which should make your search a bit easier. Mouser, RS electronics etc sell them, when you search lots will turn up.
It would be useful to understand the exact spec of the fan thats already there.. Might be worth talking to the manufacturer and gauging the spec so you dont replace it with something inappropriate (CFM, static pressure). You can figure out the size (measure one side)

sare^baw's · 4 Jan 2018 at 12:32

samcat said:
They are nominally 48v fans, which should make your search a bit easier. Mouser, RS electronics etc sell them, when you search lots will turn up.
It would be useful to understand the exact spec of the fan thats already there.. Might be worth talking to the manufacturer and gauging the spec so you dont replace it with something inappropriate (CFM, static pressure). You can figure out the size (measure one side)

Many thanks for your reply. I looked on Mouser, you can get 48v - 80mm fans for about £11. As you say i need to find the specs of the fan and so i have sent an email back to the manufacturer, lets hope she can tell me the static pressure and cfm. I have turned daylight levels to where they are only reaching 34 degrees C. The fans come on at 38 degrees, they go off when it cools to 34 degrees. Ill report back once i get a reply to my email.

Edit - I got a quick reply to my email and she cant find any information on the fan specs

Luke Ford · 28 Nov 2019 at 20:26

Hi all, I have an issue with my TMC V2 900 ilumiar fans, they will not come on at all, everything else is working as it should. I know the fans work as when I put a power feed directly to them they work. Has anyone got any wiring diagrams or any hints on where to look either in the power supply or light unit itself?

NoobCannon · 30 Nov 2019 at 19:38

Luke Ford said:
Hi all, I have an issue with my TMC V2 900 ilumiar fans, they will not come on at all, everything else is working as it should. I know the fans work as when I put a power feed directly to them they work. Has anyone got any wiring diagrams or any hints on where to look either in the power supply or light unit itself?

Email tmc, they may be of some help

rjtaylor · 28 May 2020 at 17:28

Funny I am googling this issue and I end up on OC from my computer building days!!

bringing this old thread back to life.
One of the fans on my unit is not working. Both fans are functioning as when I swap them around both work. So it’s a deeper issue... Can I run a fan as slave to another one so both are powered together? Looks like easiest option.
Anyone point me in the right direction of the required cable to split the Power lead? Many thanks