Faned cooled florescent lighting

[Riche_guy]

I just got a new Coral Life 260 watt florescent lighting that comes with a fan unit. The fan is so annoying since it can be heard throughout the room. Is there any harm in disabling it??

Thanks.

[Graham]

There's obviously enough heat being generated that it would affect the unit and/or water temps if its turned off.

Those fans are usually a computer type fan and very quiet. If this is that loud then maybe the bearing are shot and it needs to be replaced

[Riche_guy]

There's obviously enough heat being generated that it would affect the unit and/or water temps if its turned off.

Those fans are usually a computer type fan and very quiet. If this is that loud then maybe the bearing are shot and it needs to be replaced

This is a brand new unit

[DiscusOnly]

I have the same light. The noise you are referring to is probably from the vibration of the case. If you squeeze the 2 sides clips of the fan and remove it from the housing, you will see that the fan can be unplug. UNPLUGGIN IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED as there is a lot of heat generated from the enclosed ballasts.

The stock fan is very small (thin) because it has to fit inside the light housing. You can upgrade the fan using a computer type. This will:

1. gives you a chance to move more air. I can feel the hot air blowing out of mine.
2. A quieter fan.

The fan I am using is a little bigger and thicker so it does not fit inside the light housing. I have it set on top and it actually eliminate the vibration.

You have a new light so you may not want to modify yours but it's a well worth 15 minutes modification if the fan noise bother you or you want a better air flow in the light housing.

[Riche_guy]

I have the same light. The noise you are referring to is probably from the vibration of the case. If you squeeze the 2 sides clips of the fan and remove it from the housing, you will see that the fan can be unplug. UNPLUGGIN IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED as there is a lot of heat generated from the enclosed ballasts.

The stock fan is very small (thin) because it has to fit inside the light housing. You can upgrade the fan using a computer type. This will:

1. gives you a chance to move more air. I can feel the hot air blowing out of mine.
2. A quieter fan.

The fan I am using is a little bigger and thicker so it does not fit inside the light housing. I have it set on top and it actually eliminate the vibration.

You have a new light so you may not want to modify yours but it's a well worth 15 minutes modification if the fan noise bother you or you want a better air flow in the light housing.

The noise is like a hum. It is the louded sound in the room before I turn on the TV or play music. But that hum can't be to good for you and it is loud for such a little fan. It is probably being amplified by the wooden canopy. I definately will look into this.

As a second note, this fixture is causing electrical noise as well. I cannot operate my X-10 ligthing or X-10 modules while the florescent light is on. I had this problem with my last fixture and I got an electrical filter that I plugged it into. Now this new fixture produces even more noise and the filter is not strong enough.

[DiscusOnly]

The hum is the vibration. Press the 2 side tab and remove the fan with your light off. Now turn on the light with the fan outside the light housing. The fan has very low noise.

BTW, for my light. The fan is on the left side and the right side is the air intake (no fan).

With the upgraded fan, my fan actually sit on top of the light. I currently have it tape to the light. I had plan to use some dryer vent to make a vent to shoot the hot air back to the top of the tank, just never got around to doing it.

[Riche_guy]

The hum is the vibration. Press the 2 side tab and remove the fan with your light off. Now turn on the light with the fan outside the light housing. The fan has very low noise.

BTW, for my light. The fan is on the left side and the right side is the air intake (no fan).

With the upgraded fan, my fan actually sit on top of the light. I currently have it tape to the light. I had plan to use some dryer vent to make a vent to shoot the hot air back to the top of the tank, just never got around to doing it.


I have the fixture sitting directly on the glass top. If I raise it, lets say with the end legs. Would the humming stop?

[DiscusOnly]

If may help a little but the vibration is on the light housing. I use the legs on my light and it vibrate even when it is sitting on a table.

[Riche_guy]

If may help a little but the vibration is on the light housing. I use the legs on my light and it vibrate even when it is sitting on a table.

So the change of fan helped get rid of the vibration?

[DiscusOnly]

So the change of fan helped get rid of the vibration?

Yes. No hum noise from the light but the fan stick up about 1 inch. I have a canopy over my tank so appearance doesn't matter.

[dan3949]

Replacing the stock fan with a higher quality one is a good option. Another suggestion that I have found to work every time (very easy if the fan is on a separate plug from the lights) is the use of a dimmer recepticle. You can use them to slow the fan down to achieve a noise level that is acceptable. You will still get perfectly good cooling even if the fan is only running at 50-70% of full speed. You can find dimmer receptacles at Lowes or Home Depot for about $8. Even very quiet/high quality fans can be noisy due to excessive air flow through vents or rattle/vibration in the light fixture. Slowing the fan down will solve all these potential problems.

I have multiple light fixtures that had unacceptably noisy fans. I electrically separated the fan from the light ballast, used a dimmer switch, and solved the noise problem. It is amazing how much quieter the fans are when operated at 70-80% of full speed.

[Riche_guy]

Thanks guys.

vlam another question since you have the same fixture as me, the fan is a plug type or do I have to cut wires. If it is a plug type do other computer fans support the same plug?

[DiscusOnly]

The fan has a 2 wire plug (I believe a replacement fan is about $25 and will come with the plug). I am sure if you look at an electronic catalog, you may find the right adapter but that's too much work for me so I spliced it. You can cut the wire or simply buy a wire tap-in like one of these:

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=wire%20tap&origkw=wire%20tap&sr=1