Radiator Fan ?

[VanLifeCrisis]

I was looking at the computer fans and they seemed ok.&nbsp; I talked it over with my bro and he made the suggestion of using radiator fans instead, as they move a lot of air.&nbsp; Well turns out he is right, the computer fans move like 100 cfm of air, while the radiator fans move 1500-2000 cfm.&nbsp;&nbsp; The bad part of course is they wont be as quiet (not a big deal, i like white noise) and they use a lot more power, like 80W <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> on the one i have seen.&nbsp; I wouldnt use it for constant ventalation but for cooling in hot weather.&nbsp; You think its doable on solar (290 watts in panels)? &nbsp; I don't know what kinda battery ill have yet...the cheapest deep cycle i can swing probably, but it will be running only when its hot/sunny out.&nbsp; The panels should be able to power it fine right?

 

[SoulRaven]

I have been thinking this also... drop the radiator fan for elec... it has to increase the MPG by just not turning that fan... Would be easy to mount, but the variable is the cooling efficiency... Now i run very cool, no probs... But at 10 mpg....

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Well i meant for interior ventilation, not the engine <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

2000 cfm as white noise?<br /><br />80 watts? &nbsp;<br /><br />Do you also heat your ramen noodles with a flame thrower? <br />&nbsp;Shower with a firehose?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&am...vptwo=&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;ref=pd_sl_58whq9zvvk_e">http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&am...vptwo=&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;ref=pd_sl_58whq9zvvk_e</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Cheap deep cycle batteries, are just Marine batteries which are just slightly more tolerant &nbsp;of deeper discharges than starting batteries. &nbsp;If you never draw them below 50% they can give a good life span, but cycle them deeply, and you will find they lose capacity quickly.<br /><br />For 280 watts of solar, get at least 200 amp hours of batteries.<br /><br /><br /><br />

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

The thing is, everything i read says ac isnt possible with solar, so im thinking a tornado is the next best thing to keep me cool <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />There is no way im paying a couple hundred bucks for a couple of those rv fans...

 

[Willy]

The thing is, everything i read says ac isnt possible with solar, so im thinking a tornado is the next best thing to keep me cool <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />There is no way im paying a couple hundred bucks for a couple of those rv fans...

<br /><br />&nbsp;Get an inverter and then run AC off 12v.. where you been reading all this?

 

[wrcsixeight]

Well,<br /><br />Look into transmission cooler fans, but these can still draw 100 watts. &nbsp;Perhaps you can put a speed control on one of those to slow it down to a tolerable level when you do not need 700+ cfm, which will be often. &nbsp;If you have to cut a hole in the roof, then you need a way to seal it too. &nbsp;Most vents/ hatches are in the hundred + range too. &nbsp;Hatch + speed control+ fan and you are looking at more than a fantastik fan, and then still have to make it all work together.<br /><br />Really. the minimal model fantastik fans are about the best forced &nbsp;roof ventilation when you factor in the speed control, hatch and air moved for amps consumed at a tolerable noise level.<br /><br />If you are thinking about not having a roof exhaust, well then I think you're nutz <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I would most certainly have gone the fantastic fan &nbsp;route if I did not already have the nearly worthless solar vent in my roof. The best factor of my vent is it is rain proof factor. &nbsp;No worries about a passing rainshower, and it does not allow the Van to build up tremendous amounts of heat. &nbsp;2000 cfm can't really counteract a van whose interior has absorbed 120 degrees of heat.<br /><br />I also keep the one &nbsp;roof computer fan on low, even on nights down into the low 50's, just to keep the air fresh inside.<br /><br />I think anything more than a 300 cfm fan exhausting a Normal size Van is overkill. &nbsp;If you need more circulation within, a small fan pointed on your person works wonders.<br /><br /><br />

 

[Guest]

DG, it sounds to me like you are trying to reinvent the wheel. There is a reason that the Fantastic vents cost a lot. It is because they work really well and are super quiet. <br /><br />It is kind of like a compressor driven freezer/reefer vs ice box or thermoelectric cooler....it is pretty much something that has been developed specifically and works really well vs something from the stone age.<br /><br />It is totally your call but if you actually spend a lot of time in the vehicle in hot and/or humid environments, the real deal is going to be so much superior, you will find you have spent your money well.<br /><br />If you have 290 watts of solar power, you owe it to yourself to get a good battery bank equal to the solar panels, a good controller and good vent fans. (I would commit evil acts for 290 watts of solar)<img src="/images/boards/smilies/sneaky.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />If you watch ebay for vent fans of good quality,,,fantastic or shurflo,,,,you can often find takeoffs from the industry at about half price or less. Just a few days ago, someone on here had one for sale for half price. They are available...maybe a salvage yard that has some RVs...<br /><br />My van is tiny and I use one of these:<br /><br />http://www.fantasticvent.com/products/endless_breeze/endless_breeze.html<br /><br />And it keeps the interior pretty cool...enough for winter southwestern camping. I have it in front of an opener window in the side of the van. It works so well that in the summer when it is 100 degrees out, I can take the dog with me to town and leave it on medium speed with the front windows down about 6" and a windshield reflector up and keep the van at a reasonable temp for her...keep in mind my van has a fiberglass top and is well insulated...<br /><br />bri

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Good advice from wrcsixeight and bk2valve. We spent most of the summer in Pittsburgh without air conditioning or electric hookups. We had some very hot days when we ran our fans continuously. We have one Fantastic Fan and a small 12 volt free standing fan. Neither use a lot of power so we were able to park in the shade during the hottest parts the day. We have about 180 watts of solar power and 4 six volt batteries - heavy duty golf cart ,not top of the line ,about $100.00 each. Fantastic fans really are great. They last forever and are pretty trouble free. Here's a place where you can get them cheaply -<a href="http://www.rvsurplus.net/catalog/search.php?keyword=fan&amp;search.x=17&amp;search.y=13"> http://www.rvsurplus.net/catalog/search.php?keyword=fan&amp;search.x=17&amp;search.y=13</a><span class="status_offline" title="Offline"><a href="/profile/1980243"><br /></a></span>

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I do plan to hit up the junk yard to see what goodies i can find.&nbsp; I want to grab a new slider too.&nbsp; While i'm there i could rip out one of these radiator fans, probably for 10 bucks.&nbsp; I might even already have one in the minivan i could use.&nbsp; If they have an rv there i will definitely loot it for what i can.<br /><br />I was planning on venting the roof, the radiator fan was an idea we were having for air in a side vent or window we are thinking of making, near my bed, as a means to cool me when its really hot out.&nbsp; Sorry if i wasn't clear on that.&nbsp; Let me just say, the guy helping me is amazingly handy, he can build just about anything.&nbsp; I kinda have to rein him in or my van would turn into optimus prime by the time hes done <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />.<br /><br />

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<span id="post_message_1275553341">Get an inverter and then run AC off 12v.. where you been reading all this?

<br /><br />Yeah but that would kill your batteries i think.&nbsp; I'm far from an expert but one of the first things i googled was how to get some A/C (not swamp cooler) if im running on solar.&nbsp;&nbsp; http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/sho...and-Air-Conditioner-possible-with-solar-power was one I read, but there were a couple other sites that expressed the same sorta conclusion as the guy in post 5 there.&nbsp; While it seems possible in a home, it is with much more solar than i could cram on a vehicle, and definitely cost prohibitive. &nbsp;&nbsp; If im wrong that would be awesome though, because id love to run an actual A/C in there <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />

</span><br /><span id="post_message_1275553341"><span id="post_message_1275555048">If you have 290 watts of solar power, you owe it to yourself to get a good battery bank equal to the solar panels, a good controller and good vent fans. (I would commit evil acts for 290 watts of solar)

<br /><br />Yeah i hear you.&nbsp; Im starting to come to the conclusion I'll just have to save up and bite the bullet on the batteries.&nbsp; I was thinking of getting a couple of those 6v trojans that bob recommends, not sure if its quite 200 ah hours on those though (i know they were over 100).&nbsp; <br /></span><br />Thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it.&nbsp; Im just trying to plan out as much as I can before I start conversion in a couple months (paid off van in about 4 weeks).&nbsp; Obviously doing this as cheap as possible while maintaining a comfy standard of living is the goal, which is tricky because im not free to move with the weather (id love to be somewhere less humid so i can use evaporative technologies). &nbsp; Ill check the link above <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /></span>

 

[wrcsixeight]

Yeah, running even the smallest AC unit is not viable on batteries for very long. &nbsp;Even if the engine were running, 95% of all alternators could not keep up with such a huge electrical demand.<br /><br />If you do manage to get a radiator fan, in a roof hatch, a single open window by your bed will have a huge amount of air filling the void. &nbsp;That is what is great about the F fan, the shroud which does not allow air past it.<br /><br />Even with my inline 120 mm fans exhausting air on my ceiling, and the sliding window by my bed being the only open window, has a good amount of air entering at that point to fill the partial vaccuum. &nbsp; And my Door seals are hardly perfectly sealed. &nbsp; I &nbsp;have 3 more 120 mm fans at that window and rarely have all the fans on at high speed. <br /><br />Keep us updated on your progress&nbsp;

 

[josephusminimus]

All other issues aside, radiator fans are designed to be run with the axis of the fan horizontal.&nbsp; Facing the fan upward will side-load bearings and might well reduce the life of the whole shebang enough so's other issues aren't a problem for long.

 

[Guest]

<span id="post_message_1275559192"><br />Yeah i hear you.&nbsp; Im starting to come to the conclusion I'll just have to save up and bite the bullet on the batteries.&nbsp; I was thinking of getting a couple of those 6v trojans that bob recommends, not sure if its quite 200 ah hours on those though (i know they were over 100).&nbsp; </span>

<br /><br />DG, if you watch the CL listings in your area you may even find used Trojan batteries...I did. I found two 6v T-105 batteries for $150 for the pair and they were a year old with almost zero use. <br /><br />They are classed as 225AH ea. and when you tie them in to the circuit ...first the two in series to make 12v and then in parallel to draw from, you basically get 100AH to draw. I think that's right, my math sux and electrical theory is about 8th grade level...sorry....<br />Bri

 

[wrcsixeight]

Remember with 6 volt batteries in series you do not double the amp hours with 2 batteries like you do with 12 volt batteries.<br /><br />2 trojan t 105's in series = 225 a/h<br />2 group 27 12 volts in parallel = ~ 230 a/h<br /><br />t 105's are the real deal deep cycle batteries. &nbsp;Few 12 volt batteries are.<br /><br />Almost any golf cart battery will outlast any 12 volt battery in the same useage. &nbsp;They have more room under the plates for plate sheddings before shorting out the cells.<br /><br />While it is best not to use more than 50% of the capacity, with golf cart batteries you can go down to 20% where as marine batteries, avoiding going under 50% is wise. &nbsp;Starting batteries, going under 80% is unwise.<br /><br />Always recharge promptly, and every week try to get a true 100% full charge for best battery performance and longevity<br /><br />The horizontal mounted radiator fan's bearings not designed for that orientation is an excellent point. &nbsp;It would start making even more noise and draw more amps at some point.<br /><br /><br />

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

.<br /><br />I don't know if its just because we are so rural, but CL is a ghost town around here&nbsp;&nbsp; I check it ever so often but usually nothing juicy is in there, I kind of envy other areas when i read the classifieds section here some times.<br /><br /><br />Interesting part about positioning the fans, though i was thinking a sideways mount anyway, that is a good point.&nbsp; What im actually thinking about doing is something similar to what wrxsixeight has with his 3 fans, right near my bed, but with just one fan (moving a ton of air over me).<br /><br />I made a post in the battery section about it, but yea, there isn't even a trojan dealer withing 150 miles of me <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[wrcsixeight]

I find my 3 computer fans blowing right on me by my bed, even on the hottest days, is usually too much, and block their flow so it does not hit me do directly, yet still pushes cooler air into the Van. &nbsp;I should also state that I am not tall and skinny. &nbsp;I got a Stocky build with some extra insulation, and do not handle &nbsp;excessive heat very well.<br /><br />The important thing is to exchange the interior air for exterior air, not to just move around the interior air. &nbsp;I have a fan for that too, but so far I have not needed all my &nbsp;computer fans(110 cfm each) at high speed all at once, even in 95f temps and low 80's humidity. &nbsp;80%+ humidity is another realm though.<br /><br />Well insulated walls and roof on your dark Van will be just as important as exchanging airflow for hot temp comfort.<br /><br />Some fans have hotspots of airflow in a &nbsp;wide cone pattern. &nbsp;Others are designed to move a dense, narrow column of air. &nbsp;The latter is better for aiming at one's body.<br /><br />The fans with directional vanes on the face are those which have the nice columns of air.<br /><br />I'm going to get one of these next summer.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=344&amp;area=en">http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=344&amp;area=en</a><br /><br />Check out this beast: &nbsp;252 cfm:<br /><a href="http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...Bare_Lead_PFB1212UHE-F00.html?tl=g36c435s1109">http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...Bare_Lead_PFB1212UHE-F00.html?tl=g36c435s1109<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></a>

 

[highdesertranger]

ok not talking sh^^ or trying to make enemies here but why are you guys fretting over fans or ac.&nbsp; get out of your vehicle, &nbsp;sleep outside at night&nbsp;and stay out of it in daylight hours.&nbsp; when your driving roll down your windows.&nbsp; if its still to hot, &nbsp;use a mister or spray bottle.&nbsp; if you just want to replace the air in your ride use the roof top vents or computer fans.&nbsp; btw you can not run ac for very long with an inverter unless you have a huge solar array and allot of batteries.&nbsp; there is nothing cheap or green about ac.&nbsp; jmo.&nbsp; &nbsp;highdesertranger

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

highdesertranger, that is a good idea for some folks, sorry i didn't mention it here (but have in other threads) that i work nights, and i am also unable to relocate for the same reason.&nbsp;&nbsp; Once i get out on the road full time I will definitely sleep at night and get out in the day <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" /><br /><br /><br />Those silverstone really sip the power...hardly uses any at all even at 2000rpm

 

[highdesertranger]

sorry dazargaidin my bad.&nbsp; i do kind of go over board on some issues.&nbsp; ac is one.&nbsp; if i were to sleep during the day in a hot climate i would want ac too.&nbsp; highdesrtranger

 

[josephusminimus]

<p>Highdesert:&nbsp; Most of the folks posting here aren't living in the boondocks and they're at lower altitudes with high humidity on hot pavement where sleeping outdoors often isn't an option.<br /><br />But otherwise you've made a valid observation.</p>