Fish Room Exhaust Fan

revhtree · Mar 28, 2017

I knew I would need to add in an exhaust fan or dehumidifier to the fish room. I decided at the time to just wait because we had so much going on. To install either one on the room will be super easy since it's open above the top and the back wall is the outside wall. Not to mention the power panel is right there as well.

So that being said I am looking for an exhaust fan to add to the ceiling of the tank room and then run to the outside wall.

I also want to be able to have auto controls that will turn it on or off depending on the room temp, etc..

Any ideas or suggestions?

aquaman30k · Mar 28, 2017

I would think any bathroom exhaust fan would be made for humidity and there is a temp and humidity single gang switch that will control that fan automatically.

revhtree · Mar 28, 2017

aquaman30k said:
I would think any bathroom exhaust fan would be made for humidity and there is a temp and humidity single gang switch that will control that fan automatically.

Honestly I was thinking about something a bit bigger. When I shut the fish room doors it turns into a sauna! Thank goodness I can leave them open for now because it opens up to a work area in the basement garage. But that area houses two aid handlers and a lot of duct work, etc. so I want to get those doors closed asap to keep any rusting issues at bay.

aquaman30k · Mar 28, 2017

http://www.rewci.com/panasonic-fv-wccs1w-humidity-sensor.html

aquaman30k · Mar 28, 2017

revhtree said:
Honestly I was thinking about something a bit bigger. When I shut the fish room doors it turns into a sauna! Thank goodness I can leave them open for now because it opens up to a work area in the basement garage. But that area houses two aid handlers and a lot of duct work, etc. so I want to get those doors closed asap to keep any rusting issues at bay.

They make commercial bathroom exhaust fans. They are about twice the size of a residential.

revhtree · Mar 28, 2017

aquaman30k said:
http://www.rewci.com/panasonic-fv-wccs1w-humidity-sensor.html

Nice! May look for something like this that will control off/on based on the exact humidity or temp.

sc50964 · Mar 28, 2017

When I lived in Asia one decade ago, nearly every household had a portable dehumidifier and they worked great. As to the exhaust fan, I almost wonder how effective they are. I assume you don't have a window in the fish room. Right?

revhtree · Mar 28, 2017

sc50964 said:
When I lived in Asia one decade ago, nearly every household had a portable dehumidifier and they worked great. As to the exhaust fan, I almost wonder how effective they are. I assume you don't have a window in the fish room. Right?

No and the exhaust fan could also help with PH levels.

ithk21620 · Mar 28, 2017

You would be best to install a room air exchanger than just an exhaust fan. Something like this:

https://www.acwholesalers.com/Fante...tJvqrICIjNR25-lWjkMrQL4OsIbgG1pjzoaAoTH8P8HAQ

I have a bathroom exhaust fan that is about 250CFM and it works well at removing the humidity but I wish I would have installed something like above to bring fresh air into my fish room.

ithk21620 · Mar 28, 2017

revhtree said:
No and the exhaust fan could also help with PH levels.

The room air exchanger would definitely help with PH

revhtree · Mar 28, 2017

Nice suggestion! Do you see any rust issues popping up?

ithk21620 said:
You would be best to install a room air exchanger than just an exhaust fan. Something like this:

https://www.acwholesalers.com/Fante...tJvqrICIjNR25-lWjkMrQL4OsIbgG1pjzoaAoTH8P8HAQ

I have a bathroom exhaust fan that is about 250CFM and it works well at removing the humidity but I wish I would have installed something like above to bring fresh air into my fish room.

ithk21620 · Mar 28, 2017

revhtree said:
Nice suggestion! Do you see any rust issues popping up?

I use to have a bunch of rust issues in my basement before I installed walls around my sump and made a fish room. I have had a few issues since I built the room but very little compared to what I did have. The exhaust fan pulls out most of the humidity but some does escape. I am working on installing a ceiling in the fish room now so the moisture can not escape between the floor joists and that should take care of the issues I am still seeing but since your fish room is completely drywall I think it should work good.

I know if my existing fan ever fails I will be buying a room exchanger instead of just replacing the fan. With the room completely sealed off you need to draw some fresh air into the room ideally and the air exchanger would accomplish this.

Rick.45cal · Mar 28, 2017

It would be interesting to find an CO2 monitor and integrate it into the system so that not only would high humidity trip the sensor but an atomospheric CO2 sensor could tell it to kick on when CO2 levels began to rise. That would be a seriously happy tank.

You might be able to simplify the whole thing and write some code for your apex to turn a blower on or off based on your tank pH. I bet the daily swings would be all that would be required to vent enough humidity.

aquaman30k · Mar 28, 2017

Rick.45cal said:
It would be interesting to find an CO2 monitor and integrate it into the system so that not only would high humidity trip the sensor but an atomospheric CO2 sensor could tell it to kick on when CO2 levels began to rise. That would be a seriously happy tank.

You might be able to simplify the whole thing and write some code for your apex to turn a blower on or off based on your tank pH. I bet the daily swings would be all that would be required to vent enough humidity.

Something like this?

http://downloads.epluse.com/fileadmin/data/report/en/Controlled_ventilation.pdf

You'd have to use an external power supply, like the one built into the energy bar 832 or an alarm wall transformer. Also the relay output of the sensor is light duty so an ice cube relay would be needed to handle the heavier load of the exhaust fan/ventilator.

Don Lidtke · Mar 29, 2017

I had my HVAC guy install an 8" duct that's connected to the outside of my house for a 14k BTU portable room air conditioner/ dehumidifier that will be in my fish room. I hope that will handle any humidity and heat issues.

Joe Grubbs · Mar 29, 2017

In the original build of my equipment space, I used a residential bathroom vent fan. After 8 months it was so rusted the motor 'froze' up and quit. I replaced this with a 6" fan designed for use in green houses, and it has run with out any issue for 6 years and counting. Yes, the cost was about 3x that of the bathroom fan.

revhtree · Mar 29, 2017

Don Lidtke said:
I had my HVAC guy install an 8" duct that's connected to the outside of my house for a 14k BTU portable room air conditioner/ dehumidifier that will be in my fish room. I hope that will handle any humidity and heat issues.

Joe Grubbs said:
In the original build of my equipment space, I used a residential bathroom vent fan. After 8 months it was so rusted the motor 'froze' up and quit. I replaced this with a 6" fan designed for use in green houses, and it has run with out any issue for 6 years and counting. Yes, the cost was about 3x that of the bathroom fan.

Can you both provide the make and model of what you're using?

BlueCursor · Mar 29, 2017

I would never put a dehumidifier in unless the room is huge. They generate a lot of heat. Put your money into an HRV if you can exchange the air; otherwise, exhaust fan.

Ortho281 · Mar 29, 2017

You will need a commercial exhaust fan rated at 300 cfm or larger. The bigger the better but also the more noise. Mine is rated at 150 cfm and makes a decent amount of noise but is under the canopy.