Replacing fan on light MH fixture

[Anonymous]

Okay, after everyone I spoke to told me that I could replace the jet-airplane turbine fan on my Custom Sealife light fixture with a quiet computer fan, I thought I'd try it. Bought a fan, took out the old fan. See attached. Problem is, there are too many of the wrong color wires and they're not the same size, so I'm stumped. Help me. Thank you for your time. Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

The green with the loop is the ground.
You've got 3 wires that need to match 3 wires - not too bad.

Here's what I'd do (start with everything unplugged, of course): Match the black to black, and white to white. Then I'd attach the red to green.

I'd plug the fixture into a GFCI equipped circuit, then turn on the juice. If the GFCI pops, then I'd know it's wired wrong.

Unplug everything. Time to rewire.

I'd then run black on the fan to green, and run red on the fan to black on the fixture.

 

[Anonymous]

First step is I'd make sure the lamp fan isn't an AC powered fan, because most all computer fans are DC powered. If it's AC you're SOL (it'll burn the fan out) unless you have a separate power supply (wall wart) for the fan.

If you're sure it's DC though what I would do is first find out how much voltage the old fan was drawing, in a computer the power is regulated such that it delievers a voltage apt for a smaller fan, in your setup it might have much more voltage for that fan. If that's the case then it'll rev your new "quiet" fan up to such a level it'll probably also be loud.

All that being said, if all is good, I'd simply strip the 3 wires, use a 9v battery and hook up one wire to positive one to negative. If it spins you're in business those are the two wires, if not try another pair. Once you figured that all out simply make sure the fan is spinning the right direction (ie air blows out the the side with the sticker), if it doesn't switch the wires around

So as long as the first two things don't happen you should be good to go

 

[Anonymous]

The green with the loop is the ground.
You've got 3 wires that need to match 3 wires - not too bad.

Here's what I'd do (start with everything unplugged, of course): Match the black to black, and white to white. Then I'd attach the red to green.

I'd plug the fixture into a GFCI equipped circuit, then turn on the juice. If the GFCI pops, then I'd know it's wired wrong.

Unplug everything. Time to rewire.

I'd then run black on the fan to green, and run red on the fan to black on the fixture.

It tripped the GFCI both combinations. Now what should I try?

 

[Anonymous]

Better look at stfu's post. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

First step is I'd make sure the lamp fan isn't an AC powered fan, because most all computer fans are DC powered. If it's AC you're SOL (it'll burn the fan out) unless you have a separate power supply (wall wart) for the fan.

If you're sure it's DC though what I would do is first find out how much voltage the old fan was drawing, in a computer the power is regulated such that it delievers a voltage apt for a smaller fan, in your setup it might have much more voltage for that fan. If that's the case then it'll rev your new "quiet" fan up to such a level it'll probably also be loud.

All that being said, if all is good, I'd simply strip the 3 wires, use a 9v battery and hook up one wire to positive one to negative. If it spins you're in business those are the two wires, if not try another pair. Once you figured that all out simply make sure the fan is spinning the right direction (ie air blows out the the side with the sticker), if it doesn't switch the wires around

So as long as the first two things don't happen you should be good to go

Looks like a trip to Radio Shack for a power supply. Always one more trip, dagnabbit.

 

[Anonymous]

First step is I'd make sure the lamp fan isn't an AC powered fan, because most all computer fans are DC powered. If it's AC you're SOL (it'll burn the fan out) unless you have a separate power supply (wall wart) for the fan.

If you're sure it's DC though what I would do is first find out how much voltage the old fan was drawing, in a computer the power is regulated such that it delievers a voltage apt for a smaller fan, in your setup it might have much more voltage for that fan. If that's the case then it'll rev your new "quiet" fan up to such a level it'll probably also be loud.

All that being said, if all is good, I'd simply strip the 3 wires, use a 9v battery and hook up one wire to positive one to negative. If it spins you're in business those are the two wires, if not try another pair. Once you figured that all out simply make sure the fan is spinning the right direction (ie air blows out the the side with the sticker), if it doesn't switch the wires around

So as long as the first two things don't happen you should be good to go

Looks like a trip to Radio Shack for a power supply. Always one more trip, dagnabbit.

Yep, take the fan with you. It will save you another trip as they are going to want to know what the fan draws.

This means of course that you are going to have trouble using the switch on the light to control the fan. It used to come on with the light right? So you are going to have to have another outlet to plug the fan into.

The very best solution would of been to find out what the old fan was, AC or DC and (no alas, you can't check that by looking to see if its wearing any Jewelery) and get a matching fan.

have fun, its actually too late at night for me to think coherently, I was just thirsty.

 

[Anonymous]

The problem is that it's a 12V DC computer fan trying to replace a 115V DC lighting fan. Taste-testing beer and rewiring a lighting fixture don't mix, friends.

 

[Anonymous]

The problem is that it's a 12V DC computer fan trying to replace a 115V DC lighting fan. Taste-testing beer and rewiring a lighting fixture don't mix, friends.

That's correct.

Can you take the computer fan back and get a different one? or are you going to put another powersupply in for that fan?

 

[Anonymous]

If you do end up getting a transformer and wiring it in, remember to cap the old wires. You don't really want 110v just hanging out.

B

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, you guys can really make a mess. That green wire should be a give away!

So did you toast your DC fan? I feel you better off getting a fan to work on the DC with a power supply like sfsu suggested. You don't want to play with 110VAC next time.

Oh, BTW, nice hand, Clare. No green nail polish?

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, you guys can really make a mess. That green wire should be a give away!

So did you toast your DC fan? I feel you better off getting a fan to work on the DC with a power supply like sfsu suggested. You don't want to play with 110VAC next time.

Oh, BTW, nice hand, Clare. No green nail polish?

My little plumpy hand. No, no nail polish for a bit, have too much aquascaping and tank stuff to do. And even when I wear gloves (and I do), my hands still end up getting soggy.

I'm removing the old wiring, putting in the 12V fan with its own power supply. If it burns out too quickly, I'll get another 115V, but the thing's too darn loud, bro, couldn't deal with it.

 

[Anonymous]

can you get to the switch and take it out? If so you could go to radioshack and get a double-pole switch. One side can do the 110, the other side can do the DC.

If you're plugging the thing into a timer I wouldn't worry about the extra work.

B

 

[Anonymous]

can you get to the switch and take it out? If so you could go to radioshack and get a double-pole switch. One side can do the 110, the other side can do the DC.

If you're plugging the thing into a timer I wouldn't worry about the extra work.

B

Goes into a timer, with the 2 MH 5500K 175-watts, which makes it soooo yellow, even with the actinics on. But the macro and seagrass will love it.

BTW, if anyone has a spare 175-watt MH ballast, mine's shot for only one of the sockets. I could paypal ya.

 

[Anonymous]

>... mine's shot for only one of the sockets. I

What's wrong with it? Bad ballast, or bad socket?

 

[Anonymous]

Ballast. When I switch the cords from the sockets, each works fine. It's the ballast, I'm pretty sure.