Best Grow Room Circulation Fans of 2024

When you're a novice grower, you always want to avoid using fans.

I felt the same way. I believed I could just use a fan I already owned and put it in my grow tent.

And it can work, too. In most cases, however, this is not enough to satisfy.

Even the tiniest plants require an oscillating and an inline fan to keep them cool. At the very least.

Fortunately, even the best grow tent fans aren't too pricey. All you need to know is which models are the most cost-effective.

To put it simply, and more crucially, which ones to avoid at all costs (hint: most of them).

A short look at some of the best inline and oscillating fan models available will get us started.

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A better understanding of the importance of a grow tent fan, as well as how hard yours will need to work based on the size of your tent and accessories you utilize, is now available. A 6 inch duct fan should be sufficient for the majority of grow tent setups. However, there are a few more things to think about before you start buying...

Speed Settings

The better off you'll be if you have greater power over your growing environment. You can either obtain a fan with changing speed settings, or (in the case of most inline fans) you can buy them individually. You'll be able to play around with different combinations of fan speed, humidity, and temperature this way.

You also need to consider how easy it will be for you to access the fan's controls from where it is situated. Remote control options are available for several oscillating fan types.

Head Adjustment And Movement Of Clip-on Fans

To get the most out of your growing space, you'll want to be able to fine-tune the oscillation of your fan. As before, the more control you have, the better off you'll be overall. Most fans move in a left-to-right motion, but more modern ones can move in a figure-8 pattern for even better air circulation.

In addition, the head of your fan should be able to be tilted and adjusted so that your plants' stems get a decent daily exercise.

Safety Features

Your plants require a stable growing environment, and a grow tent may provide that. However, it must also be secure for you, your plants, and anybody else who uses the space.

There are ETL and CETL-approved fans available. As a result, it has a more secure design and a better build quality.

Budget

A grow tent fan for a marijuana garden might cost anywhere from $20 to $200.

Clearly, there is a huge pricing disparity. There are a variety of grow tent fans on the market. As a rule of thumb, inline fans are more expensive than clip-on models. Oscillating fans, on the other hand, might cost as much or more than heavy-duty inline fans.

Circulating Power

In order to properly ventilate or circulate the air in your grow tent, it is necessary to have a working knowledge of the CFM unit.

Cubic feet per minute is the abbreviation for CFM. For cannabis growers, the CFM unit is the de facto standard since it reflects the volume of air that must be exchanged or cycled every minute.

A few calculations are needed to get the CFM rating for inline fans that bring new air into the room and expel hot air.

Measure your grow tent by its length x width x height.

Once you've finished, you'll know how many CFM you need to start with. For this reason, inline fans often have higher CFM requirements since they are used in conjunction with ducting, carbon filtering, and other parts of the growing process.

You should multiply your base CFM by 3 to acquire an estimate approximation of your optimal CFM coverage. You should have at least 210 CFM in a 4x4 grow tent to ensure enough air exchange.

Air Circulation or Overall Air Ventilation

Another thing to think about is whether or not you require air movement or total ventilation.

An oscillating fan, fixed fan, or clip-on fan is used to circulate the air. Mold and stagnant air can be avoided with the use of any of these products.

As an alternative, air ventilation is a system that circulates fresh air and expels the stale air. The inline fan and axial booster fan are the two most important components of an efficient ventilation system.

Connected ducting, carbon filters, lighting systems, and other pieces of equipment allow the axial booster fan as well as the inline fan to function in a seamless and efficient manner.

Once you know what you want to use a grow tent fan for, the decision-making process is much simpler.

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How many fans does your grow tent need?

For medium-sized tents, such as the 4x4, two fans are appropriate. It's possible to run a clip fan on top of the canopy and a medium-sized floor fan beneath it at once. All four plants in a 44 grow tent can hear this subtle rustle..

Adding a second clip fan to the canopy on the other side of a 5x5-foot tent or larger improves coverage. One floor fan can be used in the area below.

If you're using a tent or closet to house mother plants, a single tiny fan will do the task perfectly. With a 3x3 grow tent or smaller, a single fan could suffice, but two on low speeds is preferable.

How much air circulation do marijuana plants need?

Your plants need to be rustling all the time, which is why you want the fans pointing towards them. Marijuana plants need their CO2 refilled at least every five minutes if they are to grow properly. A soft rustling is the finest option. However, it may be difficult to achieve regular circulation based on your set-up.

Keep the circulation of air to a minimum. It is possible that the plants farthest from the fan will benefit from a strong wind flow, but the plants directly in front of the fan may be affected by wind burn.

Other factors such as light intensity may also affect the amount of airflow your marijuana plants require. A tent with 1000-watt air-cooled lights will still require you to monitor the temperature and ensure that the light is kept far enough away from your plants to not harm them.

Once your grow tent fan configuration is complete, perform the hand test to confirm your results. Your plants will feel the same way you will if you place your hand under the light and it becomes uncomfortable.

Your plants' crowns might get cooler by increasing air circulation above the canopy. The additional growth during the blooming stretch may raise your plant's tips into the burn zone if you have them too close to hot lights, so be careful to account for this when causing flowering.

What Kind Of Duct Do You Need?

Your inline fans will likely necessitate the installation of ductwork as well.

When using an inline fan system, we've found that flexible aluminum ducting works exceptionally well. It's simple to set up and cost-effective.

If you have a larger tent, you may want to consider using aluminum or a heavier-duty conduit.

Recall that shorter ducts with fewer bends reduce airflow as much as longer ducts with more bends.

How Do You Manage Fan Noise?

Noise is to be expected when using a high-powered fan to air your grow tent. However, there are strategies to lessen the impact of your growth on others.

You'll be able to lessen the noise level by using a fan with variable speed and a CFM rating that's 25% more than what you require.

Almost all of the inline fan models tested have noise-reducing features. A silencer, on the other hand, will quiet your intake fan, but you'll have to account for this in your CFM calculations.

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Due to our shared nature as living things, we need air just as much as any other organism. It is possible to manage the growing conditions year-round if you have the proper airflow.

To summarize, we've spoken about the many kinds of grow tent fans and how to figure out what size is best for your particular setup. In addition, we've taken a look at some of the best inline and oscillating fans on the market to provide optimum ventilation in the grow tent.

Both inline and wall-mounted fans have the same goal: to keep your plants fresh and boost their yields.

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