Annoyingly loud cooling fans on 12 g. Nano-Cube Deluxe (by JBJ)

[TypicalNoah]

So whenever my lights turn on, the fans get really buzzy. If you blow on them to slow them down, they stop buzzing when they pick up speed again. But it's a loud annoying sound, and the lights go on kind of early... and the tank is RIGHT below my lofted bed... Gr!

I tried cleaning the entire hood, to no avail. I unscrewed the plastic splash guard and each of the two fans. I used a general wipe down with a paper towel, then used a bajillion Q-Tips to finish the job, getting all around the fans, wiping the fan blades, the grill, inside the guard, and around the reflector. It's immaculate now! ...And it still buzzes when it turns on.

Do they need to be oiled? Perhaps the fan is loose or something? Help!

P.S. "Buy new ones" is not an acceptable answer. College = no $$, and I'd rather understand what's WRONG anyways. I'll post photos if I actually have to take the fans apart.

[Doglover_50]

Miami, I guess a first question is--have you compared to another jbj 12g to make sure it is indeed louder than a "normal" unit?

It sounds like it is, but I can tell you this--mine is in my bedroom, and it's not quiet--when the light goes off, my room suddenly turns very quiet!

Oh--and buy new ones! haha JK.

[TypicalNoah]

Yeah I'm sure because I can make the sound go away with lite tapping or by blowing on the blades. Then it stops being so loud for the entire duration of being on. I wonder though, I'm sure it will STOP making the noise at some point during the day on it's own... we'll see.

Damn my signature.... Gotta try to fix that too!

[zmazza]

Mines incredibly loud when it starts up, but gets quiet after a few minutes. When I say quiet... I mean I've gotten used to the low "hum".

[10" Red Devil]

Mine is in my bedroom and I don't think they are so loud they keep me up. Jeez I thought I was a light sleeper, now I know my gf snores loud!

You might be able to replace the stock fans with quite custom fans that have ball bearings or something similar. Check out nanotuners.com and see what they have, better yet give chris a call he will be more then helpful!

[10" Red Devil]

Oh and may I refer you to the all in one section of this board you might get a faster response:

www.nano-reef.com

Take it easy Miami.

[theop]

They are just wearing out. Mind did this with one fan then eventually the other. They will have good days and bad days, but overall there isn't anything you can do to fix them.

They need replacement and maybe you can get replaced under warranty.

[TypicalNoah]

Originally posted by 10" Red Devil
Oh and may I refer you to the all in one section of this board you might get a faster response:

www.nano-reef.com

Take it easy Miami.

Yeah I tried there, got the same response... quoth stoney waters, "stock fans are crap."

...So I'm going to take them apart as carefully as I can, I can deal with it enough to not replace them. But I just wanna see what it is. Being on a college campus, I have access to some labs - I'm curious if there are like, microscopic worn valleys in the metal or something... I'll let you guys know!

[29GReef]

My fans do the same thing. I did the exact same thing you did, took the whole thing apart, cleaned it, and nothing changed. I moved my tank out of my bedroom : )

[zhenjw]

Yep same with mine. There are some days where it just buzzes like crazy and other days where it doesn't.

There are some inherent problems with this model...including the fact that the LEDs, the Daylights/Actinics are on the same adapter, preventing you from using a timer for night and daytime lighting. Likewise, the actinics and daylight lighting are combined, preventing you from having a dawn/dusk cycle.

Solution to your problem? When screwing the fans back in, don't do it too tightly. If that doesn't work...Bang on it! Really hard...like the Fonz.

[saltyshoe_nano]

I dont know how your light works, but mine is very loud...and I asked a fellow reefer in my LFclub and they told me to take out the bolts and sylicon the fans in.... they say it quiets it down a hole lot...I am going to try it tomorrow and I will tell you what happens if that helps

[TypicalNoah]

Yes definitely, thank you! I'll wait patiently before siliconing my own, heh.

[saltyshoe_nano]

hey,
1. I went to the LFS and bought a tube of sylicon and cut the tip off a small as possible
2. I then took all of the screws holding the fans together out.
3. Then I put the sylicon in the holes, smeared the ends smooth, and let it dry for 24hrs.
4. Then put my light back together and tested. It quieted the fans a hole lot....Its only half as loud as it was....( ITS NOT SILENT!!) so dont get me mistaken....
5. oh and its messy so wear old clothes and/or work on a work bench hope it works for you as good as it did for me

[TypicalNoah]

So you just screwed the screws back into the silicone filled holes?

[saltyshoe_nano]

nope, just put your finger on the other side of the hole and fill with sylicone and let it dry with clamps on.....no screws... but I geuss if you wanted to keep them I geuss it would work... good luck

[TypicalNoah]

lol yeah i don't much like the idea of having to scrape off and re-seal every time i want to clean the dust off my fans!

not to insult your technique, really. i just am kind of obsessed about the dust in there; every logical part of me says "f%^&*k it," but some tiny voice says "AGHHH IT'S GOING TO SHORT OUT, EXPLODE, AND LIGHT YOUR REEF ON FIRE!"

...My little problem.

[saltyshoe_nano]

lol its not my technique lol I got it off other reefers and they said it works fine lol I hope so... if not uh oh lol

hope you figure something out

[bad santa]

how often do you guys take off the cover and clean the inside of hood?

[TypicalNoah]

At least once every semester; so like, every three months.

[saltyshoe_nano]

yep that sounds about right lol