12v Cabin fans
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C lectric
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Look into what is often referred to as computer fans or muffin fans.
There is a wide range of them if you go to electronic supply places like Newark Electronics, Digikey. Mouser.
Scroll through looking for 12V u nits that are BALL BEARING, not sleeve, eqjuipped. They usually included sound ratings .
Otherwise there are dash fans that are two speed units for truck and busses. I use two and on the low speed they are not to bad. On high you know they are running but for demisting the windshield they do a good job, then flip them to low.
There is a wide range of them if you go to electronic supply places like Newark Electronics, Digikey. Mouser.
Scroll through looking for 12V u nits that are BALL BEARING, not sleeve, eqjuipped. They usually included sound ratings .
Otherwise there are dash fans that are two speed units for truck and busses. I use two and on the low speed they are not to bad. On high you know they are running but for demisting the windshield they do a good job, then flip them to low.
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BruceK
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Caframo brand has a good reputation. Available in USA?
OldDan1943
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Let's start out with, what are you using now?
Every piece of moving machinery generates noise, some are louder than others.
On a quiet night with fans on, you will have an ambient noise. You can verify this by turning off all the compartment fans.
A side note, I remember immediately after 9-11, grounding all aircraft etc, it was so quiet it was almost scary.
In my mind, compartment fans are a 'disposable' item. They run for a while and then stop or begin to make too much noise, needing to be replaced.
I use the common 12vt 3 speed fans from West Marine. I keep 2 or 3 spares on hand, replacing as necessary.
It does actually help if you are, like me, hard of hearing and, like me, have ringing in my ears.
I had a range hood custom built, exhausting outside. When first seeing the final product installed, one might say, "too big" but after a while, it is not so big. When talking to my favorite cabinet maker, I insisted the fan be on a rheostat and super quiet. He fulfilled my requirements but, ..... at what cost. Daymn, the cost, I do not hear the fan running. LOL I leave the fan on 24hrs a day on a very low speed. The cabin air is constantly being removed.... dust and grease do not settle LOL.
So, to conclude... use the cheapest compartment fans you can find with a noise level you can tolerate, with the understanding it will require replacement every 2 or 3 years. They are easy to replace.
Fans seem to collect dust on the blades and in the bearing which leads to their demise.
Per the range hood fan, I hope to die before that needs replacement.
I will say this about my cabinet maker, everything he makes, with my input .... is over engineered. Yes, the designed could be improved or perhaps modified just a bit. We have a many year experience together.... He never lets me down and I have always paid the bills resulting in, the perfect relationship. LOL Everything he creates, he creates with my requirements and input, with respect to the next owner.
If the next potential owner doesn't like the modifications, don't buy the boat. You will be missing out on a real jewel. Storage space on my 34ft boat has perhaps increased by at least 1/4. For one person, there is more than enough room. For 2 people, it is still a squeeze. The hanging closet space cannot be improved.
My boat has fantastic bones, everything is maintained and improved as necessary, except the nav electronics. What I might change today will be out of date tomorrow. With that in mind, if your nav electronics work and you are comfortable with it, no need change it. Let the next owner change it out to his/her liking.
EVERYBODY will change things to make the boat "his".
Every piece of moving machinery generates noise, some are louder than others.
On a quiet night with fans on, you will have an ambient noise. You can verify this by turning off all the compartment fans.
A side note, I remember immediately after 9-11, grounding all aircraft etc, it was so quiet it was almost scary.
In my mind, compartment fans are a 'disposable' item. They run for a while and then stop or begin to make too much noise, needing to be replaced.
I use the common 12vt 3 speed fans from West Marine. I keep 2 or 3 spares on hand, replacing as necessary.
It does actually help if you are, like me, hard of hearing and, like me, have ringing in my ears.
I had a range hood custom built, exhausting outside. When first seeing the final product installed, one might say, "too big" but after a while, it is not so big. When talking to my favorite cabinet maker, I insisted the fan be on a rheostat and super quiet. He fulfilled my requirements but, ..... at what cost. Daymn, the cost, I do not hear the fan running. LOL I leave the fan on 24hrs a day on a very low speed. The cabin air is constantly being removed.... dust and grease do not settle LOL.
So, to conclude... use the cheapest compartment fans you can find with a noise level you can tolerate, with the understanding it will require replacement every 2 or 3 years. They are easy to replace.
Fans seem to collect dust on the blades and in the bearing which leads to their demise.
Per the range hood fan, I hope to die before that needs replacement.
I will say this about my cabinet maker, everything he makes, with my input .... is over engineered. Yes, the designed could be improved or perhaps modified just a bit. We have a many year experience together.... He never lets me down and I have always paid the bills resulting in, the perfect relationship. LOL Everything he creates, he creates with my requirements and input, with respect to the next owner.
If the next potential owner doesn't like the modifications, don't buy the boat. You will be missing out on a real jewel. Storage space on my 34ft boat has perhaps increased by at least 1/4. For one person, there is more than enough room. For 2 people, it is still a squeeze. The hanging closet space cannot be improved.
My boat has fantastic bones, everything is maintained and improved as necessary, except the nav electronics. What I might change today will be out of date tomorrow. With that in mind, if your nav electronics work and you are comfortable with it, no need change it. Let the next owner change it out to his/her liking.
EVERYBODY will change things to make the boat "his".
Comodave
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While it isn’t a 12 volt fan, I have 2 Ridgid 18volt/120 volt fans that move a lot of air and are very quiet. I can run it on low on a 4AH 18volt battery for 2 days. If we are at the dock I can run it off 120 volts. I like it because we can move it to where it is needed at the time. They come with a lifetime service contract if you register it online when you buy it. No affiliation except happy owner.
C lectric
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Cheap computer fans , the sleeve bearing units , will not last.
Ball bearing types from a decent mfgr will last.
Some of mine, ball bearing types, have about 10,000 hrs and are still going strong. Many of mine run 24 hr daily for 5 months.
Not the case with the sleeve brg units.
We had them at work and they lasted much longer running 18-24 hr daily. SO there are good ones out there but you won't find them on Amazon or Ebay.
Ball bearing types from a decent mfgr will last.
Some of mine, ball bearing types, have about 10,000 hrs and are still going strong. Many of mine run 24 hr daily for 5 months.
Not the case with the sleeve brg units.
We had them at work and they lasted much longer running 18-24 hr daily. SO there are good ones out there but you won't find them on Amazon or Ebay.
healhustler
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I had already bought eight of the quietest fans I could find on display at West Marine when I posted a thread about fan noise reduction here on TF. I ended up purchasing $2 inch-thick anti-vibration pads to mount each. Even the quiet fans resonate terribly when screwed to a bulkhead. The trick is to mount the anti-vibration pads to the surface independently using its own fasteners, then screw the fan base into the pad so that it neither touches the wall or the pad’s mounting screws. Even the Admiral approves of the noise level now.
boomerang
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We also use Caframo 757 fans. We have one hard-mounted & wired in the salon to help evenly distribute the air coming out of the AC vent and 2 portable ones mounted to 6 x 6 bases that can be moved/re-positioned according to our needs. They aren't too loud on the low speed setting and use about 1/3 amp when running at that speed, if you're concerned about current consumption. We do need to keep a piece of that thin rubber non-skid stuff under the portable fans to keep them from walking due to vibration from the not-so-balanced soft plastic fan blades.
psneeld
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Allways on the search too...
I found that many of the "quiet" ones didn't put out near the breeze as others.
If you can move them around or have quite a few mounted...and willing to make frames for them...hard to beat nice computer fans...but generally... I find they have to be close.
I settled on these for now.... https://www.westmarine.com/buy/cafr...-j7dMV8AP0oOlrEconrPokGd7J453d0hoCymcQAvD_BwE
I found that many of the "quiet" ones didn't put out near the breeze as others.
If you can move them around or have quite a few mounted...and willing to make frames for them...hard to beat nice computer fans...but generally... I find they have to be close.
I settled on these for now.... https://www.westmarine.com/buy/cafr...-j7dMV8AP0oOlrEconrPokGd7J453d0hoCymcQAvD_BwE
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FF
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Computer fans are great , but a bit strange as they only work in one direction.
So if installed an a Dorade or as a galley fan,, 2 must be bought , one to suck one to blow.
A 24v unit operated on 12v is really! quiet , moves enough air for a sleeping cabin.
IF the bilge is clean and not stinky a computer fan can raise the cool water temp bilge air to cool the cabin at night.
So if installed an a Dorade or as a galley fan,, 2 must be bought , one to suck one to blow.
A 24v unit operated on 12v is really! quiet , moves enough air for a sleeping cabin.
IF the bilge is clean and not stinky a computer fan can raise the cool water temp bilge air to cool the cabin at night.
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I just installed a 757. It’s quiet so that’s good. It’s a bit out of balance at high speed but I can live with it. I ordered 3 more. They seem to be made better then most. Thanks all for the info.
boathealer
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OldDan1943
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Realize all compartment fans are expendable.
They do not last forever and your mileage will vary even between lik fans of the same brand.
They do not last forever and your mileage will vary even between lik fans of the same brand.
