Composting toilet: best vent fan?

[AD28]

Would the peanut gallery like to comment on vent fans for composting toilets?

I've often seen mentioned '12V computer fan' but is there a particular brand which moves the most air, most quietly, for least power consumption?

Thanks in advance

[Mike OReilly]

Not sure if I'm part of the peanut gallery, but I use the small fan that came with our Nature's Head. Don't know what brand it is. A small (2"?) computer fan. It's quiet, and draws like nuthin'. My Victron monitor can't even see the draw.

If I could do it easily, I'd consider installing one of those solar vent fans. But so far the small one is doing fine.

[FSMike]

We've got a solar powered exhaust fan with a battery backup so it runs 24/7. Replaced the one that was on the boat when we purchased her. So far so good (1.5 years).

[tomfl]

Just my random thoughts. I power my fan with one of those 12volt cigar plugins. It has a green circular light on the plug so I can see when it is running without having to be in the head, in fact with the doors open I can lean out of my bunk and see it. I bought some 55mm fans on ebay a few years ago, think I paid 81 cents a piece for 12 of them. Still have the one I replaced running, gave two away to a buddy and still have the rest in a cabinet in the head. The reason I switched from hard wired is that when the one the PO used failed it took me a couple of weeks to realize it.

Not sure longevity is based on the brand quality as much as what I will call how dirty things are. One thing I have noticed is that if I leave the boat for a month or so the stuff in the heads gets fairly dry and there is a fine dust when I rotate the wire in the head. That dust getting in the fan will probably be more of a factor in the life of the fan than the quality, unless you get some really bad unit. Also keep in mind many of the expensive fans are for computers that are run in an AC environment with filters to assure air quality.

[AD28]

while I do greatly appreciate y'all's responses, I really do. It is difficult to know, without the BRAND, which fan to purchase.

There must be hundreds of "12V computer fan" out there. Google, you'll see... ah hell, just on Amazon there's a buttload of these things, never mind the entire 'Net

I'd really rather not buy-and-replace, however cheap; I'll still have to go through the trouble of re-purchasing and installing multiple times and...no.

[Mike OReilly]

In all likelihood all the fans are probably made by the same manufacturer (likely in China or some other low-wage area). I bet they're just rebranded to the various names.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by AD28

Would the peanut gallery like to comment on vent fans for composting toilets?

I've often seen mentioned '12V computer fan' but is there a particular brand which moves the most air, most quietly, for least power consumption?

Thanks in advance

Hi AD,

If by 'peanut gallery ' you mean 'a group of people who criticize someone, often by focusing on insignificant details...' [And I hope that is not what you intended to imply...] I suspect you will find those taking the time to answer your question aren't in the gallery you requested...

I can't recommend a brand. There are undoubtedly some that are better than others, but since fans are cheap, I just buy a couple, or a dozen, and see which ones I like. There are always other uses for pancake fans on board... [I have some that have been operating for non-critical ventilation functions for over 15 years without a hitch, therefore they aren't worthy of too much of my time...]

Or you could research the geek forums to see what those who build their own computer systems like.

On our composting head [Nature's Head] we run the built-in 2" fan that came with it, and run the hose to a 3" solar vent. This works well, and it needs to be really quiet to hear either running...

Best wishes finding what suits you best.

Cheers!

Bill

[AD28]

Thanks y'all, yer probably rite about the China Fan Factory making all of 'em

[Midnight Son]

Two sources of supply of 12 volt fans.
DigiKey Electronics - Electronic Components Distributor
Allied Electronics - Industrial Automation & Control Products Distributor

Cheers

[smj]

On our old C-head we used two of the cheapest 2" computer fans we could find. We also went to Home Depot and came up with a pretty good custom housing for the fans made out of plumbing parts.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[drsm]

For what it's worth, the brand I installed in my trailer for the C-Head there was a Scythe Mini KAZE ULTRA 40mm Silent Mini Fan (SY124020L). That was based solely on someone else's recommendation. So far, so good. I don't even vent the one onboard--there appears to be plenty of circulation in the head from the dorade, and we don't have issues. Of course, we live in the north, so that might make a difference.

[Kinta Ray]

The main thing that distinguishes a good computer fan from a bad one is the bearings it uses. For marine use I would definitely recommend a ceramic bearing over a ballbearing, the cheap fans use a nylon bearing which can wear very quickly especially with salt crystals lubricating it. That's my 2cents worth.

As an afterthought, 2 brands that I have always found good are Sunon and Ceramica. (Ceramica quote a life of 300,000 hrs, that's a 34year lifespan).

[Simply Sailing]

We have found that the fan that came with our Air Head is quieter than others that we have purchased, but like other people have mentioned, it's sort of hit and miss. We bought 5 "cheap" fans for use around the boat, from the same manufacturer. 3 of them were great, two of them are too loud to use if you want to have a normal conversation. Since they're so cheap, buy a few different ones and use the best/quietest one. But Air Head sends you one that is both quiet and efficient and warranteed.

[jstevens]

FWIW, here's a picture of the vent fan that came with my Airhead in 2008. Still running, never shut down in the last 8 years.

http://www.svsarah.com/Sarah/Images/VentInstall2.JPG

John

[AD28]

for those interested, the pic is of a:

SanAce60, model 109R0612M402, 12VDC, 0.06A, made by Sanyo Denki

thanks