Electric conv. Fan question

[Nutmegmooner]

How will I know if I need a fan?
I'm upgrading to electric and have the Camco 5500 watt element and the econo-box kit from S.D. If I can find a welder this P.M. or tomorrow I will be ready for a test boil, and I'm very excited. I have several 12 volt computer fans but it would mean I need to be near 110 to plug one in and it seems like an extra "untidy-ness" that I would rather do without.
So, what are the symptoms to look for. Will too much heat destroy a component or simply cause it to shut off? I would hate to be mid run and have something go belly up, or will it shut down until it cools off, or will it throw a circuit breaker? I think that I've just convinced myself to put in a fan whether I need it or not. Damn.

[The KYChemist]

Just my $0.02, but I feel it would be better to have and not need, than need and not have. Some people have reported they probably wouldn't need a fan. My controller is wired 220, and my fans are 110. I use a wall wart, and I don't mind the extra wire. I just use an extension cord, and twist ties to run it along the 220 line, till I can get it to the outlet. Keeps it out of the way, for the most part.

[acfixer69]

Heat will most likely let the smoke out of the SSR you will need at the very least ventilation in the box. I used a fan on mine it just seemed basic where heat is generated.

AC

[Nutmegmooner]

When you're right you're right.
Am I correct in thinking that (in a larger box) I can tap off one leg of the 220 and sort of hot wire a wall wart?

[Bob Loblaw]

you can get 220v computer fans for about the same price as a 12v fan, you don't need a wall wart. This one will fit right under the supplied heat sink in the recess

http://www.amazon.com/80mm-Computer-Coo ... s=220v+fan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[bellybuster]

If you already have the 12 volt fan yes you can tap off one legg off the 240 as long as you have a neutral wire as well. Using the ground as a return for 110 instead of an actual neutral wire runs the risk of having a live ground if something goes wrong. That would energize everything the ground is hooked to. This is why there is a neutral wire in the first place. If you only have the 2 hots and a ground, run a separate 110 line for the wall wort.

[Pyewacket]

I had issues with my controller heating up. The symptom was voltage creep (I think that is what is called), voltage would creep higher and spike to max voltage and my SSR would be uncontrollable at full power. I had to shut off the breaker to reset the ssr. My solution was to wire in a 110v/220v usb wall charger. I believe most USB wall chargers can run at both 110V and 220V...at least the ones that I have. Took a regular 12v PC fan and soldered a USB plug and plug the fan into the wall charger. The USB wall charger supplies only 5v to the fan...but that is enough air movement for my controller. I probably did not need to add the ugly extra heat-sink...doesn't hurt I guess.

[Halfbaked]

Why not just put a $5 110 box fan in your box and jump over from your SSR. Leave the 12v out unless you have a led meter then use a 12v. No need to run an extenision cord from the wall. If you don't put a fan in the SSR will let the smoke out exactly at the worst time possible.

[White_Lightning_Rod]

Like has been said most AC/DC converters nowadays will run on either 120 or 240 just read on it do see what the rated input is. Mine said "Input 120-240VAc, output 9.5VDC". The one I have only had two wires feeding it, I connected H1 of the 240v circuit to one side and H2 of the 240v circuit to the other side and it works perfectly. No nuetal wire needed. Just make sure yours is rated for 240V input.

[White_Lightning_Rod]

This is just like the one I used, it came from a portable DVD player.

[The KYChemist]

51VDwuFolVL.jpg

This is just like the one I used, it came from a portable DVD player.

I'd be careful... The amps may be high, for the fans. They may shorten their life span. Most PC fans use .250 amps or less. I could be wrong though. Someone with more knowledge may be able to chime in, and confirm or disprove this. I got a DC adaptor with an amp rating that closely matched my two fans.

[bellybuster]

the fan will only use what amps it requires, if the converter is rated for 5 amps and the fan only needs 2 it will only take 2 to run. OHM's law amps = V/R. A 220 fan of the same resistance will use allot less amps then a 120 one