Best Grow Tent Fans: EC or AC?
Are you interested in the main differences between EC fans and AC fans? Then read this article, in which we will not only explain them, but you will also find out why, from a professional point of view, it usually pays to pay extra for a quality fan fitted with an electronically commutated direct current motor (EC). We will also recommend proven products to you. Every experienced indoor grower knows that ventilation equipment, which can boast a combination of properties such as long service life, quiet operation and low electricity consumption, belongs among those investments that pay back with every further harvest.
While AC fans, driven by an asynchronous electric motor with a traditional design, are generally used more for occasional ventilation of the growing space, EC fans work much more efficiently, and therefore in cultivation practice you can also use them much more to ensure your plants continuously have ideal conditions for vigorous development thanks to a perfect microclimate inside the grow tent or room throughout the entire growing cycle.
Advantages of EC fans
EC fans are driven by modern electric motors with higher output and efficiency. Compared with AC fans, they offer especially an average of 3x lower electricity consumption! That is certainly a sufficiently strong argument in itself, but because the purchase price of EC fans is usually considerably higher than that of AC fans, it is necessary to emphasise that the list of benefits does not end there. These are therefore further reasons that, despite the higher price tag, speak in favour of EC fans:
- Many times longer service life
- Significantly lower operating costs (costs for energy efficiency)
- Low noise and zero “hum/humm noise” even at low rpm
- Smaller size for the same output
- Simple and precise output control using digital controllers without reducing service life
Our TIP: Discover the number one in the field of speed control! Use controllers from the top Dutch manufacturer TechGrow.
In the picture on the right you can see one of the best-selling controllers for fan speed from the TechGrow brand.
EC control for EC fans:
This digital controller from a renowned German manufacturer was made exclusively for EC fans. It allows up to 15 individual settings using just 3 buttons and easy control depending on temperature, humidity, day phase and hysteresis. Technically, it is also equipped with a clear LCD display and a built-in light sensor.
- A simpler and cheaper alternative is the proven GSE controller for EC fans.
How do EC motors work?
Electronically commutated direct current motors, which we classify among synchronous motors, have a so-called commutation circuit, which is an electronic speed control system that keeps the fan at optimal rpm. The EC motor consists of a stator and a rotor fitted with permanent magnets made of ferrite material. The rotor and stator form a pair of elements, both of which create their own magnetic field. These fields act on each other and the result is torque on the rotor. The rotor speed in these synchronous motors (for example Ziehl-Abegg) is therefore identical to the speed at which the electromagnetic field rotates. As a result, there are also no slip losses, which are typical for asynchronous motors (AC), where the electromagnetic field rotates faster than the rotor. (With AC motors, this would not even be possible without slip, because without it no magnetic field would arise.)
Prima Klima fans with EC motor
The control electronics, including the connections and capacitor, form in the case of these fans of German manufacture one compact u