How to have an all night fan in the car?

n.devdath · 6th May 2010, 16:04

Hi All,
I hope this thread addresses the concerns of all of us long distance travellers.
Most of us, when driving over long distances, either fail to find a suitable place for a night's sleep or prefer to rough it out at a roadside dhaba/petrol pump/toll booth etc and sleep in the car. During such rests, I turn on the ac for around 15 minutes to cool Hariya's cabin and then turn off the engine and sleep with the windows lowered by a few inches to get fresh air inside.
During summers or rains, the cabin warms up again within say an hour or two and I need to get up, turn the ac on for 15 minutes and go back to sleep.

If I were able to keep the fan/blower on for say, 4-5 hours, I would be able to sleep without getting up for that stretch of time but I m pretty sure that the stock 65AH battery wouldn't last that long rendering me powerless to start my car when I need to move again.

Is there a way to make the fan/blower last for around 5 hours and then be able to start the vehicle also or procure a low battery consumption fan which can be installed in the car and can be used for such purposes??

Ideas and inputs eagerly awaited....

COUGAR · 6th May 2010, 16:24

i have done this already in my Gypsy.

I have fitted 2 90CFM fans borrowed from a Server Cabinet Venting system to the rear cabin. Dont remember the consumption specs offhand, but a back of the paper calculation done at the time showed that both of them running together at full speed would consume 9A in 8 hours.

n.devdath · 6th May 2010, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by COUGAR

i have done this already in my Gypsy.

I have fitted 2 90CFM fans borrowed from a Server Cabinet Venting system to the rear cabin. Dont remember the consumption specs offhand, but a back of the paper calculation done at the time showed that both of them running together at full speed would consume 9A in 8 hours.

Thank you very much for the info. Could you please elaborate on the fan that you have put viz; the cost, the source of purchase, the mounting, and the effects if possible.
It would be great if you could post some pictures as well.

clevermax · 6th May 2010, 16:57

I was just wondering where in a car, will you install such a fan.

@CAUGAR: Any pics of your installation?

PS: Getting such a fan running from the car battery would be easy - we can take power from the cig. lighter jack. I guess the challenge is to properly install it.

CrackedHead · 6th May 2010, 17:15

Alternatively - you could carry a second battery (easy if you have a second car) and run the fan off it without worrying about running out of juice on the main battery.

You can also carry a mosquito net and drape it over your car to keep out the bugs.

Spitfire · 6th May 2010, 17:19

OT: I had a sleeping bag and have slept on the roof of the Bolero once next to a toll booth. No I didnt fall off

ElantraGT · 6th May 2010, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire

OT: I had a sleeping bag and have slept on the roof of the Bolero once next to a toll booth. No I didnt fall off

Hey thats a nice Idea. Will try it in my next trip.

ghpk · 6th May 2010, 17:39

in my city i've seen a small inverter which costs Rs.1100 and claims to run a small Fan for 4-6 hours. the fan is clamped above this small inverter and the fan is similar to what earlier we had clamped on OLD cars like ambassador and fiats.
I think that fan can work with car battery for long long hours.

Next time I visit that dense part of city i'll bring some pics and details along.

phamilyman · 6th May 2010, 17:53

Devdath - I do just like you do - Just run the AC a bit on engine, then regular AC fans on battery. Works good for 4-5 hours IME. though my regular usage is mostly 1-2 hours ofc.

COUGAR · 6th May 2010, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by clevermax

I was just wondering where in a car, will you install such a fan.

@CAUGAR: Any pics of your installation?

PS: Getting such a fan running from the car battery would be easy - we can take power from the cig. lighter jack. I guess the challenge is to properly install it.

on the gypsy: the 2 fans are mounted onto the rear of the Hard Top one on each side bolted onto the vent that is provided on the Fibre top. I wanted one fan to pump in air and the other to pump out air. Unfortunately the fans i got are uni-directional.

Dont need a cigarette lighter socket: can be wired directly. I have a second battery 55AH, the largest that would fit under the bonnet. The fans are connected to this battery.

the 120mm CPU Fans cost 795 each and are designed for Servers/Disk Drives. These were purchased off ebay. The regular variety of CPU fan available for 80 bucks are just 25CFM by comparison. These fans are 90 CFM (Cubic feet per minute). Also the fans are very silent, much quieter than the regular CPU fans. Totally worth the extra cost.

@devdath: what car do you have?

Sam Kapasi · 6th May 2010, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by COUGAR

but a back of the paper calculation done at the time showed that both of them running together at full speed would consume 9A in 8 hours.

Current is not consumed, regardless of the power required.

I have seen these fans and they are usually in the range of 0.5A/ 12V. A fan like this consuming 6W of DC power.
With a standard 50 or 60Ah battery, 2 of these should run for a few hours easily without draining anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by COUGAR

Dont need a cigarette lighter socket: can be wired directly. I have a second battery 55AH, the largest that would fit under the bonnet. The fans are connected to this battery.

Unless you have a battery isolator circuit installed, both batteries are running in parallel. In which case it will make no difference if your fans are connected to one battery or the other.

clevermax · 7th May 2010, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Current is not consumed, regardless of the power required.
.

Exactly! It didn't strike me when I read '9A in 8 hours' at first!

n.devdath · 8th May 2010, 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElantraGT

Hey thats a nice Idea. Will try it in my next trip.

Well, I too have tried to do the same. Just that when there is no breeze outside or when the weather is humid, it gets progressively difficult to sleep in the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghpk

in my city i've seen a small inverter which costs Rs.1100 and claims to run a small Fan for 4-6 hours. the fan is clamped above this small inverter and the fan is similar to what earlier we had clamped on OLD cars like ambassador and fiats.
I think that fan can work with car battery for long long hours.

Next time I visit that dense part of city i'll bring some pics and details along.

Eagerly awaiting pics, purchase details and performance feedback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Devdath - I do just like you do - Just run the AC a bit on engine, then regular AC fans on battery. Works good for 4-5 hours IME. though my regular usage is mostly 1-2 hours ofc.

I too wouldn't be worried for an hour or two of use. What I am looking for is at least 6 hours of continuous use with the engine off and enough safe starting power post the use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by COUGAR

on the gypsy: the 2 fans are mounted onto the rear of the Hard Top one on each side bolted onto the vent that is provided on the Fibre top. I wanted one fan to pump in air and the other to pump out air. Unfortunately the fans i got are uni-directional.

Dont need a cigarette lighter socket: can be wired directly. I have a second battery 55AH, the largest that would fit under the bonnet. The fans are connected to this battery.

the 120mm CPU Fans cost 795 each and are designed for Servers/Disk Drives. These were purchased off ebay. The regular variety of CPU fan available for 80 bucks are just 25CFM by comparison. These fans are 90 CFM (Cubic feet per minute). Also the fans are very silent, much quieter than the regular CPU fans. Totally worth the extra cost.

@devdath: what car do you have?

I have a Scorpio. Could you please post pics of the installation and their effectiveness if possible?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Current is not consumed, regardless of the power required.
I have seen these fans and they are usually in the range of 0.5A/ 12V. A fan like this consuming 6W of DC power.
With a standard 50 or 60Ah battery, 2 of these should run for a few hours easily without draining anything.
Unless you have a battery isolator circuit installed, both batteries are running in parallel. In which case it will make no difference if your fans are connected to one battery or the other.

So, how effective do you think the fans mentioned will be Sam, to keep the air circulating in my Scorpio's cabin?

ghpk · 8th May 2010, 22:39

^ i might be there this monday.
need to buy some stuff from market near that shop which has those small inverter and fans.

I'll try my best to come back with pics and details of those small inverter options.

HappyWheels · 8th May 2010, 23:46

Buy one of those hand fans, battery operated. They take 2 AA cells and run for 4~5 hrs.

Try to get hold of one. Simple!

This is the one we use for our little one (the blades are soft rubber but strong enough for the purpose):

6th May 2010, 16:04	#1
n.devdath BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,287 Thanked: 2,811 Times	How to have an all night fan in the car? Hi All, I hope this thread addresses the concerns of all of us long distance travellers. Most of us, when driving over long distances, either fail to find a suitable place for a night's sleep or prefer to rough it out at a roadside dhaba/petrol pump/toll booth etc and sleep in the car. During such rests, I turn on the ac for around 15 minutes to cool Hariya's cabin and then turn off the engine and sleep with the windows lowered by a few inches to get fresh air inside. During summers or rains, the cabin warms up again within say an hour or two and I need to get up, turn the ac on for 15 minutes and go back to sleep. If I were able to keep the fan/blower on for say, 4-5 hours, I would be able to sleep without getting up for that stretch of time but I m pretty sure that the stock 65AH battery wouldn't last that long rendering me powerless to start my car when I need to move again. Is there a way to make the fan/blower last for around 5 hours and then be able to start the vehicle also or procure a low battery consumption fan which can be installed in the car and can be used for such purposes?? Ideas and inputs eagerly awaited....
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 16:24	#2
COUGAR BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 548 Thanked: 94 Times View My Garage	i have done this already in my Gypsy. I have fitted 2 90CFM fans borrowed from a Server Cabinet Venting system to the rear cabin. Dont remember the consumption specs offhand, but a back of the paper calculation done at the time showed that both of them running together at full speed would consume 9A in 8 hours.
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 16:57	#4
clevermax Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tvm/Amsterdam Posts: 2,086 Thanked: 2,640 Times View My Garage	I was just wondering where in a car, will you install such a fan. @CAUGAR: Any pics of your installation? PS: Getting such a fan running from the car battery would be easy - we can take power from the cig. lighter jack. I guess the challenge is to properly install it. Last edited by clevermax : 6th May 2010 at 16:58.
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 17:15	#5
CrackedHead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 585 Thanked: 81 Times	Alternatively - you could carry a second battery (easy if you have a second car) and run the fan off it without worrying about running out of juice on the main battery. You can also carry a mosquito net and drape it over your car to keep out the bugs.
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 17:19	#6
Spitfire BANNED Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Panaji - Goa/Bangalore - Karnataka Posts: 3,312 Thanked: 774 Times	OT: I had a sleeping bag and have slept on the roof of the Bolero once next to a toll booth. No I didnt fall off
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 17:39	#8
ghpk BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 870 Thanked: 211 Times	in my city i've seen a small inverter which costs Rs.1100 and claims to run a small Fan for 4-6 hours. the fan is clamped above this small inverter and the fan is similar to what earlier we had clamped on OLD cars like ambassador and fiats. I think that fan can work with car battery for long long hours. Next time I visit that dense part of city i'll bring some pics and details along.
	() Thanks

6th May 2010, 17:53	#9
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,968 Thanked: 4,642 Times	Devdath - I do just like you do - Just run the AC a bit on engine, then regular AC fans on battery. Works good for 4-5 hours IME. though my regular usage is mostly 1-2 hours ofc.
	() Thanks

8th May 2010, 22:39	#14
ghpk BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 870 Thanked: 211 Times	^ i might be there this monday. need to buy some stuff from market near that shop which has those small inverter and fans. I'll try my best to come back with pics and details of those small inverter options.
	() Thanks

8th May 2010, 23:46	#15
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Buy one of those hand fans, battery operated. They take 2 AA cells and run for 4~5 hrs. Try to get hold of one. Simple! This is the one we use for our little one (the blades are soft rubber but strong enough for the purpose):
	() Thanks