Fan cage or mount on chassis?

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:13 am

What are your thoughts on mounting on fan cages?

My Chenbro SR209 has a 120mm fan cage/bracket on back and I'm about to order some fans,

Wondering if I should get some rubber grommets and washers as well to mount the fan on the chassis.

I'll be using either a YL or a Sytche, so it shouldn't cause to much vibration to begin with.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:55 am

I've never seen a Chenbro SR209 up close, but all the fan cages in other cases I have ever seen are crappy rattling plastic things.

Flying Dutchman · Post by **Flying Dutchman** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:13 am

Don't use them!

I've had those contraptons from hell in my TT Tsunami and first thing they knew they were in the dustbin.
No matter how tight they can clamp, there's always that tiny incompatibility that makes some vibrations, and if they don't they will in time.

Browse the forum for some suspension solutions, look at Bluefronts posts.

At the moment I have my casefans attached to the case through elastic textile bands you can buy at HEMA (Tibors knows the place as he is Dutch), witch pieces of foam between case and fan and it works a charm.

If you happen to buy grommets, make sure the rubber is not too sturdy

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:32 pm

got it guys.

I'll definitely go with with rubber grommets and nylon washers for the exhaust 120mm.

Unfortunately, I'll have to use the fan cage for the 92mm fans on the drive cage and the 92mm fan at the bottom (fan placemenet is not flush on the chassis). If not, some pseudo-suspended zip-tie sytem.

Cheers.

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:48 pm

Here is my method of mounting fans:

1. Four 6/32 x 1.5" nylon machine screws and nuts.

2. Four rubber washers for the screw heads (assuming screw heads are on outside of case).

3. Lay a 1/8" bead of GE 100% Silicone II Caulk on the case where the fan will be attached and let it set up for about 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter much if you are a bit sloppy or uneven in applying the caulk. After 30 minutes, attach the fan with the screws and nuts. Do not over-tighten. This will allow the caulk to conform to the outline of the fan edge, but not let the caulk squeeze completely out.

The materials can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowe’s, or any good hardware store. Regarding the GE 100% Silicone II Caulk, it is all the same regardless of the color, labeling, or packaging.

Chris Chan · Post by **Chris Chan** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 4:38 am

I hard mount my fans with screws, I know this is not the best solution but it's certainly better than plastic fan cages. I use low vibration fans anyway though. Can't vouch for the effectiveness of any fan-decoupling method as I haven't tried any.