Best Inline Fans for Grow Rooms & Tents

An inline fan is a critical tool for indoor growers using a grow room, grow tent, or indoor garden. Whereas oscillating fans disperse air around the area, this type of fan also does a great job of moving or extracting air through a growing system.

When you are in the market, you will come across three major types of inline duct fans: axial, centrifugal, and mixed flow.

Each one of these inline duct fans has merits and demerits. Now, our mission today is to help you find a model that will meet the needs of your growing room without sacrificing performance.

After a comprehensive analysis that involved testing various models, we came up with a list of five top inline fans for grow rooms.

In addition to that, we have listed a few crucial buying tips to help enlighten you on what you should expect to find in the market.

A Selection of Popular In-Line Fans Among Growers:

AC Infinity Cloudline T6 Quiet Inline Duct Fan

The AC Infinity Cloudline T6 is a new generation of mixed flow inline fan that is smarter, quieter, and more energy efficient.

This is a low power unit with a significantly high airflow of 351 CFM, which does a good job of ventilating grow rooms and tents. The system is also quiet-running at 32 decibels.

This unit includes a programmable controller that automatically adjusts to prevent too much air circulation in response to changing temperatures as well as humidity.

You can reduce energy and noise levels. Intelligent programming also features alarm notifications failure alerts and eco mode.

This inline grow tent fan uses modulation pulses to optimize the motor performance at every fan speed setting, increasing efficiency by 40 percent.

The fan is constructed with heavy-duty steel that is balanced with lightweight, low noise thermoplastic. And with a mixed flow design, it maintains peak performance.

The entire unit is also certified IP44 sealed to prevent mildew and dust as well as liquids from entering. This rating also means it performs exceptionally in harsh environments.

Things We Like:

• Mixed flow design is more energy efficient and quieter
• Intelligent dehumidifier and temperature control for cold and hot air
• Convenient alarm notifications, failure alerts, and eco mode
• Modulation pulses optimize motor performance
• Maintains peak performance in high-static pressure environments
• Can be linked to a similar smart controller to increase airflow

Things We Don’t Like:

• Controller screen may malfunction
• May receive defective inline fan

Hydrofarm ACDF6 Active Air Inline Fan

The ACDF6 Active Air Inline Fan from Hydrofarm is a high performance, high airflow unit that will transform the grow tent ventilation.

This inline fan has a hard-wearing ceramic coated housing that is made of steel, which will thrive in harsh pressure environments.

This quiet-running grow room ventilation unit has a thermally protected AC motor that is energy efficient. All parts of the unit are UL listed.

It generates a great volume of airflow, but with a significant amount of noise. However, the noise level won’t be an issue, if your grow room is strategically positioned in the house.

The box comes with mounting hardware along with an eight-feet, 120-volt, pre-wired power cord. You can mount the brackets perpendicular or parallel to the fan.

Things We Like:

• UL listed components are safe and highly durable
• Industrial strength, ceramic coated housing can handle tough environs
• AC motor is thermally protected, making it energy efficient
• The high-grade molded impeller increases airflow output
• 120V, pre-wired, eight-foot cord is highly maneuverable

Things We Don’t Like:

• May receive a unit with bent exhaust fan port
• Maybe a little bit noisy than usual

TerraBloom 6-Inch Inline Duct Fan

Do you want to boost airflow in your indoor grow room or garden? Look no further than the TerraBloom 6-Inch Inline Duct Fan.

Unlike most conventional inline fans, this model features the new generation EC motor that is highly energy saving. It uses only 40 watts to generate 350CFM.

It is fully adjustable and quiet-running. You can adjust the speed from zero to a hundred percent without generating additional noise or hum.

The airtight steel housing is engineered to withstand harsh elements as well as resist accidental damage. It helps minimize maintenance in grow rooms, grow tents, and indoor growing gardens.

The unit comes with a variable speed controller, which is connected to the fan through the provided cable. If disconnected, the fan will function at maximum capacity.

Things We Like:

• Brushless EC motor is highly energy saving
• Fully adjustable controller allows you to effectively increase or decrease airflow
• Airtight steel housing can withstand harsh elements and accidental damage
• Compact design is suitable for grow rooms with minimal space
• Dual jet-type propellers are resistant to static pressure
• The unit is ETL listed

Things We Don’t Like:

• May end up being noisy after some time

Vortex 347 CFM S Line S-600 Fan, 6″

Have you been searching for a high-performance inline fan that is aesthetically pleasing? Look no further than the Vortex S-600 Inline Fan for grow room.

The very first impressive feature of this model is the mixed flow impeller, which makes the fan more efficient and ultra-quiet. There’s also an internal impeller that keeps the unit cool.

This Vortex inline fan has 100 percent speed control capability. It has low power usage and it is built with a permanent lubricating bearing.

The polycarbonate shell is not not only sound dampening, but it also makes the unit rust resistant. This shell also eliminates condensation.

It comes with unique mounting brackets on the side of the fan for quick installation. The plastic mounting frame is easily removable.

The rubber gasket that is on the fan actually ensures a tight as well as vibration free duct assembly. This reduces the noise level significantly.

If you have an open air grow room that has negative pressure (more air going out than in), then you will need this fan. Its back-draft damper will ensure that air is not back flowing.

Things We Like:

• Polycarbonate housing is rust resistant and highly durable
• Integrated back-draft damper backflowing
• Rubber gasket ensures vibration-free duct connection
• Double walled design prevents condensation
• Can be installed in any given direction
• ETL and AMCA air listed

Things We Don’t Like:

• It’s a bit noisy than usual

iPower 4″ Inline Duct Ventilation Fan HVAC Exhaust Blower for Grow Tent

IPower experts are well-known for their innovativeness, and they have demonstrated their ingenuity with the production of iPower GLFANXINLINE4 Inline Fan.

It comes with a ceramic coated housing that is rust resistant as well as sound dampening. It’s permanently lubricated bearing practically needs zero maintenance.

The fan’s components are UL listed for quiet operation. The center hub and the composite fan blades are engineered to operate quietly.

It comes with flexible installation options, including fan and filter inside, a fan outside filter inside, the fan inside filter outside, and fan and filter outside.

Unlike conventional inline fan models, this particular model is available in different fan sizes, wattage, air velocity, and speed.

Things We Like:

• Flexible installation options available
• Moves fresh air powerfully through your target location
• UL listed components produce less vibration and noise
• Lubricated bearing virtually needs zero maintenance
• Ceramic coated casing is highly rust resistant
• Dual fluted ends make duct connection easy

Things We Don’t Like:

• CFM may be lower for some application
• Only compatible with the iPower carbon filter

Things You Should Know Before Buying

Types of Inline fans

Inline fans are usually classified with respect to the installed motor. The models you will find in the market use the following types of motors: axial, centrifugal, and mixed flow.

• Axial Inline Fan

This is one of the most common forms of inline fan used in grow rooms. A short length of the rigid round duct at least the same diameter as the fan outlet is suitable.

This type of inline fans are suitable for high extractor fan but at low pressure. They may not be ideal for long duct length.

An inline axial fan should be installed with the shortest possible duct length to the discharge terminal. You should always refer to the manufacturer’s manual.

• Centrifugal Inline Fan

Unlike axial inline fans, centrifugal inline fans are engineered to create greater pressure, allowing you to use longer lengths of ducting.

This type of fans can be installed in more than one way, including vertical and horizontal installation.

Centrifugal inline fans are made of durable construction, and their compact design provides you with an exceptional alternative to ordinary blowers.

• Mixed Flow Inline Fans

Mixed flow inline fans can fill the gap between the axial and centrifugal inline fans, balancing the best of both worlds. They’re basically hybrids with mixed characteristics.

Mixed flow units have unique designs that consume less power to achieve the same performance.

The inclined shroud cover of mixed flow inline fans can direct as well as guide airflow direction into the wheel efficiently. This helps to increase pressure while reducing power consumption.

Unlike ordinary inline fans, mixed flow models can compromise between power consumption, air pressure, and noise.

Most mixed flow designs have unique hemispherical back plates that allow for smoother wheel air intake fan in order to reduce turbulence.

Most high-performance units have a precisely connected cover and inlet bell that help to minimize leakage and backflow caused by pressure difference.

Duct Size

Usually, velocity and cubic feet per minute are used to determine the duct size. All inline fans are rated for a particular duct size, such as 4-inch or 6-inch.

The duct is always sized to the inlet of the fan. Therefore, over-sizing or under-sizing the duct will certainly interfere with the performance of your proper ventilation system.

Cubic Feet and Airflow

There are different sized fans for different growing areas, depending on your total cubic feet.

To calculate the cubic feet of your grow room multiply the length by the width, and the height of your grow area.

For example, a grow room that measures four by two by five feet has a capacity of 40 cubic feet. A growing area of this size will need an inline fan that can pull 40 cubic feet of air per minute.

This grow room needs a 4-inch inline duct fan because it can pull up to one hundred and ninety cubic feet of air per minute.

Choosing the right size inline fan is important if you want to optimize your grow space.

Durable Construction

You want to invest in a unit that will serve your grow room long-term. As such, you should choose a fan with durable construction.

Choose a unit with a well-balanced construction that can effectively minimize vibrations. It should contain no wearing components.

For superior duct connection, we advise you to choose a unit that has a rubber gasket, which not only helps with eliminating vibration but also dampens sound.

Don’t just choose a durable construction. Also, make sure it is easy to install. The unit you select must come complete with mounting hardware.

Unlocking the mounting bracket should not be hard. Installing the ducting system on the mounting bracket should be simple.

Make sure the fan and ductwork combination allow the same amount of airflow inside your grow tent like the one flowing outside.

If not, you are running the risk of burning out your fan motor from stress. This can potentially change the shape of your grow tent, decreasing the growing area.

Final Words

Like proper grow lights, hydroponics, and soil, good ventilation is crucial for a successful grow operation. There is no better way of managing temperature as well as humidity levels in your grow room than using a high-performance inline fan to promote plant growth.

We have just narrowed down the search for you to five products that we believe are the finest as far as performance is concerned.

However, if you choose to extend your search beyond what we have covered in this guide, remember to use our buying tips.

Of the three types of inline duct fans, we strongly recommend mixed flow designs because they offer the best of both worlds in terms of power consumption and air pressure. Also, go for a versatile inline fan that comes with flexible mounting options.