Carbon filter letting smells through

[CB2O]

I would need help with my smell control. I have a small grow tent, 2x3 feet and 6 tall. I have a 200w SpiderFarmer LED. The blower and the carbon filter are the right size for each other. The problem is the filter doesn't really filter the smells. I get a nice negative pressure where the tent is slightly sucked in. I even bought a new filter a week ago (even the previous one was just 2 months old), but the problem persists. I have checked all the connections.

The growshop guy said it's probably the moisture in the tent that makes the carbon "unactive"? I can't afford a dehumidifier, so would there be any other ways to deal with this? Thanks.

And oh yes I have two plants in 3 gal Hempys with coco.

 

[VetSmoke85]

Unless your humidity is ridiculous and you have the cheapest filter going I can't imagine that being the problem. What stage are the plants in? How have you got it set up? Are you pulling air through the filter or blowing it through the filter?

 

[CB2O]

I have one plant at 10 weeks,it's very close to harvest and quite big and bushy (and smelly), other is 5 weeks.

Yes I have the blower pulling air in, inlets are two 5 inch holes, outlet is a single 5 inch one.

 

[VetSmoke85]

Is the filter inside the tent? Just trying to understand which was you have it hooked up. Filters aren't as effective outside the tent having the air exhausted through them. Work better inside the tent with the fan pulling the air through the filter first. Seems odd that you're having such problems with it. Maybe they're just super stinky plants.

 

[VetSmoke85]

For clarity, I mean the configurations in the top images here. The top left is the most common configuration and supposedly most effective. Top right is okay but the filters aren't as effective in that setup. So I've been led to believe. A 5" kit should be fine for your tent size. I use a 4" in a slightly smaller tent.

 

[VetSmoke85]

As a secondary layer of defence you can use ONA products to neutralise unwanted odours.

 

[CB2O]

Yeah the top left configuration is what I have. Is the top right one pushing air through the filter?

I actually just bought an ONA jar actually on my way home

 

[VetSmoke85]

Yeah the top left configuration is what I have. Is the top right one pushing air through the filter?

I actually just bought an ONA jar actually on my way home

Yes mate. Sometimes it can help save some space in the tent but it reduces the efficiency of the fan and filter. I can't understand why yours doesn't seem to be working very well. Can you smell it at the end of the exhaust? What brand filter is it?

 

[VetSmoke85]

Oh, another thing to consider is where the tent is and where it's getting it's fresh air from. If it's all in a fairly enclosed space you can end up just sucking in the humid air that's being exhausted. Hard to get humidity down then. It's something I usually live with. Never had issues with the filter not doing its job though. Apart from the one time my ducting decided to tear and nothing was getting exhausted. Got hot, humid and smelly pretty quick.

 

[Roy Growin]

An air purifier in the grow room helps a lot
Sleepeze HEPA/Ionizer/Carbon filter with built in timer and sleep mode runs @22w

I have my fan in the tent pulling air in through the filter, then put the old filter on the exhaust outside the tent too
[Filter]---Fan---[Filter] My Chunky Skunk only really stunk if I didn't fully close up the tent

 

[CB2O]

Yes mate. Sometimes it can help save some space in the tent but it reduces the efficiency of the fan and filter. I can't understand why yours doesn't seem to be working very well. Can you smell it at the end of the exhaust? What brand filter is it?

The filter brand is PrimaKlima (I'm in Europe). The exhaust does come out into the same space where the inlets are so yeah, that may very well be one part of the issue.

I realized yesterday that the smell is almost non-existant in the morning right after the lights go on, and gets worse and worse during the next 18 hrs. Would that be rising humidity during the day? The temperature rises with the light on and I guess so does evaporation as a consequence?

But yeah, never had these issues before,although I've done this many many times, this one is a new location and setup though.

 

[VetSmoke85]

I'm a little stumped to be honest. What media are they in and when do you water? They tend to kick out more stink when they're thirsty I find. Never tried the PrimaKlima ones. My local shop stocks them but I usually go with the Rhino Hobby filters as I know they do the job for me.

 

[CB2O]

They are in 100% coco, I water by hand 2x day.

 

[VetSmoke85]

@Bill284 @InTheShed @Skunksta @Buds Buddy @bluter any more ideas why this gents carbon filters don't seem to be performing?

 

[Buds Buddy]

For clarity, I mean the configurations in the top images here. The top left is the most common configuration and supposedly most effective. Top right is okay but the filters aren't as effective in that setup. So I've been led to believe. A 5" kit should be fine for your tent size. I use a 4" in a slightly smaller tent.

The pic on the Top Right is for using it as "Intake Air". The pic on the Left is for Exhaust. My tent is set up with both an Intake & Exhaust Air Fan & Filter. I can still smell it a little in the house when I open the tent. Don't really smell it with the tent closed. If I'm within 2 feet of the window I exhaust out of I can still smell it a little. But I have to be close to the window to smell it. These filters aren't perfect. But they cut the smell down a whole lot compared to not using a filter at all. My suggestion would be to put a plant with a lot of smell (not weed) outside your window, near your exhaust to cover the rest of the odor. If you want the filter to get rid of all the smell you will probably have to put a big 8" or 10" x 40" Filter in the room you grow in like you see in a lot of dispensaries to kill the smell. I've never had a filter that got rid of 100% of the smell. Not even a Phresh Filter which is suppose to be one of the best.

 

[bluter]

where is the exhaust getting dumped ? filters don't work unless the exhaust is moved to outdoor. tents will also create odour as they are porous, some will seep through before the extractor can move it.

 

[Bill284]

@Bill284 @InTheShed @Skunksta @Buds Buddy @bluter any more ideas why this gents carbon filters don't seem to be performing?

Is the fan variable?
Could the fan be sucking more volume than the fan can filter?
Hence such negative pressure.
Rh shouldn't effect it that much in such a small tent.
Just a thought.




Stay safe
Bill284

 

[CB2O]

where is the exhaust getting dumped ? filters don't work unless the exhaust is moved to outdoor. tents will also create odour as they are porous, some will seep through before the extractor can move it.

Thanks guys for the all the answers!

The exhaust just dumps into the same space afraid.. maybe that is the problem yes I'll try to think of a way to get it out of there.

 

[CB2O]

Is the fan variable?
Could the fan be sucking more volume than the fan can filter?
Hence such negative pressure.
Rh shouldn't effect it that much in such a small tent.
Just a thought.




Stay safe
Bill284

The fan has two speeds, it is now running on the lower setting (I forget what tje speed is) but I remember checking when I bought it that even the higher setting is within the filter's specs.

 

[bluter]

The exhaust just dumps into the same space afraid..

that's the issue. it won't alleviate until fixed. it will actually accumulate to the point you'll be able to smell it from the street.

edit: you can normally get away with it in veg. once you hit flower there's no chance. tie in to an existing outside duct or cut a hole in the wall and install one proper. lots of folk customize a window opening instead of cutting a hole.