carbon filter problems

hi so i was asking this a while a go but did get a good answer

i dont understand why i cant control my plant smell for the size of my grow space. my 6 inch filter and fan should have no problems at all stopping the smells also the filter is like a week old

when i use to grow in a tent that was a bigger grow space with a 6 inch filter and fan i would never smell a thing
and i ran that filter for almost 2 yrs

now i thought it might be humidity being to high so i have been checking it and it never goes past 50%

i thought my ducting might not of been connected correctly so i pulled it apart and re connected it. i dont use tape so maybe pin hole air leaks could be a reason but i dont think to as i have it clamped tight with insulated ducting

i have decent air movement but my grow space is abit cramped so now i am thinking that could be the problem eg constricting the space around the filter will see in photo. could this be a problem
my space is 90% air tight and under a negative pressure so no air should be getting past the extract fan

now the only answer i can think of is to run 2 filters one on the in side of the fan and one at the end of the ducting so the air is filtered twice. but i dont know if the fan can handle that much resistance/back
pressure

id also like to know is there a way i can check if the carbon in my filter is even active with out destroying it or taking it apart . its an ebay filter so i could of gotten ripped with old carbon ??

ps dont criticise my lights i know they suck and i know i have wires to fix up still haha

and thoughts on my problem will be helpfully

A stand-alone scrubber could be the ticket.
Adjust speed to lowest RPM that keeps odor at acceptable level.

TintEastwood said:

A stand-alone scrubber could be the ticket.
Adjust speed to lowest RPM that keeps odor at acceptable level.

View attachment 4328800

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how is that any different to what i am using
apart from the fan being more powerful

My bad eyes. Did not see you already have a scrubber in place.

TintEastwood said:

My bad eyes. Did not see you already have a scrubber in place.

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my air flow works like this
air enters veg cupboard then goes in to flower cupboard then it goes in to the carbon filter then the ducting passes back though and out the back side of the veg cupboard making the entire thing with the doors closed one navigate pressure between the two cupboard and one directional air movement sorry if thats abit hard to understand

i also have a small boost fan that passes air from the veg cupboard to the flower one just to help air flow

im stumped

This helped me better understand my options.

TintEastwood said:

This helped me better understand my options.

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ive actually watched most of this persons videos. i had considered i am passed air though the filter too quickly but i very much doubt it as its cfm are lower then the filters rating. so unless im doing something else wrong im out of thoughts

i have a feeling its might just be a bad filter but i wanted a second opinion before buying a new one again. better quality one i guess

TintEastwood said:

Adjust speed to lowest RPM that keeps odor at acceptable level.

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I run scrubbers at full speed, exposure time counts less when you will refilter the air so best results are obtained at full speed.

Renfro said:

I run scrubbers at full speed, exposure time counts less when you will refilter the air so best results are obtained at full speed.

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i really have a dislike for speed controllers so i always run fans at max
ive had speed controllers melt my timers before so they are not worth the risk for me anyway

You could have a leak in the duct work or the fan. Duct tape every connection. Lots of tape, and tape up the things you may not have considered. I recently bought a 2nd fan/filter setup and had to tape the seam of the fan housing as it was leaking stenchy air. Was pulling from tent through duct, outside of tent to the fan, then out through the filter (this is a secondary filter/fan as a plan b for stench).

callies said:

i really have a dislike for speed controllers so i always run fans at max
ive had speed controllers melt my timers before so they are not worth the risk for me anyway

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The only speed controller I will ever use is a variac. This won't make the motor groan and is very safe. I have a 10 inch vortex in a 2x4 tent lol. Have it running on a variac at 45 volts and it's so quiet.

Renfro said:

The only speed controller I will ever use is a variac. This won't make the motor groan and is very safe. I have a 10 inch vortex in a 2x4 tent lol. Have it running on a variac at 45 volts and it's so quiet.

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Indeed Renfro. Variacs rule. Full RPM control from 0 to max.
For me, mandatory for controlling passive flow from flower to veg.

Renfro said:

The only speed controller I will ever use is a variac. This won't make the motor groan and is very safe. I have a 10 inch vortex in a 2x4 tent lol. Have it running on a variac at 45 volts and it's so quiet.

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they are the only way but cose a shit tone of money where i live
i was talking to the seller of the carbon filter and they pretty much agree its the filter not working so will be giving a full refund

ill be buying a different carbon filter any suggestions on who i should buy from that has good filters that are not over priced

Let me second that request for quality carbon filter recommendations online.

I got my first one locally that worked great. Never smelled a thing until I opened the closet doors to service the plants. Four inch filter and fan with speed controller set to minimum speed.

I ordered one online that did nothing. I returned it for a different one. The second one seemed better but my wife says she could still smell upstairs. Eventually I could smell it too. Same strain as first grow, northern lights auto, which is advertised to be less fragrant than other strains.

Any recommendations for 4 inch carbon filter? The local shop went out of business.

I have always had good luck with phresh filters.

Renfro said:

I have always had good luck with phresh filters.

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wow they are twice the price i payed but i feel i learnt my lesson and i wont cheap out on a filter again. i will pick up one of them and be done with it i hope for the next year or two

I have some that have been running good for over 5 years.

Renfro said:

I have some that have been running good for over 5 years.

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i run mine 24/7 plus i smoke in my room id never get 5 yrs
ive only ever used one filter when i got my 1st grow set up. i didn't realise they are not all made with the same quality carbon

Mine run 24/7. No smoking in the grow though, I do imagine that will shorten the life.