how long do carbon scrubbers last?

[nycdfan042]

how long do these(pictured below) type of scrubbers last? a friend tells me only two grows worth while others tell me for alott longer. With the experience of growing a very stinky NYCD the scrubber helped but i still smelled a stinky dank odor from my front door....is the scrubber working properly? or do i have it set up working inefficiently?

 

[tuttlebudd]

Wish I could tell you on the small one...I've got a LARGE one...16"x18"x2' high(home made w/1/2 sheet of particle board) that's been thru 4 grows and STILL fine...a FRACTION of the price of yours...best of luck.
tutt

 

[lemonade]

I have a 16" phat filter and i've been told/read on the net that it should last a couple of years filtering a 3000w grow (i.e. somewhat sizable) depending on how dusty the environment is. Naturally the dust particles clog the micropores on the carbon granules reducing it's useable surface area therefore diminishing its effectiveness.

Also, because your setup is in a closet, i think it's only natural that there's a little smell at the door because some of the stinky air has a chance to waft out before it reaches the scrubber, you dig?

However I feel that if you had a inline fan blowing out the ceiling and THEN to the scrubber, you'd be constanly pulling fresh are IN through the doors, so you wouldnt have ANY smell whatsoever leaking out.

Hope that made sense. Fuckin' BHO and Stolichnaya got me all loopy. Had to edit this like 5 times lol.

 

[nycdfan042]

yes i have no idea how to set it up really...i didnt have it set up like that at all...i guess ill route 6" tubing and cut a hole in the attic hatch

 

[lemonade]

Ahh great. Lucky you have the attic right above you! Besides reducing smell, you'd save alot of space and really reduce heat (not sure if it's an issue with your setup) by placing the scrubber in there.

 

[cannable]

a scrubber setup the way you did it isnt going to work well.. you need to seal the room the plants are in and the fan needs to exhaust out of the room sucking the air from the carbon scrubber in the room.. carbon as far as i know is good for 6 months...

 

[BlindDate]

Your setup is all wrong. Recirculating the air inside the room is not how they work. Run a output tube into the attic and no more smell.

I just changed the carbon in my scrubber after 1 year, but I really did not need to.

 

[Guest]

6 months - 1 year

6 months - 1 year

I have heard anywhere from 6 months to a year for replacing the carbon. I alos have heard of people going longer than that. I have mine inside a Homebox inside an extra bedroom. I figured I would wait until I smelled it inside the bedroom before I changed it.

I'm growing Rez's D39 and smell nothing in the bedroom currently, but when I open the Homebox does it smell!!!!

I have mine vented through the roof of the homebox.




~impatient~

 

[Guest]

I had planned on swapping mine about every 2-3 grows.

 

[fuzygrowth]

i've had mine for over a year now running 24/7 pretty much and it's just as good as the day it came in the mail. thought i'd have to replace it by now but guess not, go with it right .

 

[Buzzsmirk!]

yeah i agree ^^^^ mine have been goin fine for years.
moisture/very humid air will mess em up thoough i have heard the microdroplets clog the
"pores" in the carbon media and the "pores" grab the stink i am not sure if it dries out easilly.
BUZZ!

 

[The Dopest]

what is the cheapest/best place to get replacement activated carbon for a filter. i live in the U.S.

thanks

 

[zorakspg]

For a C13 size cab with 4 plant DWC what size scrubber will do the trick? Did my first grows in there under 400 watts with 210cfm can fan exhausting... by the end it reeked up my whole house... That was scary so I want to invest in a scrubber... the whole thing is pretty much airtight except the passive intake and exhaust... What is too small and what is overkill (on a budget).

 

[simon]

My Can50s have been going strong for ~2 years.

 

[OGPurp]

Buying activated C at pet stores can be an expensive way to do it. A fellow on OG recommended these guys http://www.activatedcarbon.com otherwise try eBay.

 

[Cave Dweller]

It's is really easy to build a high volume prefilter. Get some pleated furnace filters(2" prefered) a cardboard box, plastic tote or whatever and some double sided tape and a little ingenuity. Cost less than $10.

airflow----->prefilter------>fan------->scrubber

OR

airflow----->prefilter------>scrubber-------->fan


Important: You must maintain a negative pressure in your room for adequate results.
(example: If you exhuast 200 cfm out of you room, supply only 150 cfm
of fresh air. that will create a negative and will pull 50 cfm into the room
through all the cracks and crevices smells normally get out.

So ez a caveman can do it.

 

[Cave Dweller]

This is also much better filtration than what comes with common scrubbers. You could even use hepa filters if preferred. I filter all air intake and exhaust.