NEW Carbon Charcoal Filter already failing!

[PaulieWaulie]

Only had this now for about 2-3 months.

http://www.growlights.ca/fans-filters-ventilation/air-filters/10-inch-hydroponic-filter.html

Runs 24 hrs a day on a 10" S-Line Vortex which is rated at 1000 CFM, but I have it connected to a dial a temp controller and turned to the lowest setting. It uses 140 watts instead of the 240 watts for the 1000 CFM output. When you include the 10" ducting that runs 10 Feet plus the crazy negative pressure in the room (door has resistance when trying to close it), I would say theres maybe 500 cfm pulling through it.

The bathroom that it vents into smells now. I have windows open so I wouldn't know if this smell would be filling up the house, and its not that strong that I'm worried about it smelling strongly outside, but If someone used my washroom they would definitely notice it.

It was working pretty good for the first 2 months with 0 smell and 2 crops harvested with similar strength smelly plants.

What gives ? anyone else every have a problem like this ?

 

[amanda88]

the higher the humidity the less your carbon can allow the air thru

as the carbon blocks up with water moisture

avoid using in damp conditions is best ...imo

good luck

 

[Jhhnn]

Carefully check the ducting & joints between the filter & fan. A single joint is optimal.

Consider that volatile organic compounds of all kinds wear out carbon filters- spray paint, solvents, cleaners, smoke, you name it. The air for my grow comes from my workshop so I avoid using that stuff when growing.

I can't say with any certainty but I suspect that different brands have different effective lifespans, too. I started out with Phat filters, found out they last ~1 year for me (except when I screw it up giving them bad air to start with) so I just stuck with them.

 

[PaulieWaulie]

Thanks for the input guys.

RH has been at 50% so thats not the problem then. The air is coming from outside through the open window so a good source of clean air. Im stumped. Il check connections to make sure nothing is loose.

 

[PaulieWaulie]

Checked the connections, made them fit snuggly and taped them up proper, hoping that the next day it would smell clean in my room where it exhausts into. Nope! Still there. I have since spent several hours reading up on charcoal carbon filters and know way more than I should. Now that unfortunately does not change the fact that my filter which cost $190 CAD failed me after 2-3 months of light use. The website is great for prices and quick shipping but service is non existent. Have not got a response to my email or phone calls.

Anyone else have it fail this early? If so what did you do ? The worst part is I'm a new grower who doesn't sell (results are too weak to sell) and I decided to get a huge filter and spend a tonne thinking it will work well and last at least 2 years and then 3 months later I'm forced to spend another 400.

One of the best filters out there is Mountain Air, and I was able to find a 10" by 40" Long - 70 LBS , for 380 CAD shipped. They apparently have 3 year warranty, and have been tested to last 3 years at 100% odour control.

I guess this is what it takes. I have the worst of luck.

 

[OldPhart]

I'm glad you have your situation sorted, but I wanted to mention that I wonder if you are pushing too many CFM's through that filter. Some filter manufacturers state some questionable numbers, or they list recommended numbers for recirculating and not exhaust rated numbers. I bet if you were to drop the CFM to say half of what you are running now, that it would work fine.

 

[DJXX]

hey Paulie, you can buy the activated carbon on ebay. i bought enough to change the carbon in my scrubber 6 times for only $30 total...get out your drill...its simple...an inexpensive solution...smell will get you pinched be careful till resolved..DJXX

 

[yesum]

Yeah, it may have just worn out. I seem to only get 1 1/2 grows thru my filter. It is supposed to last a year but not really. I have replacement carbon and a filter that unscrews on top for easy refill.

 

[PaulieWaulie]

This is how I measured my CFM.

S-Line Vortex 10" is rated at 1082 CFM running 242 Watts. I have dial a temp on lowest possible level and my kill a watt meter registers 142 Watts.

100/242=40%

1080-40% = 648 CFM

Once you had in 20 Feet of Ducting with several corners, and the Negative Pressure in the Room you could deduct another 10% I would think.

648CFM - 10% = 583CFM

Filter rating is 860 CFM, so I think Im in the safe zone. As well I can't turn it down anymore even if I tried.

But there is good news to share guys!

grow lights.ca messaged me back, saying thy have not had this problem before and offered a refund, or exchange, so I took a refund. Pretty cool that they did that without me needing to send it back or anything, especially because it does depend on many factors, and I have had it for 3 months as of now.

The way I see it, the Mountain Air costs twice as much but if it lasts 3 years, works out to the same as if this cheaper one lasted 1.5 years. But as I have learned that is a big if.

I will definitely give a shot at refilling, cleaning, re activating the carbon in the future, I will have 2 filters I can rotate and will have plenty of time to figure it out, without having an door emergency to deal with, which doesn't give you many options other than to buy and replace immediately!

The mountain air weights twice as much and is 40" long as opposed to 24" so looking forward to trying it out!

 

[Muleskinner]

"fusion breath" sounds extremely sketchy, I would go with Can-filter, it's never let me down. Mountain Air looks good too, both those companies have been around for a long time.

another idea - if the round filter is up against a wall or floor, be sure to rotate it every 1-2 months so that one part of the carbon doesn't get all the flow. You can try shaking & rolling them a bit as well.

it can also be strain-dependent - Sensi Star always finds a way to beat my odor control system, some strains are far worse than others. But if you have massive exhaust pressure and no air leaks then it's probably shitty-quality carbon in the filter.

 

[PaulieWaulie]

Yeah Fusion Breath is the house brand of that website, at least I got a refund for the $190CAD, and even better I found the 10" Mountain Air thats 40" long at a local shop for $270CAD, so this is quite the upgrade for an extra $120.

Ive got PureAK by female seeds in the final week of flower, which has been the strongest smelling strain out of 5 different ones Iv had going over the last year, so makes sense that it would be pushing the filter. Probably still nowhere near as strong as your sensi star i bet!