It's common for carbon to be used as a medium in water filtration processes. When you buy a whole-house or whole-home water filter, you almost use carbon filtration in some way. This is true for almost every water filtration system. Carbon filters for water filtration are made by grinding up a carbon source and making a paste.
This carbon source could be:
- a type of coal
- peat
- a coconut shell
Coconut shells are the most common source of carbon, and they're also very easy to make.
It takes 1000 degrees Celsius to take contaminants out of the material used to make the filter without the presence of oxygen. In the next step, the material is heated to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. This activates the carbon in the material. A lot of cracks and pores make the carbon grains able to store a lot of chemicals and other things.
In this case, Hon&Guan carbon filters remove contaminants by adsorbing them. Adsorption means that contaminants are drawn to the surface of the activated carbon and held there, just like iron filings are drawn to and held by a magnet.
Carbon filters can also act as a catalyst to change the chemical composition of some of the things that get into the air. A substance called Activated Carbon can be used to get rid of chlorine, organic chemicals like pesticide, THMs like chloroform, and VOCs like chloroform that are found in gasoline and other types of cleaners.
You might be able to connect your fans and carbon filters to flexible ducting with a rubber coupler or a rigid pipe. They can be mounted inside or outside the grow area.
Determine how much air is being "cleaned" to figure out what size filter and fan will work best for the amount of air being "cleaned." This is the volume of the Grow Room.
Air that goes through a carbon filter doesn't need to be pushed out into the world outside your growing area. It might even be better to have the filtered air come right back into your growing area. If you put the carbon filter in front of the fan, you can connect it to the fan with a rubber coupler or pipe it into the growing area without ducting the fan's air out of the grow. It will keep "scrubbing" the air in the growing area to get rid of smells.
You should put a carbon filter at the start of your ducting. That means you should put it inside your grow tent where your ductwork starts. Many people use metal halide or HPS lights with duct ports to grow plants. This is a common set up. Place your carbon filter at the beginning of your ductwork to keep the smell from coming out of your grow tent.
This orientation is also called complete or efficient because the inline duct fan pulls both odors and hot air from the grow tent at the same time, which makes this orientation even more efficient. Because it's near the source of the smell, odors have fewer chances to escape through possible gaps.
Air must stay in contact with carbon for a certain amount of time to be cleaned. If you put a 1000 CFM fan on a 200 CFM filter, the air will move so quickly that it won't have enough time to "clean" itself.
The CAN Filter Group has three types of fans:
S: The small fan loses 20% to 25% of its power when there is a lot of pressure or load on it (when attached to ducting or a filter)
HO: They have "beefed up motors" and lose 15% of their power when there is a lot of pressure or load on them, so they are called HO.
MAX: Their best fans have a loss of 5% to 10% under load or pressure, and they use less electricity than a HO fan.
As a rule, it is better for the fans to be set up so they pull air through a filter rather than push it. This is because there are a lot of reasons why this is. Pre-filter: The white polyester wrap around the outside of the filter is a good place to get rid of dust and bigger particles before they reach the carbon filter, which could clog it. Even more than that, though, it has more surface area on its outside than on its inside. A lot less resistance means that the air won't have to work as hard to get through the filter.
Sometimes, the size of your grow tent makes you arrange your equipment in a different way. Fitting your inline fan, grow light, and carbon filter may require too many duct bends that slow down air flow.
If your grow tent doesn't have enough room for all three pieces, you can put your carbon filter outside and put the other two inside. If your ductwork is completely airtight, you could put it at the end of your ductwork. Take care of your grow tent's air vents, too. When you don't have a grow light hood, you can connect your carbon filter directly to your inline fan. This option is better if you don't have a grow light hood.
The idea is that any air that comes out of your grow room must go through your carbon filter. This way, the smell of your plants will not spread. So, no matter where you put your grow tent and ducting, you need to make sure they are airtight to avoid any leaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How long do carbon filters last?
In general, how long can you expect a carbon filter to last? Carbon filters should be changed every 18 to 24 months of continuous (24/7) use. A carbon filter can last for up to four years, even if the company makes a different product. This may change depending on the company.
Q. What is the effectiveness of carbon filters in grow rooms?
The answer to that question is an emphatic affirmative. Carbon filters are the most effective method of keeping the stench from your growing area out of your home and away from your neighbor’s properties. More significantly, they are the most effective method of ensuring that even the freshest air is utilized by your plants for growth.
Q. Is it possible to clean a carbon filter?
Never use soap and water to clean a charcoal filter, since this will destroy the charcoal's ability to filter air or water. Rinsing the filter with hot water accomplishes the same goal while also assisting in the release of any contaminants that have been absorbed into the air. You must replace the filte once all of the pores in the charcoal have absorbed all of the contaminants.
Q. I need to know if my carbon filter is working so I can clean my water?
Soon enough, you won't be able to smell the fresh carbon coming from your filter. Then, it's time to get a new one. In this case, the active carbon has been used up. It can't be used any more. There are many signs that your carbon filter needs to be changed. One of them is that the filter smells bad.
Q. Why Put the Carbon Filter Outside Tent?
First of all, it's not a good idea to do that. When you set up your tent, you should keep your carbon filter (and a fan) inside the tent.
However, if you find yourself in any of the following scenarios, you may need to reconsider-
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Your grow tent is too small.
They usually come in diameters of 6" or 4", with lengths that range from 12 inches long all the way up to 24 inches long. In a grow tent that is 10-30 square meters in size, you might have a hard time finding a place for the filter. This is because you might not be able to fit the filter inside.
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Your tent might not be strong enough for the weather.
A grow tent isn't always going to be strong. You can't always count on it. A carbon filter that weighs 16 to 20 pounds might be dangerous enough to hang. You don't want this to fall over and start a fire.
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You don't want to waste space when you grow plants.
The carbon filter can't be hung from the roof of the grow tent because it's too heavy or big. Many of us might think about keeping it on the floor. But that takes up a lot of space, which is at a very high price. Also, this will bring warm air down to the plants, which is bad for a good harvest.
A better way to do this is to keep the fan inside and the carbon filter outside of the tent.
Items You'll need:
- The carbon filter is the first thing.
- The fan that runs in the middle.
- This is the third thing you need to do to keep your fan quiet (for setup 2 only).
- Flange kit for ducts. To make air-tight holes in a grow tent.
- Use a box cutter or wire cutter to cut wire or boxes (to cut ducting).
- Clamps for ducting pipes (to secure tight connections).
- Wrap duct tape around a pipe (for extra secure seal).