Phone acting weird... Had to repost. Hey bud, I was in your same shoes about a month ago. I'm at day 50 since seed and I'll be honest. If smell is a problem then you need to be prepared. Day 1-15: no smell at all Day 15-20: green plant smell Day 20-25: without a doubt smell was throughout basement. At that point I tried three different versions of a DIY carbon filter which just didn't cover it to the point of "zero smell". I started an Ona bucket, and while it does help to cover the smell... It only covers it, meaning that it just adds smell to cover smell. (Don't kid yourself that it is the end solution) anyone with a brain knows there is a reason you are overpowering something with that fresh linen scent. By day 30 the odor was out of control and I ended up having to go all out for a Phresh filter. Within 1-2hrs the smell is completely gone, even with the Ona bucket off. I don't mean kinda gone... I mean completely gone. When I open my growbox it's like opening a fresh bag, but when closed it's completely Un-noticeable. (Not K9 Un-noticeable, but to humans it's perfect) Also... I'm only a single plant and I'm not even full blown flower yet. Dude it stinks... don't kid yourself if odor is going to be an issue. I have a 400cfm running at 50%, I went with the 6x16 and it's been great. You can either push or pull the air through the filter. They even market it that way (check their site).
My last harvest I dried a hp in a small closet with my mountain air filter in there with the door closed. Not only could I not smell one trace of weed it actually smelled better in there than in the rest of my house.
That is a good question, I also had it earlier. Here is what I was able to find out- There is no consensus on harmful effects of ozone to human health. Sure, it smells nice, but the same would be true it if you had something radioactive in your hands (like a powerful UV bulb) - I smell ozone in the air around it when it's on. I am not sure if it's harmful or not, but it surely kills all the microorganisms in the water in my res Not sure about tanning booths - never been in one LOL
I use carbon filters, they are reliable, work dandy but there are a couple things you need to keep in mind. 1) you get what you pay for....don't cheap out on the no name 29.99 ebay special. Drop the cash and get 2x Phresh or other reputable brand of filter. 2) ALWAYS have a new filter on hand...100% of the time...if your old one runs out pop the new one in and get a new back up by the end of the week, don't ever break this rule or one day you will inevitably get caught with your pant's down and it's going to fuck ya something fierce. Yes it's a couple hundred bucks...but that is the price you pay if you don't want any fuck up's and all things considered it's cheap ass insurance/CYA, too cheap for anyone with half a brain to decline. 3)If you are leaving/having someone babysit for a few days while you go out of town (shit happens right?) and your filter is anywhere remotely close to being used up....change it or 100% it will shit the bed and let the world know what's up while you are gone. 4) ona gel... incense/scented candles (in the rest of the house/apt), glade or whatever the hell you want are good to have on stand by even for rookie smokers (much less growing) in key areas of the house for surprise visits from whoever. I have several years worth of growing in urban apt's...suburban homes and never ever had so much as a cockeyed look or sniff in my direction following these self imposed tight ass rules. Sure every now and then I wouldn't pay attn' to the date on the filter and I would come home and start catching the faintest whiff...but it's cool b/c you are far from stanking out the hood, that is however your 1 and only warning so pay attention. If you do these things carbon will work just fine from any human nose from detecting your grow.
I use a can 33 with a 6" fan and it works great..also got an automatic air freshener to cover any carbon smell
Total noob here......What about Phat filters? Are they as good as Phresh? Or are Phresh the way to go? I see that they are lighter but I want something that is going to work without a doubt. I wonder has anyone used the ona breeze fans available? Not as a replacement for a carbon filter but just for overall smell- like in non grow areas where you smoke? Or maybe regular air purifiers work? I have a 2'x4'x5' grow tent and I was going to get a 6" 400cfm inline fan with a 6"x"16 filter- overkill or just right? I'm using a t5 4', 6 bulb fixture. I also have a question about air intake on the bottom of the tent- what kind of fan should I go with for that considering my specs? I've heard you ideally want negative pressure in your tent but how do you achieve that if you have air flowing in? Do you need an additional carbon filter for intake? I'm hoping not. Sorry for my noobness!
i use a vortex fan to pull air from my tent..(2X2), via the light vent and pushes that air through a carbon can filter...i had a tomato plant that grew about 4 feet tall and 2 hybrids to about 4 feet as well...pretty much no smell at all..i also use a hepa filter...about 30 bones at the local general store...and an oscillating fan..all that in a 10X8 (ish) walk in closet...grow tent fits under the shelf..roughly 5 1/2' tall..fan is supported by nails and zip ties...hole drilled in top shelf so the fan sits nicely there..dyer vent connecting it all..worth the money..plus...its a great place to burn...fan is really strong so it pulls the smoke through the filter acting as a "smoke eater"...
Not sure about the brands. I made all 4 of my carbon filters myself- it is pretty simple. All I have to do is refill them with fresh carbon once a year or a tad sooner
The largest one I have - is 6"ID, 8"OD, 1' long. So there is 1" of tightly packed carbon I get off ebay in 20 lb medium size boxes. The exhaust goes directly in the return stack. I had all my pics on 420mag, so I haven't kept copies thinking I would be able to access them - wrong - got banned forever for activism.
Is it the Zen cup method or fabric carbon cloth I'm thinking of building a square version of the cup style but not sure yet
You should be fine with the pantyhose/pencil-holder if your grow is that micro. I used 8" end cap, 6" end cap, 8"to 6" flange, wire mesh, window screen cloth, and screws Same can be done on a smaller scales - I've done 6" to 4" before
Quick Q: Can somebody tell me at which time the plants smell the most? For example, do they smell more at day time/night time or is it always the same? If you have the plants in a room that's aired out every day, do you have to have the carbon filters running all the time?
They tend to smell real green sometimes right when the light goes out but thats it..the ones that smell the most are skunk and kush crosses imo..oh also diesel
imo...you should run the filter the whole time...or at least during pre flowering/flowering..you can get away with out it when they are little tykes... plus it keeps air flow going...dust off your plants..etc....air flow is good even if it isn't for the sake of odor control...also...you know how a bag of flowers smell...now imagine a couple o's of it flourishing in a small space..it will stink to high heaven bro....you need odor control...what a shame it would be to get busted over smell...which btw...in most states...police can enter your residence over the smell...(even if its not by the letter of the law a "legal entry", if it smells...they will come).
Never used phat, but I have never had an issue with Phresh/Rhino filters. 6" fan running a 6x16" C filter sounds just about right. You do want negative pressure, I maintain it with a fan speed controllers to make the exhaust pull just a little harder than the intake is blowing in. This is so you don't need a C filter on the intake, just a regular filter to keep pet hair, your hair, dust and god knows what out. with T5's and a 6" fan I would just run that exhaust with a passive intake.