it stanks! WTF!

[darkhollo]

Ok.. I have a 4' x 4' x 8' room, mostly sealed.. two doors in.
AC box with passive intake, 6" vortex on speed controller for cooling the ac box.

I have a Can Filter 33 which I got in a combo with a paired can fan 6" running full speed. WAY oversized I thought for the room, but I figured I'm just making the air SUPER clean and being that they were bought in a combo, the contact time would be fine. Well outside of my room stanks. Lights off it's not that bad but lights on is pretty obvious.

Any thoughts? AC box (which is super tight, caulking and proper duct tape, made with plenum board) shouldn't be leaking.. but I saw other posts talking about ACs leaking air (the actual AC unit). But still.. with the speed of that 6" i should be scrubbing the air ALOT and it should be fresh smelling.. not smelling like DANK! It was on about 18" off the floor and now I moved to hanging it from the sealing with a 90 elbow to blow scrubbed air to the floor. Hoping to increase circulation.

Please give me some hints, pointers, help to get to the root.

No smell, no se%*$*@!!. .. oh shit. i fucked up the first one already.



-dh

 

[julsbagell]

Got any pics?

 

[Raistlin Majere]

:edit: nevermind, i read your whole post wrong :edit:

:edit#2: do you have negative pressure ?

 

[darkhollo]

I do not believe I have neg pressure.. though I'm not really sucking air into the room. It's a sealed room and I say semi-sealed as I don't have an air lock, but i use 2" polystyrene as a door. I have center point secured, with a board (god this is hard to explain) so that you can suck the polystyrene "door" to the inside of the wall.. aka for light proofing and no light gets out. Then there is a standard exterior door.

Passive intake to the AC box only, no other intakes or holes in the room. Active vortex powered outtake for the AC box only. Single 600w light which is not air cooled, 5000 btu ac takes care of that. So that's all i have.

Obviously something in my setup is wrong. Just not sure how to go down the list or how to prove/disprove different ideas.

Also I'm in flower (about 5 weeks) so test time is limited. I thought I could use incense sticks burning by the front of the AC box.. to see if we can see smoke or smell it right away at the out take of the AC box. Or.. turn off the AC, burn some incense and see if we can smell it outside the closet. Trying to isolate the offender, but would hot boxing the closet with incense hurt my babies?

-dh

 

[darkhollo]

Well I figured out my issue...

Turned off the AC, but left the vortex pulling the hot air out.
Closing myself off in the room, partner outside.. I burned a sheet of paper.. just letting it smolder. With the speed control on high it clearly sucked ALL the smoke into the face of the AC and disappeared. My partner quickly noticed the smell of burning paper, so somehow my box isn't sealed between the cold side and the part that is intended to hang outside.

I guess the neg pressure is too much for this design. I have an LG 5000 BTU unit. Just something for others to look out for.

-dh

 

[Chaghatai]

Neg pressure means all extra air goes to exhaust. Sounds like that is what you have Pos pressure means air is being pushed out of the room by intake fans through every crack and opening. Remember that the air intake to the hot side of the ac box needs to be from outside of the room.

 

[seebobski]

do you have co2 in your semi sealed room if so put passive intake on it's own duct in that said
#1
just put a carbonfilter after vortex (hot,moist air BAD for life of carbon) but will work

#2
remove the grill of ac and take duct tape around the frame and coil fins and cold air out- in the front ac and do smoke test
that should do it if not see#1

good luck

 

[Murphy]

Other then the AC causing the change in air flow, another thing I had a problem with was a fan that pulled air through the carbon scrubber to fast when I had it running full blast. It was sucking the air thru it and didn't get a chance to "scrub" it. Just a thought for later.

 

[darkhollo]

Chag - My air is being pulled from the room, not pushed. And my air intake to the hotside is from the outside. My setup wouldn't work at all if it wasn't. My room is the right temp, though I'm sure the AC is running overtime. It's just the smell is getting out.

Seebowski - I'm going to yank the grill and seal it up. I don't want to get another scrubber and then push air through which is even less eff. than pulling through it. Seems like a crutch to fix a problem I already have identified.

Murphy - I bought a combo from Can so the scrubber and fan are matched up to work together. I do not have a speed controller on it but I'm under the assumption being a combo it was matched correctly.

When I open it up I'll take some pics and post my solution. Not that anyone cares but you never know.

Thanks!
-dh

 

[Chaghatai]

Chag - My air is being pulled from the room, not pushed. And my air intake to the hotside is from the outside. My setup wouldn't work at all if it wasn't. My room is the right temp, though I'm sure the AC is running overtime. It's just the smell is getting out.

Seebowski - I'm going to yank the grill and seal it up. I don't want to get another scrubber and then push air through which is even less eff. than pulling through it. Seems like a crutch to fix a problem I already have identified.

Murphy - I bought a combo from Can so the scrubber and fan are matched up to work together. I do not have a speed controller on it but I'm under the assumption being a combo it was matched correctly.

When I open it up I'll take some pics and post my solution. Not that anyone cares but you never know.

Thanks!
-dh

I figured you were pulling, not pushing your air out. That's why I said I thionk you already have neg pressure. Perhaps internally in your AC, air is being pulled into your hot side because of the low pressure of the moving air? In that case, you are right, it needs to be taken apart and have it's split properly sealed. Oh and it's kinda obvious, so you no doubt have already checked this, but some AC's have an air exchanger that allows air to go between the inside and outside. This needs to be closed of course. Perhaps it is this part that needs to be sealed better?