Micro grow exhaust pushing thru a DIY carbon scrubber

[darcey]

Hey Guys,

Just wondering if anyone in Micro grow land is pushing their exhaust thru a DIY carbon scrubber instead of pulling...and if so, how is it performing?

Until my last harvest I have been growing in a decent sized 250w HPS cab with good results..Due to my clumsiness my exhaust duct got a very small hole in it during the last two weeks of flowering causing my better half and I to come home to a house REEKING of Sensi Star.

My better half is a nervy type and pretty much shut me down after this happened (we live in close proximity to other houses and she was very scared of getting busted...don’t blame her) After a couple of months of niggling away at her I have the green light to grow again with one condition...She can’t know it’s there AT ALL!! No odour, no ballest hum, no bubbling DWC...no nothing

So I’m thinking of downgrading to a smaller 18x12x29 130w CFL cabinet which I can tuck away in a walk-in cupboard but am having some issues sorting out the odour control. Nearing the end of the last grow I bought myself a Foothill Filters DIY style 4 x 12 carbon scrubber (where I live it’s impossible to find the parts to construct my own) which I am thinking of using but giving its size would be impossible to fit into the cab. This got me looking at blowing the exhaust thru the scrubber which would be a lot easier to setup...but I’m stressing a lot that if it fails I will be shut down for good and back to scoring my smoke from the street

So is anyone doing this and how has it been going? Should I ditch the Foothills filter and get a professionally made scrubber (which i have always used in the past with great success until the “hole incident”)??

cheers

 

[Fresh Start]

Pulling is better, but not mandatory. I push air through an "odor sock" from this design.http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=103322

I think you should stick with your foothills filter if it works good, just make sure the CFMs are adequate. What does the foothills filter look like?

 

[darcey]

Hey Fresh Start,

The foothills filter looks exactly like most DIY filters on here (link below). I have taken it apart and it seems to be well constructed with a 1 inch bed of carbon which the air has to pass thru. I haven't used it before and thats why I'm stressing abit...From all of the reading i have done they get excellent reviews and people are very happy with how they perform.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350310424559

I always used professionally made Phat Filters in the past (much like a Can filter but made in Australia)...I guess the DIY nature of the Foothills filter has me on edge as it could spell the end of my growing career if it fails

The fan im using should be fine...its a 125mm westaflex mixed flow fan rated at 153cfm low/188cfm high. Much like the one pictured below

cheers

 

[615]

With that fan you should be fine pushing through the filter. Just be sure to double-ducttape everything. You can always use onablock, ionizers, etc.

 

[ScrubNinja]

There is no difference as far as I can tell between pushing and pulling. In fact I push into both of mine at the moment (one is diy, one is commercial). Hell, I have seen a person who works in ventilation post on here that blowing is standard, but some things just persist I guess. No biggie either way, anyway.

I would suggest something like I've done with my tent. The trick is to pay attention to the pressure zones you are creating, either negative or positive (sucking or blowing, kind of). For instance, if you had negative pressure in your ducting, then the smell wouldn't have leaked out, or more accurately, been forced out. Instead, clean air would be getting sucked in.

So attach your fan directly to the filter, and then you have negative pressure in your ducting. The ducting you see on mine is the rattiest old ducting full of holes and there's zero smell. Go overboard with tape on the seal between the fan and filter especially. Any other leaks won't cause smell although they will reduce from your exhaust power so you should still keep it tidy.



Don't forget to use a pre filter of some description. Happy grows.

 

[Fresh Start]

I like your tent set up scrub. Is that your intake hanging down there like a black wang? haha

 

[stihgnobevoli]

ive been pushing because i cant put them inside my current cab, no room. but its not doing a very good job, the backpressure pushes the smell out of other gaps in the cab, i need to redesign and pull or get stronger exhaust fans.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Fresh Start, yes that's an intake, and the ladies love to suck on it. : Ahem.

 

[MR.Montana]

ive been pushing because i cant put them inside my current cab, no room. but its not doing a very good job, the backpressure pushes the smell out of other gaps in the cab, i need to redesign and pull or get stronger exhaust fans.

sounds like you need biggger intake holes to create passive pressure

 

[treefrog]

talk about stretch marks.. :jawdrop:

 

[darcey]

Thanks everyone for the info...made me feel alot better! I will be super nazi on sealing this grow up to stop any leaks and use negative pressure on the duct like Scrubninja suggested

Scrubninja - Good to see another aussie rocking a phat filter...I saw they have just released some smaller sized scrubbers (100mm, 125mm) so i might even grab a 125mm as backup

Thanks again

 

[ScrubNinja]

I'm extremely happy with mine, they are good philters. I actually worked out that activated carbon is so expensive for me, it's cheaper to buy a filter on sale and empty the carbon out, haha.

 

[darcey]

yes i know what you mean! When i first started growing carbon was just stupidly priced so it was cheaper for me to get a phatty

I did find this guy a month ago though and he has pretty cheap excellent quailty activated carbon...i got a couple of bags and was planning of refilling my foothills filter

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2kg-COCONUT-GRANULAR-ACTIVATED-CARBON-12-30-MESH_W0QQitemZ350333211033QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Wine_Alcohol?hash=item51917c9199

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/10kgs-COCONUT-ACTIVATED-CARBON-GRANULES-12-30-MESH_W0QQitemZ400106376602QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Pet_Supplies?hash=item5d2832cd9a

If you buy direct from him (not thru eBay) i think he knocks 5% off the total price...

 

[ScrubNinja]

Suh - weeet! Good that he lists the specs of the carbon too. Thanks.