Answers from old heads only (please)

AmericanFarmer · Aug 30, 2018

1. Who makes the absolute BEST carbon scrubbers (based on your experience and knowledge?)

2. Who makes the best small oscillating fans in the market? For a grow tent???
Lots of hit and miss info online or contradicting info on the best most reliable small oscillating fan.

Thank you all have a nice day.
Look forward to hearing from the old schools

oti$ · Aug 30, 2018

Im not super old school, about ten years in the grow game, but, I've bought many brands and can-filters are the best. Don't skimp on your fan and filter if security is important to you. The cheap ones will stop working way faster. Can-filters are expensively, but they are worth the money. I always go bigger than necessy. I've had a 12" can-max that has been running damn near continuously for 6 years, a couple more for 3. They are all I'll buy from now on.the filters(can100's and can150's) should be replaced every 6 months, but I've had some last a bit longer than a year. High humidity shortens the filter life and also will cause them the filter less effectively.
As for oscillating fans, any that I've bought from the grow store have worn out faster than those bought at Lowe's or Ace hardware. Most stuff sold in grow stores is just cheap versions of similar items available at the hardware store with a hydrofarm label slapped on it and a hefty price mark up. However, centrifugal fans like can-fans, can-max, and vortex are slightly cheaper( not much) than similar fans not sold for grow specific applications and have a higher cfm rating.
So I'd go with a can-max in line fan with a can-filters. As for the oscillating fan, just get some new from your hardware store and don't overspend since they tend to fail eventually in spite of cost or brand name.
Hope this is helpful.

insomniac_AU · Aug 30, 2018

oti$ said:
I've bought many brands and can-filters are the best.

I use Can-filters and I second that.

oti$ said:
The filters(can100's and can150's) should be replaced every 6 months, but I've had some last a bit longer than a year.

I believe it says on the box life is 18 months but as you say better to do it more often than that. I always replace mine every year sometimes twice a year.

seeded · Aug 30, 2018

Blauburg make the best extraction fans. I've had quite a few of theirs over the years and just got my hands on one of their 8 inch silenced units and it's amazing. It pulls tons of air and can't be heard unless you put you ear right up to the bedroom door my grow is in. The old ones were nearly as quiet too and took a hell of a beating without breaking. I had a couple fall 2m to the ground and once I popped them open and put the wires back in to place they ran as good as new.

As for oscillating fans I've had them all die on me no matter which brand I've gone with. Sometimes it takes a few months, sometimes longer, but they always die before too long so I just buy the cheapest ones and keep a couple as a backup for when the inevitable happens.

insomniac_AU · Aug 30, 2018

seeded said:
Blauburg make the best extraction fans.

I'll have to look into those. I've used an Australian made Westaflex extraction fan for the last 12 years and it's still going. It's just getting to the point where I feel I should replace it because it's done so many hours.

Lrus007 · Aug 30, 2018

oscillating fans, look for one with metal fan blades.
hard to find and cost a little more. a plastic fan blade
seems to flatten out quickly and not work as well.
then after you get a few metal ones you can use the metal
blades on a cheap fan. same 1/2 moon fitting. the better metal
blade fans last longer. for me anyway like 2-3 years.
hope this helps
Lrus007

AmericanFarmer · Aug 30, 2018

Thanx all of you guys for taking the time to reply I really appreciate all the advise.
I have a 6” vortex s line fan I like it’s pretty quiet, and a 6” phat filter the guy at the hydro stop recommended but the scrubbers to small doesn’t pull enough cfm’s. Thank you all I will go with the can-fan .

MrBungle · Aug 30, 2018

Phat filters are great I have 2 old ones... one is 3 years old and still working and the other is 7 years old with about 2 years of no service, that I recently just started back up, cause I noticed some smells leaving the grow area... it now scrubs the entire basement... I noticed it had a film of lint on it when I pulled it out of the box...once I wiped that off, it was good as new.... I love Phat filters..

Air king makes a pretty good oscillator.. I have a Hurricane brand one now that has a plastic blade that I like cause its easy to clean.... I haven't had it long enough to see the blade flatten out yet.... I might actually welcome that cause in my room the lowest setting on the oscillator is too much.... I had to duct tape parts of the back grill to reduce the air flow a bit

AmericanFarmer · Aug 30, 2018

Oh cool well I still have few days to decide I might by both, and run a side by side over a certain amount of time. Ok great I will look into those fans thank you my friend.

MrBungle · Aug 30, 2018

I never tried a Can filter, but they are like the name brand of the industry... So I'm sure they are just as good at keeping the smells low..

For me it came down to cost and availability... If I wanted Can I had to order it, If I wanted phat I could get it right away at the shop I was at, and it costed less... I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Phat Filter

Granger2 · Aug 30, 2018

Phresh filters use the best carbon [same as Mt. Air] and are easier to handle, hang, etc. being aluminum. Good luck. -granger

Tex24 · Aug 30, 2018

Filters - Can, Phresh or Phat are all good. In fact they are close enough that you should go with the one of those that your shop has.

Fans - What ever you go with demo it. Some shake more than others. All of them have their faults and I have found any of them will fail unless you go to ridiculous priced units. Metal blades are a good suggestion.

Everyone here has good answers.
Regards,
Tex

AmericanFarmer · Aug 30, 2018

What do y’all think of me putting this inside the diameter of my exhaust ducting to help the scrubber?
Would it make my inline fan work to hard?

https://www.amazon.com/LINKYO-Activated-Carbon-Compost-Filter/dp/B01FKOBQNA

AmericanFarmer · Aug 30, 2018

And what I mean is I have a vortex 6” inline fan that pulls 347 cfm’s
I bought a 6” x 12” phat carbon scrubber
That’s rates for 275 CFM’s because before I purchased my scrubber phats website has a calculator for scrubbers based on my room size which is a 4x4x7’ tent and they recommended a 200 cfm scrubber so my question is since my fan is pulling 347 cfm’s and my scrubber is rated at 275 cfm’s is the air gonna be sucked through the scrubber faster than it can be scrubbed??? If that makes since or will I be ok?

Vanilla Phoenix · Aug 30, 2018

I have used an 8” Vortex fan that has been constantly running for, I really don’t know...8 years, maybe 10.

I’ve always used Can filters.

Most oscillating fans suck. Although right now I have a 12” oscillating Air King in my tent now. It has been running nonstop since since Dec 2016...using oscillating feature and everything. I actually bought two of them, expecting them not to last too long. But the first is still going. So the second one is still boxed up waiting on the day...

I wouldn’t suggest using a fan that has a higher cfm rating than the filter you are using. I guess you could get by, by putting the fan on a speed controller and slow it down. :dunno:

Iffy · Aug 30, 2018

Bosch and Blauberg for oscillating fans imho

AmericanFarmer · Aug 31, 2018

Can you please provide links I googled Bosch oscillating fans and only tools piped up on the search then I googled the other one and nothing popped up for fans under that name thanx @IFFY

Easy7 · Aug 31, 2018

Vortex is the best fan, 10 year warranty. You can run these 24/7/365 for 10 years.

Cheapo filters work just fine IF rated for your fan or above.

Dog Star · Aug 31, 2018

Am like Australian Bull Filter and ultrasilent fans from S&P....

Bull Filters have double filter sleeves that can be exchanged and they use
Australian virgin cocos,look also pretty modern and are smaller than standard
filters..

Fuel · Aug 31, 2018

Big fan of the Bull Filters too, not so much filters can handle 24/7 extracting without quickly decreasing in performance. Unfortunately, i've not tried their extractor because my swedish systemair RVK never die lol Maybe next decade ^^

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