is 100% odor control possible?

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darkhollo

Member

• Nov 6, 2008

• #1

My last grow was a bit scary in the smell dept. I have an oversized can filter with matched can fan (one of those package deals) but my ac unit box had some issues and long story short.. i was sucking cold air out of the room (with the smell of some dank SD IBL)

Now I'm working through that issue and just wondering... is absolute 100% smell control possible? Where is my realistic goal? Assuming proper fan to carbon filter ratio and the room is sealed.

TIA
-dh

 

DirtyFreddy

Active member

• Nov 6, 2008

• #2

100% odor control is possible... easiest way is to have a small exhaust in a sealed room so to create negative pressure in your room. this way the smelly air will only go where you want it and ofcourse you can put a filter on your exhaust so it wont smell either.

 

TGT

Tom 'Green' Thumb

Veteran

• Nov 6, 2008

• #3

Just as DirtyFreddy explained, negative pressure in the room is key. If your AC has a problem of letting smell escape (like portable AC's are notorious for) then think about using a lung room with the AC situated inside it. This room should be half the size of the grow room or larger seperated by a wall, so sometimes it is not possible depending on your specific conditions. Then have the carbon scrubber exausting into the lung room whch will create negative pressure in the grow room and pull the cool air from the lung room via a passive air vent in the wall seperating the lung room and the grow room. That way only clean air is ever in the lung room and the AC can do its thing without releasing any smell and still cool the grow room. So basically the cool air is getting circulated through the grow room by means of the scrubber via the passive air vent between the walls. Hope that made sense lol.

TGT

 

spainmedman

Active member

• Nov 6, 2008

• #4

one thing you could try with your a/c unit is most of them have pre filters so it may be possible to replace that with an activated carbon filter, honeywell makes universal ones that come in rolls, just cut to the size you need, they are about 3/8th's of an inch thick

 

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laulie

New member

• Nov 6, 2008

• #5

thanks for posting this question dark, i was wondering the same thing seeing as my husband and i are first time growers trying to do this in an apartment right now and are really trying to keep it as secretive as possible, although we do live in a community where this is very common and every time you walk outside you can smell some one's "stuff" we dont really want to be one of the ones contributing to all of this. so thanks everyone who replied to this b/c it helped me too!

 

G

Guest

• Nov 6, 2008

• #6

Hi laulie,

If you are growing in an apartment, you want to be extra careful. There is a recent thread that may offer some tips or ideas for you and your man.

Good Luck

here is the thread http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=103339

 

M

mexilandrace

• Nov 6, 2008

• #7

I gave up on smell control, and I try to grow things that don't really smell like pot.

Out where I live though you smell an actual skunk every single day, so people don't pay attention to skunky smells.

Now that I think about it, what the heck smells like pot?

 

D

_Dude

Member

• Nov 6, 2008

• #8

darkhollo said:

My last grow was a bit scary in the smell dept. I have an oversized can filter with matched can fan (one of those package deals) but my ac unit box had some issues and long story short.. i was sucking cold air out of the room (with the smell of some dank SD IBL)

Now I'm working through that issue and just wondering... is absolute 100% smell control possible? Where is my realistic goal? Assuming proper fan to carbon filter ratio and the room is sealed.

TIA
-dh

Click to expand...

AFAIK, no, complete odor control is not possible. Dogs will probably always have a decent chance of smelling your grow. If you live in an apartment with lots of other units around, you can probably reduce the chance of a dog knowing where the smell is coming from to practically nothing.

Dogs can smell MJ inside sealed containers inside a gas tank. Check out the "never get busted" and "never get raided" videos.

 

TGT

Tom 'Green' Thumb

Veteran

• Nov 6, 2008

• #9

True that dogs can smell pot no matter what you do, but to hide it from animals is unrealistic. You can hide it from human senses 100%, so do that and you shouldn't have a cop bringing a police dog near your home. If they come with a dog your pretty much screwed already. But I have heard that some police localities were brinigng dogs through apartments just for a spot check, but here in Canada they don't do that. I also here it is quite rare in the USA too, so conceil your smell the best you can and you should be good.

TGT

 

homerdog

Member

• Nov 7, 2008

• #10

Pot has so many different smells, I'm wondering how a dog knows that something that smells like lemons or pineapple is pot.

 

dontstepongrass

M.U.R.D.A. / FMB crew

Veteran

• Nov 7, 2008

• #11

its not that a dog "knows" what pot smells like. pot has a complex chemical profile and the dog will be "interested" in all the chemical excitement...

besides, dogs don't locate drugs, they play a game. they are looking for their toy, and once the dog "indicates" for a officer they then give the dog the toy. i've heard owning cats is a decent cover since dogs will trigger on the cats scent every time and handler probably will think false alarm

 

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darkhollo

Member

• Nov 7, 2008

• #12

Thanks for all the replies. When I meant 100%... i guess I should have clarified that is 100% no odor detection from homo sapiens. Dogs are too good. I'm just talking about the mailman, the UPS guy, the random neighbor that stops by. I know i know.. people will say to mitigate those issues too.. but I was wondering about smell control.

I have the elements.. just need to work out that AC. Thanks again!

Wish me stealthiness
-dh