Indoor Carbon filter life-span

[Afrikaaner]

in all my previous grows, smell wasn't a concern. now it is. i ordered a carbon filter the other day, and they claim to have a 1.5 year life. i'm a little skeptical of this seemingly long duration, anyone with experience able to chime in on the accuracy of this? cheers!

 

[S_a_H]

There are many factors in just how long its going to last. Just how humid it is and how big a fan you put on your filter and when you start getting down to the end of that life span wrap cling wrap around the top 6-8 inches of your filter to force more air in through the lower area of the filter. I know a friend that had a filter last about five years living in Phoenix,AZ.

Lastly buy a extra filter and one year in don't take a chance and replace but have it on hand in case it doesn't last a year.

S_a_H

 

[Afrikaaner]

so which humidity is bad, high or low?

 

[S_a_H]

Higher is bad as the moisture fills up the porous holes in the carbon that the air filters through. Also I bought a roll of furnace pre-filter material and I change it every grow it stops dust and other particles from clogging those pores as well.

S_a_H

 

[Monkeypox]

Have to agree , higher humidity will shorten the lifespan of a filter . I have used a pre-filter to extend the life of a filter . Simple wedge of foam with charcoal in between layers . I use the stuff for fish tanks .

 

[Afrikaaner]

monkeypox, how long do your filters last with or without the prefilter?

 

[roadsidevendor1]

ive never been inside a carbon filter but,
when this grow is over ,i plan to drill out
the rivets holding the top (adapter end)
on and try to replace the carbon granules,
and put it back together with screws. so i
can dump out old carbon and refill,as needed

 

[Afrikaaner]

yeah, after i ordered, i saw how they were made and was super pissed off i was being charged so much! activated charcoal/carbon is dirt cheap! so that sounds like a good idea, roadside.

 

[Monkeypox]

monkeypox, how long do your filters last with or without the prefilter?

Seemed to gain 6 months-1 year with the prefilter. it just collected anything that would clog/fill the filter.

Btw , you CAN make your own filter . Can even clean and reactivate the carbon . Will look for my files and links on it.

 

[JM]

please post them... always like to see new ideas...