How Do Carbon Filters Work for Grow Rooms? – Latest Cannabis News Today

If you’ve recently picked up a flair for gardening or you’re planning to start soon, you must know about carbon filters and their functions. 

Growing plants in a grow room, especially if it’s cannabis or any other terpene-containing variety, is a smelly business. You don’t want the neighbors complaining about the skunk coming from your yard, do you?

Carbon filters help improve ventilation in the grow rooms, ensuring elimination of the nasty odors. 

Admittedly, growing plants yourself comes with a set of advantages. 

Firstly, you are in total control of the temperature, light intensity, water, and humidity. Secondly, you can easily keep pathogens and pests away as the space is limited. 

However, it’s crucial to get the best carbon filter for your grow room if you want to keep smells out. Otherwise, the scent will spread to your house, making it unbearable for you to exist without scrunching your nose every minute. 

What are Carbon Filters?

A carbon filter is an exhaust system containing a bed of activated carbon. The meshwork has tiny pores inside it with a layer of charcoal surrounding it. 

The air in a grow room, tent, or any other isolated space vents through the filter. Then, the filter traps odors, spores, dust, and pollen. Some advanced carbon filters also restrict the entry of airborne contaminants back into the grow room. 

What Does A Carbon Filter Do For a Grow Room?

Although primarily made for odor removal, carbon filters have plenty of other uses too. Let’s discuss them in detail. 

Helpful Against Odor Fatigue 

When your nose is exposed to a smell for a prolonged period, its sensitivity to that odor diminishes with time. For instance, if you walk into a room that smells like rotten fish, the skunk will hit you strongly at first.

However, the longer you sit in that room, the less intense the smell will get. 

Your body does this to prevent overloading your brain. Since the brain must respond to all stimuli, it’s vital not to let it overwork over the same stimulus for too long. 

Now, how does this apply to carbon filters? 

Well, the dust and odors in your grow room are due to the chemical contaminants. Also, there are hazardous particles in the air that you can smell but not see. 

However, when you spend a lot of time in the grow room, the smell will fade away. But the particles are still there. 

A grow room carbon filter removes these dangerous particles, keeping the atmosphere clean and safe for you to work. 

Therefore, even if you’re experiencing odor fatigue, the carbon filter looks out for you. 

Lower Energy Costs 

Carbon filters aren’t the only way for air filtration. You’ll find many other options too. However, all of them are heavy on the wallet. 

On the contrary, you can get the best carbon filter at a fraction of other filtration systems’ price. Moreover, it keeps the electricity bills low, saving you even more money. 

Quick Setup

Maintaining a grow room isn’t an easy thing. But installing a carbon filter is. 

You simply have to adjust it at the correct height and then use clamps to attach it to the ducting. Almost every model comes with easy-to-follow instructions. So, you won’t need to get a handyman for the job. 

How Do Carbon Filters Work?

By now, you should know that carbon filters are a helpful addition to your grow room. But how do they even work? 

Carbon filters employ a hydroponic system coupled with the adsorptive ability of activated carbon. In layman’s terms, the dirt and odor particles stick to the carbon bed when they pass through the filter. 

The filter traps these particles and does not let them go back into the grow room. The air freed of these impurities is allowed to circulate into the air again. 

Think of the activated carbon like a black hole, except that it has a bottom. As the allergens and other contaminants pass through the filter, they keep falling into this hole. 

With time, the trash grows because the carbon bed gets saturated. Now, it’s time to replace the filter. 

Simply put, a carbon filter takes in the air from your grow room, cleanses it, and sends it back to the environment. 

Why Carbon?

One can wonder: why carbon and not any other element? The credit for this selection goes to carbon’s enlarged surface area. 

Here are some figures to help you paint a picture: one gram of activated carbon has a surface area of up to 3000 square meters. 

Since it has a huge surface area, carbon is ideal for filtering something as vast as air. 

Where Should You Install Carbon Filters In a Grow Room?

You might not see results even after buying the best carbon filter if its placement is wrong. Ideally, you should install a carbon filter below the tent’s ceiling. 

To suspend a filter, you’ll also need an appropriate exhaust fan. It should have a compatible duct diameter and CFM or cubic feet per minute airflow. Once you have that, follow the steps given below to erect the carbon filter on the tent. 

• Use duct tape to secure the fan with the carbon filter. 
• Go as high as you can on the grow tent’s ceiling and hang the duo there. 
• Connect the exhaust fan’s outlet to the ducting. Secure it in place with duct tape. 
• Push the other end of the ducting out of the grow room’s tent through the hole on the side. 
• Make sure the ducting outlet is near a ventilation shaft. Alternatively, you can position it close to an open window. 

How Often Should You Change the Carbon Filter?

Fortunately, carbon filters do not need frequent replacement. In most cases, you’ll have to change them every two years. If your plants exhibit extensive growth, consider replacing the filter every 18 months. 

However, if the situation isn’t very demanding, a filter can work fine for four years. 

But then again, the final lifespan will depend on the quality of the filter, types of plants, and humidity levels. 

Final Words

Your grow room should be a sanctuary – a place for you to relax and spend time with your botanical buddies. 

If the unpleasant odors are making it difficult for you to pursue your hobby, get your hands on the best carbon filter as soon as possible.