Can exhaust fans lose umph over time?

[PuravidaC]

Coming into final stretch of current grow and seeing temps rise with no apparent change in set up. Left door open on grow space which helps bring temps down but wife just walked in house and said whole house reeks of pot! I have learned that lower humidity will raise temps but nothing has changed in last week or so but temps have risen 5 degrees. Just ordered new, larger exhaust fan and filter but still confused why temps are rising. Can exhaust fans lose cfm over time?

[dontknownuttin]

I use a cool tube fixture along with a 8 inch 747 CFM rated fan and 8 inch Carbon filter, works great (no smells) for 5 grows!. I use a 600 watt HPS bulb on 24/7 my grow room area temp. stays at 72-74 above. Grow space 2 foot by 4 foot and 7 feet tall. Light fixture and ventilation tubing barely fits!. Grows great Tomatoes!

[PuravidaC]

I have ordered a larger exhaust fan and hope that corrects issue. It is taking awhile to get new grow space dialed in!

[Dutchman1]

Lucky for me I grow in a legal state and wife doesnt mind the smell of weed. I love the smell and look forward to when the house " reeks" lol.

[Canuck147]

I'm in the Dutchmans boat. I love the smell of terpenes in the morning. Smells like...........victory. hehehe

[Canyon Grower]

Oh I love that quote- use it all the time.

[PuravidaC]

Unfortunately in my state growing is considered "manufacture with intent to distribute"... a felony!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey PuravidaC, my exaust fans ,are still doing fine, so I ain't sure bout that.
But the first 315lec I bought was a bad one, after about a week or so it just kept getting hotter an hotter, I mean it was obvious, an bought a different kind an no problems,
When they got the bad light back, they sent a message, an said that was a new version that hasn't been tested much, wtf. I'm just sayin that's why my tent kept gettin hotter,

[PuravidaC]

I wondered about that too. When you say bad light are you talking about the fixture or bulb?

[Waltermelon]

When there about to crap out, yes they can slow down because of increased resistance in the motor. Really unlikely but just about anything is possible. I've had the same fan I got used for about 5 years. There has to be some kind of outside influence raising the temps. AC's lose effecency over time. I think it's 10% the first year and about 5% every year after if I remember correctly. Not saying that's the issue, but a more likely culprit especially if you're using a window or portable unit .

[PuravidaC]

It may just be an undersized fan. I hope that's the issue. During veg when humidity is high it worked great but when I lowered humidity for flower, that's when temps climbed.

[Insight]

I had a bad filter that caused a heat problem.

Disconnect the carbon filter from the fan and see if the temps drop. ( it will smell more, but if the temps come down....filter is bad)

[PuravidaC]

Good suggestion! I have had this filter for four grows (flower only) and wondered how much life was left. Have ordered larger fan and filter but will disconnect filter just to check. When I put my hand over fan intake it doesn't feel as strong as I think it should but have also read that filters can reduce air flow significantly.

[PuravidaC]

Well, I found out why my exhaust fan was losing cfm's. When I installed my 315 I went with a larger humidifier. I always used distilled water for my small humidifier but new one is 1 1/2 gallon that needed to be filled twice daily so I used tap water. When I took down old fan to install the new one, the inside of duct was covered in mineral deposits which clogged filter. What a dumb ass! Now I need to get a water filter for filling humidifier. For something that started as a hobby this sure is getting involved!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning PuravidaC, I think mine is 460cfm, I ain't sure, i'd have to go look to see for sure but, it aint no way to clean an exaust fan is it ?? Or can you ?? I know damn well mine prolly needs cleaning.

[Insight]

Good catch PuravidaC. I noticed white powder on my tent floor and sides and the oscillating fan in the tent. My tap water TDS is about 300 ppm. I'm trying this filter on my supply line on the sink where I fill my humidifier. It lowered the TDS to around 110 ppm. Have been running it for a week now....don't see any white stuff forming on the humidifier or fan. Hopefully it will fix the problem.

http://www.filterwater.com/p-266-demineralizing-filter-cartridge-10.aspx

[Potted]

Winner,winner chicken dinner I think u stumbled apon the answer,I’m trying to figure a way to clean the fan?without hurting the grow maybe a vinegar soap solution put thru the exaust via the humidifier the carbon filter can b rinsed out with tap and left to dry I beleave

[PuravidaC]

D.A.A.S.69, Insight , Potted, now I'm wondering if my bud is safe to smoke. As sticky as they are they have to have the same mineral dust on them! I have looked up water report from municipal water system and googled if the minerals listed on report are toxic when burned. Doesn't look good but I'm not a chemist, so I'm not sure I'm looking at correct symbols (CaCo3, ect.). Have you guys had any issues with humidifier "dust" on buds? Also, the instructions on my new fan note you can remove fan housing, attached with screws, to clean. I plan to clean with white vinegar.

[Potted]

If your using tap to drink and to humitfie your plants with I can’t imagine that it would b very dangerous?
After all your cooking with it and ingesting it even showering with stem breathing it in that way,but saying that burning it is not harmful I just don’t know? Hope not! Lol

[Potted]

I’ve been researching the carbon filters shouldn’t u be using a prefilter cover to prevent large particles and moisture deposits from reaching the filter and fan ?
i wash mine out about once a mounth takes 5min. To do. And cheep. Just a preventative measure for next time. Lol

[Waltermelon]

I push air through mine, no problems yet. I know, I know. The book says... maybe running a smaller filter at a higher cfm is different?

[PuravidaC]

I push air through mine too because I don't have space inside grow room. In hindsight I should have put a pre-filter at exhaust intake but now have new, larger fan and filter. Just another learning step along the growers path!