How to reverse carbon filter setup?

[hukaraptor]

I really want to get my carbon filter outside my tent to better utilize space. I watched a few videos and they all show putting the dust filter on the inside of the filter (obviously because you need to blow air through the inside to out. However, my dust filter does not lay nicely inside this filter (bought on amazon :\). Do people cut them to fit? I assume without them the filter will clog up rapidly. How much lifetime do they save/are they completely necessary?

mahalo

[9fingerleafs]

I got no idea. Never used a carbon filter. But I'm just thinking out loud, wouldn't it be better just to hang the filter above the light? At least a couple of benefits come to mind. For starters you'd be evacuating the hot air on top and around the light. Another thing is CO2 accumulates on the bottom on the tent and the oxygen rises to the top, so I'm thinking maybe the CO2 levels will increase in a homogeneous way in the tent, being pulled upwards. Lastly you could place the fan directly next to the filter and this will help to reduce leaks (non filtered air escaping). I've seen people using aluminium foil tape instead of those screw clamps so the smell doesn't escape.

Sorry if you already thought about all this. Just sharing my thoughts 🤔

[Bootsy]

if heat is an issue, and youre sucking out of tent, then blowing through fikter to eliminate smells, try running the intake duct (high in tent of course) close to the heat source (lights) can make a huuuuuuge difference in temperature. you remove a lot more of the heat before it gets dissipated into the tent.

[Glenganja]

Cable ties do a really good job at holding my carbon filter from the roof poles in my tent.

[Bootsy]

Hi. I have mine set up with the fanblowing through the filter and have for likely 18 months of almost continuous grow. I do have a dust filter for the inlet, but after looking at the inside of my fan - which was easy to clean, i wont bother. i am sure it depends on the dust in your air, but for me, no intake dust filter, even though it is ready to add. the dust cofver I have is an 8 inch sleeve with a spreader made from bent clothes hanger wire. worked fine, but for me doesnt seem worth the while considering the extra pressure the fan would be under.

[Bluey]

You can run them either way. High humidity kills them fast. You can re-use them if you can pull them apart, wash and dry the carbon and repack them. It's not hard.

[changeofpace2014]

the activated carbon requires a bit more processing to rejuvenate. A good start is rinse well, then soak for a day or so in muratic acid then rinse and bake on bb grill high for hour or so.. The acid will dissolve all the organics collected in the activated carbon and the heat should remove anything left over..there is a 3rd chemical but I will have to go look for that article.. Long winded but you should get the idea of what is required..
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7180969/ - the page is there

[homegrown]

I've always run my filter this way just to gain as much room as possible. And i don't use the dust filter either. I just replaced my filter after a couple of years of constant use and the inside wasn't bad at all.(guess it depends on what your sucking into the tent) I also hang my ducting with a light hanger so i can adjust it to the height of the lights for heat exhaust also.

[OldManGrower]

I fail to understand the focus on placing the carbon filter or the entire exhaust system inside the tent. I put a piece of plywood on top of my tent and mounted the entire system outside. Works really well and does not take up tent space or interfere with the light. I do grow in my garage so that may facilitate my system setup.

[Rootsruler]

I fail to understand the focus on placing the carbon filter or the entire exhaust system inside the tent. I put a piece of plywood on top of my tent and mounted the entire system outside. Works really well and does not take up tent space or interfere with the light. I do grow in my garage so that may facilitate my system setup.

Agreed. Everyone's setup will be different depending on their location. I hang my filter inside the tent but run my exhaust fan outside of the tent and vent through a window. I use it mostly for odor mitigation.

If you want to revive your filters, put the entire filter in a boiling pot of water for around 45 minutes unless there are plastic pieces on the filter that won't hold up to boiling water temps. You can try and remove just the charcoal and boil it that way but, depending on how it's built, sometimes it's hard to get the charcoal to go back in with everything lining up. I had a friend that did filter rehab services for most of the major grow ops in L.A. He told me it wasn't worth removing the charcoal from the filter body so he did it that way.

AC Infinty has a filter specifically designed to be refillable so the next time I replace my filter I'll go with one of them.

Hydroponics & Growers - VENTILATION - Refillable Carbon Filters - AC Infinity