Carbon Filter Smell Problem

So basically this filter is brand new and only been through one grow. I have it ducting out my basement into the outside and have been smelling some weird ass smell outside...Its like a mixster of weed and the filter but i think if anyone smelled it they would think its weed...I am thinking that its a little humid in my grow tent, temps are 80-85 usually and i am going to get a humidity gauge i dont have one yet. My setup is like this Carbon filter-Ducting-Inline Fan-Lights-Ducting out the tent then out the window..I paid like 65 for the filter is that to cheap?? Idk man i just dont like that smell outside my house its just a weird smell

hunter21312 said:

So basically this filter is brand new and only been through one grow. I have it ducting out my basement into the outside and have been smelling some weird ass smell outside...Its like a mixster of weed and the filter but i think if anyone smelled it they would think its weed...I am thinking that its a little humid in my grow tent, temps are 80-85 usually and i am going to get a humidity gauge i dont have one yet. My setup is like this Carbon filter-Ducting-Inline Fan-Lights-Ducting out the tent then out the window..I paid like 65 for the filter is that to cheap?? Idk man i just dont like that smell outside my house its just a weird smell

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65 is a little cheap for a good filter. It doesn't look like youre scrubbing either, I find it helps more to scrub than the exhaust directly. Unfortunatly to scrub, you'll need a second fan. I know you don't want to hear someone tell you to go spend more money but ,compare the price of a bigger carbon filter to the price a lawyer charges per hour.

If your humidity is high (80%+ I think) the carbon filter won't do a thing.

I've always bought a cheap version, and been lucky so far because they've all worked fine, but this is a problem I wouldn't think twice at throwing money at...

sworth said:

If your humidity is high (80%+ I think) the carbon filter won't do a thing.

I've always bought a cheap version, and been lucky so far because they've all worked fine, but this is a problem I wouldn't think twice at throwing money at...

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Not 80% humidity, 80 degrees. Above 80F your filter won't be effective. I'm guessing this a growbright from HTG? Junk.

note- maybe humidity too.

Yeah, just checked. 70% humidity and 80 degrees...

Carbon filters are junk as far as I'm concerned,had a friend that went all out on dr150 tent,EVERYTHING new,phresh filter etc,and we did a test and sprayed air fresh in the tent,and the exhaust smelled like it..I grow some stank in a way bigger situation,and use carbon filters,but exhaust everything pulled through the filters,through an inline ionizer(big blue 8")and at the end of the exhaust line,push all that through ANOTHER carbon filter,and still at the end of flowering,I catch a whiff here and there... soooo...its like this.... carbon filter in room--fan--big blue ionizer--carbon filter outside of grow (through floor to under the house)...I'm allways worried about the eletric man reading the meter and smelling it,and just him,because my room is far out in the country and noone around or living there..also used to have an air cleaner bujt itshorted out and even with that extra,I still had issues (don't grow sharksbreath unless you are prepared for the smell)...hope this helps.

Dissenting opinion. My Phresh is startlingly good at intercepting all odor. When I smell weed, it's because I took a plant out of the safe spot for some care. At that point, i use an ozonizer in the house for touch-up.

OP, you either have a bad filter or a leak between filter and fan, or both. cn

Also,if carbon filters are compromised by heat/humitidy, then one must gamble on the fact that they might be away from the grow,and it could be hotter or raining that day,and that day might be the day that the postman or politician or whoever might knock just to say hi...not a gamble id like to bet on....when it comes to safety,I WAY over do it..even if its just to pacify my paranoia...but mostly I overdo it to be assured..rule of thumb..if you notice it,clean cut joe WILL def notice it.

Cannabineer..not knocking your opinion or experiences,but really my friend sprayed glade air fresh in his tent,completely sealed exhaust, and I smelled it at the end..I feel that if u can smell pot over glade spray,which is used to cover smell then regardless you will smell the herb eventually...my last grows exhaust went thru all the same filter process except the last carbon filter wasn't in place,just all the air was pushed up my chimney,and when my pothead dad came to clean the chimney last winter,he knew,and in that instance it was compromised as far as I'm concerned..and as far as hunter is concerned,the filter may work,but theres no info on the size of the room exhausted,fans,filters sizes..brand obviously is cheep for $60..so the variables could be there to acquire a bad situation...I still say back it up 10 fold whenever smell or activity is concerned,but I know jack squat apparantly after years of doing this safely..

*last carbon filter..one at the end wasnt there,instead just hvac hose up the chimney...

Love your avatar btw!

Rory, not knocking you either but if you could smell the Glade, i would worry about either a defective filter (incomplete or channeled bed) or a leak/gap in the ventilation setup.
I really like my Phresh and have found it more effective than I'd hoped. I came in prejudiced because previously I used an ozonizer, but didn't want to rely on one indoors. In the old days when i had the ozonizer venting out of the grow cab (different setup back then), a bud smoked a cigarillo in the grow room, and the exhaust did not smell liek tobacco! Apples/oranges I know, but I wanted to post the memory ... cn

Thing is my buddy is SOOOOO anal,and double checked all the venting,and over did the phresh filter size(he coulda used a smaller one I felt at the time)..and still smell the glade..I'm not saying carbon filters don't work, I am saying that in my experiences,they were not 100 percent effective..u allways get a whiff..but its hard to keep from smelling 60 to 100 ladies no matter what the method..hell I got 2 filters and a big blue,and still got one of those holiday cinnamon smelling brooms you find at christmas hangin on the front door,and still catch a whiff..and I know my shits sealed tight..I inspect every vist..I guess what I'm saying is advice and giving my 2 cents..hope it helps hunter..we need to breed weed that has no smell unill its cured and coming out the jar! I love fantasies...lol

Perhaps were all such pothead we kinda subliminaly WANT to smell the herb and are tuned into the smell...ill admit it,I love riding by a roadkill skunk

Carbon filters work best when running static as a scrubber. exhuasting with a carbon filter is more or less ineffective.

Thanks for the answers guys but i figured it out..Just a cheap ass filter..I just bought a mountaineer 6x26 carbon filter for $189 This thing is heavy duty, and it is doing wayyyy better cant smell nothing almost now..I thought it was my humidity was high but when the lights were off and everything my filter still wasnt working right, and i know it wont humid at night here lol..I know now to buy the best and not no cheap filters for 60$