No suction through carbon filter

Hey guys i have a 4" carbon filter that i got from my friend along with a 4" 160 cfm inline fan. I am having problems with the filter and cannot get the fan to push/pull any air through the filter. its obviously clogged somehow. how can i fix this? REP+

40 percent humidity

carbon filter only used for a couple of months before i got it

Buy a new one..

sounds like you got a duct booster fan. they ain't got enough draw. got a pic of your fan? who is the fan made by?

slowandsteady said:

sounds like you got a duct booster fan. they ain't got enough draw. got a pic of your fan? who is the fan made by?

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http://www.accesshydroponic.com/grow-room-ventilation-160-cfm-carbon-filter-fan-4-inch.html?gclid=CMrIn86jj7kCFeHm7AodI1cA2g#.UhUVrcu9KSM

This looks very similar to the one that I have. I can't be exactly sure where he got it from.

The exhaust blows pretty hard but as soon as the filter is attached 10 percent of the air if that gets through.

i have a booster fan rated at the same cfm but 6" in my flower room connected to 6" filter and I don't have problems pulling air through that at all. So I feel the 4" filter is clogged.

no clue how a filter gets clogged? i would just buy another filter if the fan works... do you got the fan the right way? to suck air through the filter not push

Yes that is how I have it set up. To pull through not push.

HeartlandHank said:

Buy a new one..

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And how will that fix the one I have?

only other suggestion i got is to buy another filter

fir3dragon said:

only other suggestion i got is to buy another filter

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Thanks for trying to offer a solution before telling me to buy a new one. If no one has a solution of course that's what I'll have to do haha.

Try taking it into the bath tub.. turn on the water kinda hard and put the stream into the four inch hole and see if any sister comes out of the filter ...
It might trickle at first or not come out at all.. but hopefully some of the water pressure will clear things up the more it runs.. if it doesn't your best bet is new filter... after running it through the water if your happy w the results, hook it back up to the fan to allow it to dry out some and see if it works better or not..

Water not sister..

I've taken the white covering off and washed mine in the past. Any idea how old the filter actually is? Has it always been in a dry room? Pics would help.

lahadaextranjera said:

I've taken the white covering off and washed mine in the past. Any idea how old the filter actually is? Has it always been in a dry room? Pics would help.

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I just did this w mine.. it was nasty nasty.. still a lil nasty after washing in the tub but not nearly as bad

racerboy71 said:

Try taking it into the bath tub.. turn on the water kinda hard and put the stream into the four inch hole and see if any sister comes out of the filter ...
It might trickle at first or not come out at all.. but hopefully some of the water pressure will clear things up the more it runs.. if it doesn't your best bet is new filter... after running it through the water if your happy w the results, hook it back up to the fan to allow it to dry out some and see if it works better or not..

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i would let the filter dry out before attaching it to the fan... water and electric dont mix and you might look like a skeleton when done...

Is the fan used as well? Is it operating properly?

racerboy71 said:

I just did this w mine.. it was nasty nasty.. still a lil nasty after washing in the tub but not nearly as bad

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Did it dry out alright? Is it working well?

How many plants you have? Do you have a cooltube? you can just go to lowes or home depot and get replacement carbon filters, they are like black sheets of carbon. Just cut squares of em and buy a duct clamp and attach it so the exhaust sucks air through it. works for small grows.

you can also remove top flange and check the carbon. if clumped up you can replace it. could of been run in a very humid environment. just a thought Have never done this but you could try removing the carbon and wash it, then run it through the oven to dry then reload filter. Again have never done this and don't know what the outcome will be! but if your at last resorts then why not. hope some thing works out for ya. heard of just getting new carbon and reloading filter too.

I have a homemade carbon filter and when I run it without a pre-filter it will fill up with dust pretty quick. On those occasions I open it and wash the carbon, but I use tightly packed, pelletized coal carbon and if your filter is using anything finer, I think racerboy71's way is the better way of trying to clean the carbon. But even if you clean it, it still may not work since the pores in the carbon might just be too packed with dust and odors to end up with a working reliable product. That's a small filter and they really don't last too long.

2 other things if you do wash it. 1, let it dry completely before trying it again or it will not work and 2, I've heard from some people that washing it will ruin it if your water is very hard. That the filter will catch some of the impurities in your water. I haven't had this problem, but I don't have hard water. Good Luck kmfks.

Yeah, I don't know about washing carbon... maybe it works, have not tried it... but with the way carbon filtration works I don't see that happening... If running water through it would clean it then everyone would be doing it. Also, if running water through a carbon filter worked then why do they make water filters with carbon filtration? They make them that way because carbon works like that... water/air passes through, it fills up, it's done.

I would think that if anything would work it would be some kind of soaking of the carbon. Using something that separates the carbon from the dust. What does this? I don't know.. Carbon works by having a HUGE surface area for such a small piece. The surface area is made up of crevices and cracks that are very very small. As air/water/etc passes through the carbon, small particles get stuck in the cracks and crevices and a more pure air/water passes through. With that in mind... I ask, how running water will do anything for it?

wishful thinking... I hope it does work for you though. If it does, let us know.

Still... i think the first response (mine) was the only thing that is going to work for you for more than maybe 1 month of poor filtration... buy a new one. (or replace carbon)

If you are going to replace it... make sure you pack it very very well. In manufacturing, the units are shook/vibration to make sure the carbon falls into the most compact arrangement... This would be hard to achieve without the right equipment.