Clean Fresh Air
Clean, fresh air in the grow room is often overlooked and is one of the more common mistakes that people make when gardening indoors. In order for plants to survive and be healthy, they will need fresh circulating air. Stale air needs to be filtered and removed from the grow room and one way to do that is by using a carbon filter to remove the airborne particulates and odors before exhausting. The other use of the carbon filter is for scrubbing the air of odors by attaching it to a centrifugal fan to clean the air in a constant circle and exhausting the stale air via separate ventilation systems.
Virgin Activated Carbon = never been used before. Activated Carbon = Carbon that is activated by steam or high temperatures; the objective is to knock ash from the pores of the carbon. Some manufacturers claim double/triple activation; this does NOT increase the capacity to retain odor, in fact it lessens it. Multiple activation decreases the weight of the carbon by breaking internal fissures, this process in turn decreases the carbon’s ability to filter air.
What size filter do you need? This is a pretty common question and we always suggest if there is any doubt, go with the larger filter. In a typical 6ft x 6ft space, using an 8″ x 24″ filter will easily cover your square footage and if you need to increase your square footage to 10ft x 10ft, you would still be covered. Here is a calculator for more specific calculations.
Most of the carbon filters available to growers today are about the same and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they are all actually made by the same company and then rebranded for all of the companies that distribute them. Just in case that is not true, below you will find the 4 most popular brands used by our fellow gardeners.
Phat Filters
- Highly effective, low density virgin carbon
- Carbon tightly packed for increased porosity
- Greater & more even air movement provided by internal, conical filter base
- Manufactured so that no air blows by the filter without being filtered
- Outer aluminum mesh provides 53% open area allowing increased airflow
- Genuine Phat Filters are immediately sealed after manufacturing to help retain moisture, optimize presentation, and improve life expectancy
Can Filters
Can-Lite Carbon Filters are a lighter weight version of the standard Can Filter, designed with the hobbyist in mind. All Can-Lite Carbon Filters feature a built-in flange and include a pre-filter. Can-Lite Carbon Filters mate perfectly with S-series Can Fans for optimal cooling, particulate removal, and odor control.
Can-Lite Carbon Filters feature a 2-inch deep bed of pure, activated virgin Australian BC Lightweight Granular Carbon, a full 10% more than similarly sized competing filters. Featuring a 51% perforated open area for maximum airflow and filtration with up to a 2.5 year life expectancy.
Phresh Filters
These filters offer the ultimate in air scrubbing. Machine packed with 46mm RC-48 activated, certified virgin carbon to ensure maximum carbon density with less movement than other filters. These filters offer a cone shaped internal base for optimum air flow. The 51% open air custom mesh design helps make these filters half the weight of other filters. Sealed, bagged, boxed and shipped immediately after being manufactured for optimum life span, handling and presentation.
DuraBreeze Lite Filters
Featuring open-air aluminum mesh housing and a 1.8-inch-deep bed of RC412 Australian virgin activated carbon, the 8-inch-by-24-inch DuraBreeze® Lite Carbon Filter weighs in at only 19.6 pounds, making it easier to move and suspend than its standard steel cousins. This filter is rated for airflow up to 750 cubic feet per minute and efficiently combats odors, dust and more over a lifespan of approximately two years. Includes two pre-filters, an attached 8-inch aluminum flange and a one-year warranty.
