We often hear people speculating – How to Clean Carbon Filter for Grow Room! The reuse of carbon filters in a grow room is very unpredictable. Because the carbon filter runs 24/7 and gets blockages by carbon. You can use a cleaning brush to remove extra dust by buying a new carbon filter rather than cleaning it. But it seems costly.
Cleaning a carbon filter will be a challenging job for you. Because it may not work as per the previous filter. So take a wise decision for a carbon filter in the grow room.
How to Clean Carbon Filter for Grow Room so that it will work effectively?
My best suggestion is to replace the old carbon filter. But you can wash the carbon filter. But you won’t get a pleasant result from it. Everyone thinks about cost but if you are a wise person, buy a new carbon filter for the grow room.
Why Should You Use A Filter?
A carbon filter is an automated filter that works as an air purifier. It works as an exhaust fan. In the filter bed, the active carbon removes the strong odors from grow tents. In the grow tent, the carbon pellets in the carbon chamber work as an exhaust fan which is superior at odor removal. Granulated Carbon inside the filter absorbs the odor particles from the air.
For odor removal purposes you should have a filter in the grow tent. Because plants have some excretion which makes a bitter smell in the air. Pre-filter is for trapping the dust and debris particles. An ac infinity air carbon filter contains virgin charcoal. There are different types of filters for the grow room. Filters have both pros and cons. But if you don’t agree to buy it, follow some easy steps to clean it. To continue the old filter, here are some guidelines to run it in more days. Now let’s get into the cleaning process.
Unplug and Uncover The Filter
Unplug the carbon filter from the grow tent. Make it upside down and bring the detachable carbon air filter. It’s easy to bring out the disk from the grow tent. Still, if you are getting confused, have a look at the manual first. Unplugging the filter will help you to get to know about the density of the dust and thrive on the air filter.
Wiped Down The Dust
After getting it outside of the tent, Get the carbon dish and gently clean up the dust. You can use a hair blower to help it in the primary cleanup. Also, a soft cloth can be an option to wipe the dust from the filter.
If the density of dust is high, then use a hand vacuum cleaner. This will easily help to get the dust out from the filter. As the handheld vacuum cleaner has horizontal suction motion so don’t push its nozzle to the carbon air filter. That may cause damage to the filter. Now take a cleaning brush to remove extra dust from the carbon filter. If the odor is high and bitter, keep it in the direct sunlight for a few hours to remove the odor.
Soak in Water
After cleaning it from outside, get the air filter deep down into hot water. Use some detergent in water to remove dense dust from the filter effectively. Keep it in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Use Your hand smoothly to clean it. Do not behave like a rough laundryman. You can keep the outer filter sleeve in the washing machine covering it with a pillow cover or t-shirt.
Carbon Filter Placement
Once you wash the carbon filter, set them in the sunlight. Keep it until all water gets discharged from the carbon filter. For a better rinse, keep it all day long in bright sunlight. After rinsing it properly, get it fixed in the carbon filter cover. Resemble it like it was before uncovering. If any troubles come, again get the manufacturer’s manual to set it up again. Now it’s ready to reuse again. But the quality of the filter may not be the same as it was before. After setting it you may smell a bitter odor from it.
How Often Can I Change The Carbon Filter?
Even if you know how to clean carbon filter for grow room with expertise, at some point you will have to replace the entire set. There is no such system in the carbon filter to alert you about the system failure of the carbon bed.
As I already said, a filter’s lifespan may reduce how much it is used in a month. Basically, change the air filter every 6-12 months. Because room humidity has effects on the carbon bed. But don’t worry. You will get some symptoms in your grown room to detect whether the filter has gone or not. Follow below-
- The bitter odor will hit your nose. Some plants exhale some toxic smell in the air. If the carbon bed is dead, then it will not recycle the smell. As a result, you will suddenly get bad odors in the grown room.
- There will be a dense dust layer on the wall of the filter. They will block the whole carbon filter pores.
The Factors That Affect The Filter System
Definitely, you will expect a long-term carbon air filter in your grow room. But unexpectedly, some prevailing factors inside the grown room may affect the system. Know what are those-
- Carbon Granules Quality
There are always some cheap and expensive arguments about products. If you want a long-run filter, use expensive and best quality full carbon inside the filter. Low-quality carbon granules do not go for the long run. So you won’t get the expected result. Many times, you buy something expensive but it turns out to be a bad product. So buy the carbon granules from a trusted manufacturing shop.
- Variation of Plants
Sometimes the lifespan of a filter may reduce because of the plants you are growing inside the room. Aromatic plants may reduce the power of the filter fast. To cultivate plants according to room and filter size which release less smell.
- Humidity
To run a carbon filter, humidity is the prime concern. Because in the rainy season, humidity fluctuates. It reduces the pores of carbon granules. So to avoid this problem you can set a dehumidifier in the grow tent.
- Density of Carbon
Dense carbon and light carbon have different porous systems. Choose according to room and plant size while you are buying it from a shop seeing the level mark.
Suggestions
Well, replacing is better than reusing the carbon filter. It’s about the room’s fragrance issue too. Washing a carbon filter is not a solution. It will not work as it was before. Because the carbon granules are damaged.
A carbon filter’s lifespan is not very long. It is good for up to 6-12 months. Though the activated carbon has a lifespan of 24 years. But some factors of plants and air reduce the timeline of the carbon. And also it depends on the use. So if you want a good environment around the grows room, replace the carbon filter or REALLY learn how to clean carbon filters effectively.
- Do not wash it or reuse it. This may affect the plants also. Because some plants are aromatic and release bad odor in the air. So to mitigate those bad smells, a reused carbon filter can give you an upsetting result. Select the best carbon filter for the grow room. Do a deep check while purchasing and keep in mind the quality, durability, portability, carbon thickness, and pre-filter.
- Remove all plants and soil from the grow room. Clean the area with water. When there is no water or dust, then try to dry the area by using fans. Get the best quality carbon filter. Use only the best-grade material to install in the room so that your room can stay longer. Keep your room at optimal temperature. Also, make sure to maintain proper ventilation. Remove any kind of dust, pollen, etc.
- Try to use some other materials like ammonia instead of soap. You can even use organic fertilizer for maintaining healthy growth. Make sure that you don’t spray anything near the filter. Try to apply some amount of vinegar after applying soap for washing the filter. It removes dirt and dust easily. sure your ventilation system works properly. It should be able to expel all the smoke, smell or germs. The quality of your grow room will depend upon the airflow rate. If you have installed a proper ventilation system, then you do not worry much.
FAQ
Question 1. Can I wash the carbon pre-filter?
Answer: Do not wash the carbon pre-filter. because it will damage the carbon granules.
Question 2. Does activated carbon reduce humidity in the air?
Answer: Activated carbon is useless in high humidity. It helps the air to pass through filters.
Question 3. Which dehumidifiers are good?
Answer: Rock salt is the best dehumidifier. This increases the moisture in the air.
Final Verdicts
According to my experience, even if you fully get the hang of how to clean a carbon filter for grow room, I will still suggest you buy another filter to replace the old one. Because washing a carbon filter can not help you to remove the odor. The carbon granules may get damaged due to washing. If you want to make a perfect grow tent for the plants, replace the old filter. Or you can make a homemade carbon filter. Make the air purified for the plants and get a beautiful smell from the grow room.
