EQUIPMENT > BASIC GROW EQUIPMENT > ODOR & CONTAMINANT CONTROL RECOMMENDATIONS
Odor & contaminant control RECOMMENDATIONS
Cannabis starts to smell pretty early in its growth cycle, but begins to really develop a pungent stench a few weeks before the flowering stage begins. Regardless of how many plants you may be growing at home, you should know eventually you will have to deal with the smell. Any more than a couple plants and you may even have to get industrial about it. The typical solution to this issue is to install a carbon filter and inline fan in your grow tent. It scrubs the air clean of any odors and contaminants before flushing the used air out, while having the added benefit of maintaining a healthy amount of air circulation for your plants.
Typically what size you would need to grow four plants in your household (the legal Canadian recreational limit) is a 4” inline fan and accompanying carbon filter. These often come in packages on Amazon and eBay, though keep in mind most inline fans do not come equipped with controllers, so this will be an added expense. Controllers are a must have so you can control the speed the fan is working at, not only for the noise but for electricity costs and equipment longevity as well.
Keep in mind you will need to purchase a new filter typically every 1.5-2 years as well based on average manufacturer recommendations. This replacement age varies depending on whether you are growing hydroponically or in soil, what level your humidity is in the grow tent, and whether you run the fan and filter all day or just when the lights are on. Average daily usage and moisture content are very important in this determination, though most growers will tell you to use your nose as a guide. Remember back to when you first started up the fan and the filter, when it had that nice carbon smell. If you no longer smell this, chances are it is time to replace the filter. If you begin to smell your grow slightly, then it’s past time you get a new one.
Like with the other equipment recommendations I will compare the specifications of the fan and filter kits most commonly Googled, and most highly marketed. These brands are iPower, FourBudz, VivoSun and Growneer. Let’s take a look at their 4” inline fan package specifications.
Typically what size you would need to grow four plants in your household (the legal Canadian recreational limit) is a 4” inline fan and accompanying carbon filter. These often come in packages on Amazon and eBay, though keep in mind most inline fans do not come equipped with controllers, so this will be an added expense. Controllers are a must have so you can control the speed the fan is working at, not only for the noise but for electricity costs and equipment longevity as well.
Keep in mind you will need to purchase a new filter typically every 1.5-2 years as well based on average manufacturer recommendations. This replacement age varies depending on whether you are growing hydroponically or in soil, what level your humidity is in the grow tent, and whether you run the fan and filter all day or just when the lights are on. Average daily usage and moisture content are very important in this determination, though most growers will tell you to use your nose as a guide. Remember back to when you first started up the fan and the filter, when it had that nice carbon smell. If you no longer smell this, chances are it is time to replace the filter. If you begin to smell your grow slightly, then it’s past time you get a new one.
Like with the other equipment recommendations I will compare the specifications of the fan and filter kits most commonly Googled, and most highly marketed. These brands are iPower, FourBudz, VivoSun and Growneer. Let’s take a look at their 4” inline fan package specifications.
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BRAND COMPARISON OF A 4" FAN & FILTER KIT
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As far as inline fan and filter features go, the main things to consider for an in home gardener is the CFM, how loud it is, whether it is safety certified and whether it has a built in speed controller. The CFMs for the listed fans are similar and not worth noting, so my focus will be on the three remaining topics.
Built in Speed Controller. iPower’s fan does not include this so those that purchase this should expect to spend another $15-$20 USD on this item. This therefore makes iPower the most expensive option. Safety Certification. Something that is often overlooked in favor of price is whether the product is ETL/UL certified, or just has listed/certified parts. Companies can be tricky with this wording, making it sound like the product is actually certified when really it just has components that are certified but the unit itself is NOT. Vivosun and iPower specifically state the components of the fan are certified and have no safety logo labelling anywhere in the advertisements, while the growneer fan specifically states the unit itself is certified. In this sense the Growneer fan wins the comparison. Noise Level. This is important because you don’t want what sounds like a vacuum turned on in your household all hours of the day, especially in a smaller home. While the noise levels for the iPower and Growneer are not listed, at least the fan speed and power consumption are for the Growneer. As the fan speed and the power consumption are similar to that of Vivosun, I would assume the noise level would be as well. Therefore with these factors taken into account it seems there is a clear winner. Growneer is the cheaper alternative, is the only product that is certified (does not just have certified components), and has a noise level comparable to it’s competition. It’s easy to make the educated choice here. |
