Need some kind of filter for my intake/exhaust to keep out mites. +rep for help

.... and after you go through alllllll this trouble...

make it all completely pointless... because theres no way you are going to take off all your clothes, take a shower, and then enter your grow room in fresh clothes, with no shoes on... and still probably pick up a mite as you walk across your carpet in your socks...

REALIZE!, you WILL bring one in.

so youre right back to square one...

get the stuff to kill them in your room.

Id seriously consider putting a hot shot very near your exaust vent intake in the room... it would kill 2 birds with one stone.. all the bugs in your vent walking in, and all the bugs that are already in your room.

if you ask for anymore help, you are like my girlfriend who doesnt want solutions, just attention... the problem has been solved 10 times over for you.

the spark plug and natural gas actually kills 2 birds with one stone too... if you can somehow cool that air back down after the bar-BQ... thats pure c02 brotha

sherriberry said:

my thoughts...

the mites arent getting on your plants from the outside... escpecially if its cold out.

they are on you and your clothes and your shoes.

i have a sealed room

i have mites.

get BUHACK powder, and some spray like AZA, and have at it.



second thoughts are...

no mite is going to make it in your exhaust line if there is air blowing against it trying to get in.

your intake side to your room... why would it be hot? and if it is, put a secton of insulating pipe between the light and the actuall intake pipe to your room...

put up a furnace filter/ panty hose, doesnt matter, anything to guard the intake side which is cool air coming in, unless you pump hot air into your room

i dont see the drama in this dilema

Click to expand...

You may be right about the exhaust, but I'm not taking any more chances. I didn't bring them into the room, I'm carefull to change clothes after I come in from the outside before I enter my grow room.

So the mites had to come in through either my intake or exhaust. It was probably the intake but I have no way of being sure. All I can be sure of it there was snow on the ground, and the Broad Mite which is one of the ones I got, shouldn't even be in this state. They like humidity and hate dry air, and the average humidity here is 20%.

There are over 6,000 types of mites, I'm not taking the chance on one of them being able to withstand the heat & air pressure coming from the exhaust.

My intake is cold air from outside and I already have a stocking on it. I don't know what I said that made you think it was hot air.

On mites I'd only use insecticide in an emergency. Mites develope immunities too quickly so in my opinion suffocants are way more effective because they can't become immune to being suffocated.

The only thing I need to know now is what micron to look for in a stove exhaust filter and I'll be set.

Or what strength does a fan need to be to push air through water. I'd rather use the stove exhaust filter though.

JoeCa1i said:

http://www.google.com/products?q=Organic+Air+Greenhouse+HEPA+Filters&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=lIdKS_eZFof-tQOf7u31Dw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCQQrQQwAg

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. +rep

Do you know if those filters can withstand heat?

svchop889 said:

what about a k&n cone air filter they make them in a million different sizes and there made of gauze and metal mesh and have to hold up to the heat under your hood from the engine, an engine compartment can reach temps higher than 300degrees parked and running with the hood down, and air flow is excellent

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help +rep

Good idea, not sure what a cone filter is though. But an air filter from a car might work if the micron is correct. If it's too big the mite can get through it.

Anyone know what micron the filter has to be?

I think (just a guess) that a car filter would be cheaper than a stove exhaust filter.

svchop889 said:

the petroleum product you use to condition the filter would probably also deter then im sure you could also spray it with a repellent also

Click to expand...

Sorry, I've never conditioned a car filter with anything. Do they make something designed for it so it doesn't clog the filter?

The repellent, like Neem Oil, would be a good idea if I were sure that it wouldn't clog the filter.

sherriberry said:

on a more serious note... get a HOTSHOT pest killing strip, and tie it in your exhaust vent. ta da

or

get a sprayer, and put it on a timer with a tiny high psi pump, and have a little mini rez with some hardcore pestaside in it, and have it inject in your vent. ta da

or

put a screen in the vent close to the light, but not too close. And put some lady bugs in the exhaust side of it, the lady bugs will try to get back to the light, wont be able to bc the screen, and will eat your mites in the meantime. ta da

or

put fly strip sticky shit, around the perimeter of the inside of your vent, in a loop, so that they have to crawl over it. ta da

or

get panty hose and quit being a pussy, your air isnt that hot and panty hose arent that lame.

Click to expand...

Mites can develope immunities to any and all insecticides in as little as 1 generation. Insecticides for this purpose are not a viable solution.

I have 3,000 lady bugs in my room now. When I got the 3 infestations they killed off the spider mites & gnats, but wouldn't finish off the Broad Mites. I recently found out that they wont kill off a food supply, so in that situation I'm not sure what they'd do.

The air coming out is a combination of hot air from the room, and hot air from the portable A/Cs coils. So it is too hot for stockings.

The sticky thing is actually a good idea. It may not stop flying insects but it will stop mites, as long as none of them fly, there are 6,000 of them.

That last idea might actually work, if I can find something sticky that wont dry out.

Ever consider a carbon filter?

sherriberry said:

.... and after you go through alllllll this trouble...

make it all completely pointless... because theres no way you are going to take off all your clothes, take a shower, and then enter your grow room in fresh clothes, with no shoes on... and still probably pick up a mite as you walk across your carpet in your socks...

REALIZE!, you WILL bring one in.

so youre right back to square one...

get the stuff to kill them in your room.

Id seriously consider putting a hot shot very near your exaust vent intake in the room... it would kill 2 birds with one stone.. all the bugs in your vent walking in, and all the bugs that are already in your room.

if you ask for anymore help, you are like my girlfriend who doesnt want solutions, just attention... the problem has been solved 10 times over for you.

Click to expand...

I know that changing clothes isn't 100%, but it does reduce the odds on tranmitting mites. I don't take a shower every time I come in from the outsidek I'd have pruned everything if I did. lol

I'm not going to use pesticide as a precaution. With spider mites, you'd have to be a retard to do that.

I've gotten close to a few solutions. But there's always a piece of info missing.....

Running the air through water in my odor control bucket - What strength fan do I need?

Hepa, car, or stove exhaust filters - What micron do I need to look for?

Creating a "sticky zone" that would act like a non toxic fly strip - What can I use that the heat & air flow wouldn't dry out?

Your nic is Sherriberry and you have a GF? How very progressive of you. lol

doogleef said:

Ever consider a carbon filter?

Click to expand...

Not sure what a carbon filter is. I'm guessing a Hepa filter but not sure.

I've identified 3 different types of filters that might or that would work. I just need to know the dang micron.

http://htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=9&subcategoryID=29

Like these. 4" - 50$ Real odor control.

doogleef said:

http://htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=9&subcategoryID=29

Like these. 4" - 50$ Real odor control.

Click to expand...

Oh, ok. I've seen some threads on making a DIY version of that. In the DIY versions it just simply runs the air through charcoal.

I'm not sure if it would keep out mites though. I would think if that was a function they would advertise it.

If someone could tell me what micron filter to use, or a site where I can get that info, I'd be set.

Damn man.. I cant imagine your exhaust being THAT hot? Are you running a 1000W and is it REAL close to the exhaust?

infdjedi said:

Damn man.. I cant imagine your exhaust being THAT hot? Are you running a 1000W and is it REAL close to the exhaust?

Click to expand...

I have one to three 400w running depending on the temp.

The portable A/C also has coils that needs to be vented along with the hot air from the room.

If you're wondering how hot the coils get, just check out a window A/C the next time you see one running. Put your hand near the coils, I wouldn't suggest actually touching it.

But I still need to know what micron to look for in a screen. Doesn't anyone know?

DannyGreenEyes said:

Sorry, I've never conditioned a car filter with anything. Do they make something designed for it so it doesn't clog the filter?

The repellent, like Neem Oil, would be a good idea if I were sure that it wouldn't clog the filter.

Click to expand...

the oil comes with any new reusable air filter you apply it to the filter so that it catches dirt and bugs http://store.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=RC-5149 this is a filter for a hose diameter of 4inches and another for 6''
if you go to autozone thay have ones of the same type for 20$ but are a different brand I think they only have those up to 4inches though so that might no work if you have 6inch ducting

I read that spider mites can be 1mm and smaller 1mm= 1000microns. coarse dust is supposedly 5.5 microns and these filters are rated to catch 90% of that so anything bigger than that the percentageof particles caught goes up so I am pretty sure they can keep out spider mites.

svchop889 said:

the oil comes with any new reusable air filter you apply it to the filter so that it catches dirt and bugs http://store.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=RC-5149 this is a filter for a hose diameter of 4inches and another for 6''
if you go to autozone thay have ones of the same type for 20$ but are a different brand I think they only have those up to 4inches though so that might no work if you have 6inch ducting

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help +rep

I'll have to check out the local auto parts dealers though, that's a little pricey for me right now. I still have to pick up soil to finish the transplants, and build a few more rooting trays.

Thanks again, the oil should act as a secondary measure to make sure those little fucks don't make it in to my room.

svchop889 said:

I read that spider mites can be 1mm and smaller 1mm= 1000microns. coarse dust is supposedly 5.5 microns and these filters are rated to catch 90% of that so anything bigger than that the percentageof particles caught goes up so I am pretty sure they can keep out spider mites.

Click to expand...

Thanks again, but the mites I had were way smaller than 1mm. They were literally the size of a pin head. Bigger than smoke particles though. So If I was getting a filter without oil I'm guess ing that I'd have to go for around 1 or 2 microns. That's just a guess I can now take knowing that a 1,000 microns = approx 1mm. Thanks for that.

But mites can't fly, so as long as I keep this filter oiled, it should work great. The oil will trap & suffocate them, and they can't develope an immunity to being suffocated.

DannyGreenEyes said:

P.S. I never actually melting a stocking. Logic told me not to try it when I felt how hot the exhaust was.

Click to expand...

Hehe Ive melted blinds before...4000 watt generator. Had to vent outside haha.

DannyGreenEyes said:

I'm about to either buy or make a cool tube and I'll be venting the hot air outside. I need something I can use to keep the mites from following the heat into my grow room, and I can't use stockings like I did on the intake because the heat will melt them.

I heard about something called a "thrip screen" but I'm not sure if that would stop mites. And mites are a big problem around here.

Can anyone suggest something I can use on my exhaust to keep those little sap suckers out? (and maybe suggest where I can find it)

Thanks. +rep for help

Click to expand...

They have some incredibly fine bronze/brass screening at Hobby Lobby. Is used to make free form molds, you shape it with your hands,etc. Think of a coffee filter basket fine mesh, in sheets. Have used it myself for the same reason. Thing I like about it is that you can blast it clean (unlike nylons) and it won't melt, and I know the little critters cannot chew through it!