Can-fans And Charcoal Filters

**ducks13** · 10-10-2007, 08:21 PM

Hi all,

I have got a cabinet I am setting up and am looking for some experienced advice on ventilation. The cabinet is 5’ wide, 2’ deep and 7’ tall. I plan to put in a horizontal shelve to divide it into a lower compartment and an upper level compartment. In the upper compartment I plan on a 400W HPS maximum. In the lower section I will have about 300W of fluorescent lighting.

I am considering a 6” high output Can-Fan to ventilate and a 33 charcoal filter to keep the odors down. CF Group :: Canfan, Canfilter It is rated at 200 cfm with the filter attached. I’d like to locate the fan and filter inside the upper compartment so it can discharge directly out the top of the cabinet. At the bottom of the cabinet I plan on one or two 4” diameter holes through the cabinet to get cool air into the lower compartment and some similar holes in the shelve so air can get to the top compartment and the exhaust fan.

My questions are:
Should the fan be mounted so it blows out through filter or should it suck air into the filter? Does it make a difference?

Will the resulting airflow from the exhaust fan be enough to keep temperatures at a reasonable level?

Will this fan and filter combo keep odors in check?

How noisy will this fan and filter combination be?

Is there any other exhaust fan and charcoal filter that anyone would recommend? I have seen a few others but the filters seemed awfully long to put into my upper compartment. If I tried to locate the filter on the outside of the compartment it would have to be laying on top of the rather than a straight shot up since space above the cabinet is limited.

I would like to do this with out a ventilated light fixture and just use my circulation fan, keep the plants from getting too hot and let the exhaust fan get the heat out. Would a separate exhaust fan from a ventilated light be a big advantage for this installation? Is there a good way to connect the light exhaust to the same exhaust fan I am using for ventilation and odor control?

Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks

**kato88** · 10-10-2007, 09:09 PM

Cant answer all your questions, but I believe its better to draw thru the filter with the fan and then out.

Noisy is subjective so I don't see how anyone can answer that... it will also depend on your cab and its insulation/material and the fan. I have heard that "acoustic" ducting works best and that the longer the hose the less noise there will be. You may want to curl the hose up a few times on the top to suppress noise.

A good filter should take care of the smell for quite some time.

Make sure you test your temperature with it all closed up before you put plants in there, and a cool tube will help a lot with the temps. Without the cool tube it's anyones guess if the temps will be low enough... most likely not with a 400watt.

You will also want to use lots of intake holes for fresh air.

Good luck.

**kt0s.6o4** · 10-13-2007, 01:29 AM

Originally Posted by ducks13

I am considering a 6” high output Can-Fan to ventilate and a 33 charcoal filter to keep the odors down. CF Group :: Canfan, Canfilter It is rated at 200 cfm with the filter attached.

To be perfectly honest with you, that is not a HO fan. I, myself, have a CanFan RS6 HO. 390 cfm. The RS6 puts out about 270 cfm.

Should the fan be mounted so it blows out through filter or should it suck air into the filter? Does it make a difference?

Always pull through the filter. does make a difference, as the air to be scrubbed is entering filter evenly over the carbon. When pushing there will be greater force on certain portions of the carbon, getting an uneven flow though it.

Will the resulting airflow from the exhaust fan be enough to keep temperatures at a reasonable level?

Depend's on the temp of the air you are putting in your cab. Most likely i would say if will handle your temps with a 400w. Run a ocsillating (sp?) fan under the light and bobs your uncle.

Will this fan and filter combo keep odors in check?

OH YA!!! Keeps the smell of my 10 plants clean.

How noisy will this fan and filter combination be?

Not sure about that fan itself, but mine is hummin'.

**ducks13** · 10-22-2007, 08:04 PM

Thanks guys. I guess I am stuck with putting the filter in the closet so it will be sucking through it. I am still not sure which to get, the RS6 or RS6HO. 604 do you have a 33 filter hooked up to your HO? When you say it is hummin what would you compare it too? Does anyone know if the HO is much louder than the RS6?

**JohnnyPotSeed1969** · 10-23-2007, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by ducks13

At the bottom of the cabinet I plan on one or two 4” diameter holes through the cabinet to get cool air into the lower compartment and some similar holes in the shelve so air can get to the top compartment and the exhaust fan.

the problem with this is that you will have to address light poisoning from your veg cab which will be on either 24/7 or 18/6. you will need absolute darkness in your flowering portion in order to ensure your flowering goes off without a hitch.

**kt0s.6o4** · 10-23-2007, 10:36 AM

604 do you have a 33 filter hooked up to your HO?

nope...i made my own. dims are 36" x 8"

When you say it is hummin what would you compare it too?

not sure what to compare to, but i do know this....it is quite quieter than a 6" axial fan

**billybob88** · 10-23-2007, 10:27 PM

i have the rs6 but no filter. i have it hooked up to about 20 feet of ducting running on my 2 600 watt hps's. they stay so cool i can touch the glass right under the bulb and hold my hand there with no problem. the ducting runs from outside my grow area, into it up to the lights, across the lights, and then back out the other side of the area with the can fan attached. my grow room is a sectioned off area of a bedroom. roughly 9x5 feet. i have a big flap of poly closing off the area. i have a insulated duct running from the a/c vent right into the grow area. my temps run from 69-75 during the day with 35% humidity. very pleasant. also the fan is very very quiet. no hum hum hum hum hum like some fans. just a quiet purrr. u cant hear anything outside the room. If you have the money step up to a rs6ho. if not the rs6 should suffice

Your room is 70 cubic feet. a rule of thumb is change the air AT LEAST every 5 minutes. so 200cfm should be MORE than sufficent.

Anyways my point is go with a can fan either way, they are quiet, proven, and get the job done.

**Lord Dangly Bits** · 10-23-2007, 10:50 PM

BillyBob, My grow room is almost exactly like yours. But the lights. What kind of grow system you have? Hydro, soil? if hydro what type of system? I have been thinking of upgradeing from my 400 watt HPS to a 1,000 watt air cooled light, or two 600 watters like you have. My room I have is in my extra bedroom also, but it only 4' wide. I am going to make it 6' wide once I finish this harvest. 4' is just not wide enough.

Ducks, please keep us informed on which way you go, and how the system works. I can not understand how people keep those little cabinets cool with a 400 watt light in them, HECK. I have trouble keeping my 4'x10'x8' grow room cool. I have a 300 cfm intake, and a 300 cfm outtake fan, a 5,500 btu AC unit, and with all this I can keep my temps down, but knock out the AC UNIT.. I am going to boil. it is getting better now, seeing as it is no longer 115++ degrees outside anymore. I will never grow again indoors during the summer where I now live.. WOW!!!!!!!!!! My Elect bills about dropped me dead... LIKE SHIT!!!!!! #&^%*#*(%*(&*^&&#&&^#&^^ no Fing WAY!!!!!!! But when it gets cool outside, the heat from the lights will just be used to keep my home warm. so no wasted energy there.

**billybob88** · 10-23-2007, 11:16 PM

I am growing hydro. I have a DIY drip irrigation in my veg box. but i didnt feel like putting in the time/effort to build the system that i wanted for my flowering area. I have the Ebb & Grow system. comes with 12 2 gallon pots, 3.5 gallon controller, 2 badass pumps, 55 gallon res, and all required fittings, tubing, etc for 500 bucks(yes a little pricey but in my eyes worth every penny spent. took me about an hour to set it up, but in the process i realized it would take me MONTHS to find the parts to put it together, nonetheless it wouldnt be the quality of the system i have now. plus the ebb & grow comes with a 3 year warranty. and you can put 6 pot expansion packs on it for 60 bucks! expandable to 48 pots on one system! all u gotta do is tube the pots to the controller and your done!

How can u not keep the room cool? even without my a/c ducted into the room it ran from 75-83. I dont have any fans "exhausting" the room. just the cold a/c blowing in and constant air running through the lights from outside the room.