# Question on mounting an inline fan/carbon filter



## MidnightJoker (Apr 8, 2011)

I am getting ready to buy a 6" carbon filter with an inline fan to be placed into a 3x3x5' grow tent. It doesn't come with any mounting brackets, so I was wondering what is the best way to mount this in the top of my tent? 

Pics of your set-up would be great. All help is appreciated.


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## Nubby Tubbs (Apr 8, 2011)

i mount my fan outside the tent, and the filter inside strapped to the top... heres a pic of the outside:

6" might be a little big for your needs, but better to have something to grow into, right? is your hood also air cooled?


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 8, 2011)

I am looking for a bracket exactly like that for my fan. Did that come with your fan or did you pick it up somewhere? 

I don't have an air cooled hood, just open air...Why do you think a 6" carbon filter/fan would be too big? I originally was going to go with a 4", but was talked out of it by most of the people here on RIU. Any suggestions is appreciated.


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## Encomium (Apr 8, 2011)

6 inch fan is what, like 300 CFM or something? They say that the goal is to be able to replace your grow rooms air every 5 minutes. A 3 x 3 x 5 foot tent is 45 cubic feet. Figure the carbon filter reduces the output of your fan a bit and so will any ducting (turns, length, etc.) so it seems with a 300 CFM fan you're still overshooting it. Plus if your tent is anything like mine you have 4 inch openings for exhaust/intake. I myself use a 4 inch inline fan and use one of the reducers so I'm actually only using about 75% of it. 

As far as set up goes with mine, in order to maximize my vertical space I strapped my carbon filter to one of the side brackets (making it flush with the ceiling and wall). I then ducted it to the ceiling exhaust (roughly 12 inches of ducting used) and placed my fan on top of the tent itself. No brackets needed and minimal ducting. It does run a bit loud however but I gained quite a bit of vertical room being able to move my light further up.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 8, 2011)

Yikes...Now I am even more confused than ever. I was planning on buying this carbon filter/fan: 
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-GrowBright-6in-Inline-Fan-&-Charcoal-Filter-Combo.asp

And pairing it with this controller:
http://aeroponicsnmore.com/climate-control-ventilation-c-23_5/temp-2v-fan-speed-control-variable-idle-setpoint-p-181

But are you guys saying to go with a 6" carbon filter, use a 4" duct reducer and a 4" inline fan?


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## Gastanker (Apr 8, 2011)

Any of the options will work. A 4" fan and filter combo are fine. A 6" fan and filter combo might be a bit overkill but I personally would go this route just in case I ever want to upgrade my set-up later. I'm actually running a 6" fan and a 4" carbon filter and it seems to be working out well for my 4x4 tent - fan remains at damn near it's idle speed which helps keeps the sound down.


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## Encomium (Apr 8, 2011)

Why not go with a 4 inch filter/fan combo? The one I saw on HTG site was a combo 170 cfm fan/filter for a buck twenty. It's basically the same combo I had for my 3 x 3 tent and I felt that running it at full speed was overkill so I purchased a $30 speed reducer and set it on @ 75% and I still feel it's doing the job (negative pressure).


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 8, 2011)

Thanks guys. I probably won't be upgrading my tent for at least a year or two, so I think I will go with the HTG 4" carbon fan/filter...It will save me some money too. 

Could you give me some ideas of mounting it in my tent?


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## Encomium (Apr 8, 2011)

Well you could do it like I did which gave me more room to move my light up. 

I strapped the carbon filter flush with the ceiling and the wall with the hole facing the exhaust tent in the ceiling. I taped about a foot of ducting to it and had the ducting go over and up into the ceiling vent. I placed my fan on top of the ceiling (no brackets or mounting) and taped the ducting to it. As I stated before, it's a bit louder than if I had it in the tent but it gave me much more room to manage my reflector.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 8, 2011)

Excellent idea. Putting the fan outside the tent will give me much more room. Great idea.


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## KevinSmith (Apr 8, 2011)

I am using a 4" fan and phresh filter in my flower box I have them both suspended by bungee cords it reduces the vibration noise.
In my veg box I have another 4" fan and an odor sok.


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## webfoot (Apr 9, 2011)

Put your carbon filter outside the tent on the floor. Mount your fan on top of the filter so it is blowing
into the filter and run your duct to your tent where ever you want to suck the air from.


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## grower001 (Apr 9, 2011)

webfoot said:


> Put your carbon filter outside the tent on the floor. Mount your fan on top of the filter so it is blowing
> into the filter and run your duct to your tent where ever you want to suck the air from.


i really want to know if you can do this too for i think this is the best way for space


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## KevinSmith (Apr 9, 2011)

Most filters are designed to pull air through them and not push air.
Also the more ducting you have the less efficient the filter will be.


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## MrDank007 (Apr 9, 2011)

I would leave the filter inside the grow area as Kevin said. Also the 6' in gives you the option to upgrade to a aircooled hood later, while i don't think the 4' will cut it. Overkill with exhaust is good. The only downside is that the 6' set up will be bigger and make more noise (a reason I would leave the fan in the grow area if you can). This is assuming you can make it all fit.

As far as mounting, take some pics of the top of the tent there are many ways to mount a filter. The filter is where the exhaust will go, so that needs to be up high...the fan can go anywhere. However, as someone mentioned, you want as little ducting with as little bends as possible.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

KevinSmith said:


> Most filters are designed to pull air through them and not push air.
> Also the more ducting you have the less efficient the filter will be.





MrDank007 said:


> I would leave the filter inside the grow area as Kevin said. Also the 6' in gives you the option to upgrade to a aircooled hood later, while i don't think the 4' will cut it. Overkill with exhaust is good. The only downside is that the 6' set up will be bigger and make more noise (a reason I would leave the fan in the grow area if you can). This is assuming you can make it all fit.
> 
> As far as mounting, take some pics of the top of the tent there are many ways to mount a filter. The filter is where the exhaust will go, so that needs to be up high...the fan can go anywhere. However, as someone mentioned, you want as little ducting with as little bends as possible.


I think I might just go with the 6" carbon filter/fan if you guys don't think it's overkill for my tent (3x3x5'). 

As far as mounting that beast, I am still confused. I am thinking of different ideas of how to fit in my tent.


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## MrDank007 (Apr 9, 2011)

It won't be overkill in terms of exhaust. I would get it given you can figure out the space requirements. I have a wardrobe, so my set up won't work for you. 

I can tell you the following based on my experience. I got a 4 in can fan/filter for exhaust. Barebulbing got too hot. Went to cool tube. 4 in exhausting hooked to cool tube...too hot. Now I have the 4in can fan/filter for exhaust and a separate 6in inline fan just to for the cool tube. I ended up spending more on redundancy...so in my mind it's best to hedge. 

I would suggest getting some pics of the inside of the tent so we can look at the supports. You may be able to just bungee it to a PVC rod.


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## Gastanker (Apr 9, 2011)

I've set-up fans blowing through filters and it does work but it is not ideal. Mounting a filter is pretty easy - just get some rope and tie it up - doesn't need to be pretty or anything just functional. I would put filter in the tent up at the top, fan out side of the tent. 

Ugly but functional:


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## MrDank007 (Apr 9, 2011)

This ain't cribs! The plants look good and that's all that matters right?


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

MrDank007 said:


> It won't be overkill in terms of exhaust. I would get it given you can figure out the space requirements. I have a wardrobe, so my set up won't work for you.
> 
> I can tell you the following based on my experience. I got a 4 in can fan/filter for exhaust. Barebulbing got too hot. Went to cool tube. 4 in exhausting hooked to cool tube...too hot. Now I have the 4in can fan/filter for exhaust and a separate 6in inline fan just to for the cool tube. I ended up spending more on redundancy...so in my mind it's best to hedge.
> 
> I would suggest getting some pics of the inside of the tent so we can look at the supports. You may be able to just bungee it to a PVC rod.


 
I don't have the tent or equipment yet, so I can't post a pic.  I am planning on ordering my grow room and all equipment this week, but before I do, I want to make sure that I am not making any costly mistakes, as you said. I really wanted some feedback on my size of tent and pairing it with a 6" carbon filter/fan and to see how other people have mounted their carbon filter. 




Gastanker said:


> I've set-up fans blowing through filters and it does work but it not ideal. Mounting a filter is pretty easy - just get some rope and tie it up - doesn't need to be pretty or anything just functional. I would put filter in the tent up at the top, fan out side of the tent.


Okay, great guys. I will go with the 6" carbon filter/fan. Thanks much for the pic Gastanker. That really helps give me an idea of what the final set-up should look like.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

I just thought of a question. My grow tent only comes with 5" vents at the top, how would I run my ducting through the tent if I have chosen to go with a 6" carbon filter?


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## Encomium (Apr 9, 2011)

You won't be running the ducting through the tent per say. You'd get a 6-4 inch reducer (maybe they have 6-5 inch reducers) to be able to exhaust outside. What size reflector are you getting?

Oh, and this is merely my opinion (I do have first hand experience with the same tent) but a 6 inch fan is going to be overkill for that tent. Period. True, it will be nice to have if you plan on upgrading to a bigger tent but then you could use the old tent/fan combo for a mother or clone room.


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## KevinSmith (Apr 9, 2011)

a 4' fan and filter is enough in my 4X4X8 flower box.
I also use a speed controller and turn it down at night.

Did you order the light yet?


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## KevinSmith (Apr 9, 2011)

Cool controller, way more sophisyicated than my 25$ one.
I was wondering about the light because it doesn't appear to be a vented tube. A cool or other vented lights would be a great benefit!
I use a 1000W hps light and I can have the plants as close as 6" 
Non vented you have to go a lot further from the plants and also need to evacuated the hot air it creates another way.


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## Encomium (Apr 9, 2011)

What are the ambient temps of the area you're going to put your tent in? My 3 x 3 was set in the top floor of my house so it gets a bit warmer than the rest of the house. The reflector I chose isn't air cooled itself but it does dissipate heat much quicker than the reflector you linked. When I first put my 400 watt in I had temps peaking at 89 F (~31.6 C). This was too hot to effectively grow w/out C02 in high ppms so I was forced to duct a wall AC unit's output into the tent. 

I'm kind of worried that your tent when fully enclosed and lit up will run way to high (like mine but maybe higher) without some sort of AC to be able to blow into the tent. This would probably be helped by being able to keep your immediate surrounding area well ventilated with cool air I suppose. If you cannot do this or if it would create more problems then a larger fan/filter combo won't help since you'll just end up recirculating hot air into and out of the tent. 

If you are able to keep the surroundings well ventilated with cool air then I suppose that a bigger fan/filter combo might work (might not either). You might want to consider any reflector that is air cooled to help with heat production like KS pointed out. Then of course going with the bigger fan/filter combo might be best but you're going to have a heck of a time figuring out how to place your filter, ducting into and out of the light and then into the exhaust fan in that size of a tent.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

KS and Encomium, I looked at a few air cooled lights but I don't think I could work it out in that small of a tent. That's why I am just going with an open air light. But if you can suggest a better reflector, I am definitely open to suggestions.

My ambient temp is currently 70F and 39% RH. I was hoping that going with the 6" fan over the 4" fan would help me better vent my heat. I was planning on using 2- 6" oscillating fans inside the tent. One for the plants and the other pointed at the lamp, with a passive air intake. The room where my grow tent is going has AC next to it, so I guess I could always run ducting to one of the lower intakes that will be covered with a HEPA filter.


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## Encomium (Apr 9, 2011)

Yea that's kind of why I chose the Adjust a Wing since it had the highest light spread and output (at least according to Cervantes) of any reflector out there. I couldn't picture being able to duct it properly without losing an extra 8 inches of vertical height. While it's true that a 6 inch fan will help remove heat outside of the tent quicker but if your ambient temps keep raising then eventually you're just recirculating warm air in which case having the AC unit nearby will help tremendously. 

Again, I had the exact same tent (well the growlab one) with the same dimensions and I'm still reducing the speed of my 170 cfm fan by 25%. I have just recently upgraded to a larger tent in and am using the smaller tent to house my mother plant along with future clones. The fan I was using will eventually be used in the mother tent but it currently is being used in the upgraded tent and it's still working just fine @ 80% power. Any new fan I get will be a 6 inch with a home made scrubber just due to the fact that the 4 x 4 tent now has 6 inch vents.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

Yeah, I'm just going to have to see how this works out once I get everything in and set everything up. I just hope I am not making any costly mistakes.


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## Gastanker (Apr 9, 2011)

I am going to alter my previous advise on the 6" fan. Downgrade to the 4" and get this light set-up instead.

http://www.urbansunshine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=233_373_374&products_id=18514

If you factor in the free shipping above versus the $45 HTG shipping and the difference in the price between 4" and 6" fan/filter combo is should work out to about the same price. You'll end up with a better ballast and an air cooled hood which should make more of a difference when it comes to canopy heat than having an open hood and a bigger fan.


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## Encomium (Apr 9, 2011)

That's a pretty good deal Gas but the problem is he's got ~34 real inches to work with for carbon filter and ducting assuming he can throw the fan outside of the tent. The light itself is 21 inches long, the smallest filter combo is the 4 inch which is itself 12 inches long. leaving him very little wiggle room.


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## Gastanker (Apr 9, 2011)

The light doesn't need to hook directly to the filter - there can be ducting in between which means the filter can be mounted above or to the side of the light. 21" means there is 13" for 2 L bends of ducting which is plenty. I can fit a Magnum XXXL reflector with filter in my 4x4 so I assume there would be no problems putting a 21" reflector into a 3x3.

/e I forgot about the 6" to 4" converter - you might need to put the converter on to a 90 degree solid angle before attaching to the flexible ducting.


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## pazuzu420 (Apr 9, 2011)

I went with the Super Sun II air cooled hood as it had the smallest physical foot print of all the aircooled hoods I researched. Cooltubes are long when compared to alot of smaller air cooled hoods.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks Gas, but as Encomium says, my tent is pretty small and running that kind of ducting really won't work for me. I am going to be struggling just to get my 6" carbon filter to fit.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

Gastanker said:


> The filter doesn't need to hook directly to the filter - there can be ducting in between which means the filter can be mounted above or to the side of the light. 21" means there is 13" for a L bend of ducting which is plenty. I can fit a Magnum XXXL reflector with filter in my 4x4 so I assume there would be no problems putting a 21" reflector into a 3x3.


This actually sounds interesting. Any chance you have a pic of your set-up? I would be very interested to see how you have your tent set-up.


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## Encomium (Apr 9, 2011)

pazuzu420 said:


> I went with the Super Sun II air cooled hood as it had the smallest physical foot print of all the aircooled hoods I researched. Cooltubes are long when compared to alot of smaller air cooled hoods.


You'd be happy to know that the reflector you purchased was also one of the best performers in this *test *I found on another forum site. I've been thinking of getting one just so I don't have to have my AC on all the time (will help in the summer months).


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## Gastanker (Apr 9, 2011)

This is a 3x3x6 room with a 23.5" light fixture (I couldn't find a 21" in the program). There are several types of 6 to 4 reducers. One type fits on the inside of the vent and extends ~3" from the light, the other fit onto the outside and generally stick out a bit further. If you use the ones that stick out further I would recommend using a 6" sold metal L shaped ducting pieces coming off the light and then mounting the reducer onto that so that it is taking up vertical space versus horizontal space.

Simple picture - carbon filter up top (if there is no room up top it can be placed on the ground standing vertically) and ducting leaving the top as well - if you want you could have intake at the bottom, cooler air but gets in the way more often if you ask me. It would be a tight fit but should work fine - 21" light + 6" for the reducers leaves you around 7" for the ducting which should be plenty. And remember it's a cloth tent so if you go a few inches over it'll just push the tent wall out slightly.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 9, 2011)

That is great Gas! I will take a look more into this set-up and see some of my options.....


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## MrDank007 (Apr 10, 2011)

I would rec a cool tube, vented hood or whatever for your light. If you are barebulbing then the exhaust is not only about CFM air exhange for your plants, but more about exhausting heat...in which case you would want all the overkill you can get.


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## do1nth4ngs (Apr 11, 2011)

I have a friend who says mounting the fan on top of the filter with the filter on the floor works fine for him......here is a pic this is a 4x4 tent with 6inch inline fan says the temps are fine and leaving another vent port open brings fresh air in.

http://tinypic.com/r/9h2lv4/7

http://tinypic.com/r/rii0hw/7

http://tinypic.com/r/10z8y9i/7


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## webfoot (Apr 11, 2011)

do1nth4ngs said:


> I have a friend who says mounting the fan on top of the filter with the filter on the floor works fine for him......here is a pic this is a 4x4 tent with 6inch inline fan says the temps are fine and leaving another vent port open brings fresh air in.
> 
> http://tinypic.com/r/9h2lv4/7
> 
> ...


I have had my filter and fan this way for some time now, Works fine for me.
some more experienced growers i know have been doing it this way for years now.
Some even say that having the filter in your grow area (sucking)can suck the
taste out of your weed.
also, Its a carbon filter, i dont believe it cares what way the air flows imo.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

do1nth4ngs said:


> I have a friend who says mounting the fan on top of the filter with the filter on the floor works fine for him......here is a pic this is a 4x4 tent with 6inch inline fan says the temps are fine and leaving another vent port open brings fresh air in.
> 
> http://tinypic.com/r/9h2lv4/7
> 
> ...


Thanks much for the pictures, that helps me out a great deal. I am not so sure I would be able to imagine how to run that set-up, but now I see that it's rather easy.

So are you guys also recommending with my set-up that I go with an air cooled hood too? Help is appreciated because I plan on placing my order on Wednesday.


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## MrDank007 (Apr 11, 2011)

Yes and no. I hate to see you spend a lot of money if you don't need to. Air cooled hoods are good for obvious reasons, but it is another thing you have to make sure fits. You have to consider 6' ducting and a bend of some kind into the width. I like Gastankers setup where he had the light running one way and filter running perpendicular. BTW, how many watts are you running?


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

Yeah, I like Gastankers' set-up a lot too. Very ingenious. I am also hesitant to go with an air cooled hood because of the price. I am already on a tight budget, and I don't want to break the bank. I am planning a 400w MH/HPS. I have this light picked out with Agromax bulbs: http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTGSupply-Ultimate-400w-HPS-&-MH-Grow-Light.asp


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## mystifiedbongs (Apr 11, 2011)

i have a 4x8 tent and a 5x5 and this bad boy can refresh them both instantly. i have a ten inch inline fan. its ratd at over 900 cfm and it works wonders, had to do alot of modifying tho

View attachment 1544561


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

Yeah, that might be a little overkill for my little 3x3x5 tent.


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## Encomium (Apr 11, 2011)

webfoot said:


> I have had my filter and fan this way for some time now, Works fine for me.
> some more experienced growers i know have been doing it this way for years now.
> Some even say that having the filter in your grow area (sucking)can suck the
> taste out of your weed.
> also, *Its a carbon filter, i dont believe it cares what way the air flows imo.*


Pulling air from a carbon filter is much more efficient than pushing air into it. 

Have you made your purchase yet MJ?


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

Encomium said:


> Pulling air from a carbon filter is much more efficient than pushing air into it.
> 
> Have you made your purchase yet MJ?


No not yet. Wednesday is the planned day. Why do you have any suggestions before I pull the trigger?

I also think it's better to pull the air into the carbon filter because that is how it is designed.


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## Encomium (Apr 11, 2011)

Well not really. I think you have enough information to make an informed decision here. Me personally I like the idea of setting up like Gastanker suggests but it's going to be a tough fit I'm thinking too. 

If you do go w/out the air-cooled hood and run into heat issues you can do what I did with my ac wall unit and tape ducting to the ac unit onto one of the lower intake vents. Looked ghetto but served its purpose.


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

Yeah. I agree. I think I am just sticking with the light I posted, and I will figure out how to run my carbon filter when it gets here. And I can totally see myself running my ducting from my AC if things get too hot. I really don't care if it looks ghetto, I just want results.


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## do1nth4ngs (Apr 11, 2011)

*I'm going to go ahead and let you know that your not going to have heat issues with a 400mh/hps fixture if you have that 4 or 6 inch inline fan............set it up to pull the air into the filter and leave an extra vent port open and their will be no problems unless the room around you is hell...I was worried that the 600w bulb I'm getting would be a lot warmer then the 400 but I've been assured many times its not that much of a difference.Keep a fan in the room you will have the setup in and have a fan or two inside your tent,with the inline pulling the air out into the filter its creating a negative pressure vacuum.Remember to leave a vent port open but run some ducting into it to prevent light leaks,he also has the Yield Master II Reflector and he says its a really good fixture.This guy has totally changed my perspective on my first grow,I was going to go with a 400w hps and a 3x3 tent but I've completely changed my mind and I'm going with a 4x4 tent and a 600w ballast.The budget at first was around 600$ but now I beleive it will be worth it in the long run to add more resources and spend about 1200$(I'm poor)but I will manage to make this sacrifice over time.Get the basic items needed and go from their just save up and really make your investment worth the time and money spent....WHY NOT?*


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## MidnightJoker (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much the conclusion I have come to after reading a few books and reading all the posts here in my thread. I am going small for my first few grows, but when I move into a bigger apartment, I plan on expanding, but that won't be for about a year from now. My tent is 3x3 and is about 50 cu/ft. To remove the odor/heat I would need a 250CFM fan to remove the air 5 times per minute. My fan is 434CFM, so with my controller I can afford to lower the fan, reducing noise.


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## jiffjacksmokes (Oct 10, 2011)

i like peanut butter!


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