Carbon filter not enough. Who else still has odors when using one?

Hello fellow internet dwellers. My grow with 400w HPS is in full bloom (6 weeks) and has a carbon filter capable of filtering 300 m³/h with a fitting fan attached. It was working well at first but now you can definately smell it in the room while its on. I mean really smell it.
Without it would be much worse but Im still surprised that it isnt getting rid of all the smell. Anybody else have a carbon filter and is still able to smell the grow?


Better view of carbon filter----------------------------- Current growth state

yeah i find this to be true. my filter works and keep the plants from stinking up the whole place, but sometimes i can still smell the plants. to fix this i bought an automatic sprayer that can be set at different time intervals. i put a can of ozeum in it and set it to spray every 36 minutes. now no smells can ever be detected.

The smell wouldnt be possible to cover up with another smell. Its very strong, you would almost think theres no filter being used at all

yeah i had the same prob and same solution. A ona mist spraying every 7.5min near my tent.

how old is ur carbon filter? i believe they have to be replaced at least every year. ozium actually sanitizes the air and breaks down the smell. you could also use an ozone generator.

You'll get stink leaks here and there. Using a carbon filter in combination with Ozium or Ona has always worked for me. I've got an Ozium dispenser in the front of the house and a tub of Ona sitting next to my grow exhaust.

Seems like high humidity will prevent a carbon filter from working. My humidity is at 64% with lights off right now so Im def thinking thats the problem.
The filter itself is brand new

I had same problem and so does my buddy. Now I insulated, dry walled, and mud and siliconed all the bottom where the drywall meets floor. And I ditched the carbon filter and I am running the exhaust right out the chimney. But not everyone can do that.

TheOrganic said:

But not everyone can do that.

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No, sadly we cant

Ona works great for me. I exhaust straight outside, but use ONA to kill/mask any hint indoors.

Im not sure what to do.
paying 50 for a dehumidifier is fine but it also uses 400 watts and thats another 60 extra on the electrical bill every month. Thats not a great option.

a carbon filter alone is not going to stop the funk you need a whole team of defence to stop a funky grow
i use a tent i have a fan and scrubber inside my exaust goes to a fan and scrubber outside i use ona blocks and a thing called vapor tech that emits a sweet smell electronically and i still get a woff of bud once and a while

so i need a whole defensive team to bring down a fullback of funk from a dank funk grow no one player can stop the funk single handed

for the stuff i grow if i was doing some nurvana type stuff would be diff i do Elite Genetics, Rez chemdog x sour diesel, cali connection gear, headband, og#18, and that type of stuff serious dankty dank

That's what I use - A Carbon Filter and ONA Gel & Mist

well you could filter the air from inside the room where the tent is as well maby

canucks420 said:

how old is ur carbon filter? i believe they have to be replaced at least every year. ozium actually sanitizes the air and breaks down the smell. you could also use an ozone generator.

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depending on the filter and humidity I've read they need replaced every 2-6 months. personally I work at a sheet metal shop and built my own, it contains 15 pounds of activated charcoal , I had high humidty on my first grow and now the filter doesn't seem to work as well.
My hydro shop will sell me enough activated charcoal to fill my scrubber 2 times for like 130 bux. Dunno that it would be cheaper to just buy pre-made disposable filters. was looking at a ad on craigslist here who was looking to buy used up medical weed scrubber to do research on the charcoal after useage, that confused me but he was offering 100 bux for spent filters, odd.

I would say most of your problem is your filter is sitting on top of your cab with no seal. Put it in your cab and seal around the duct.

as above its setup wrong it should be pulling air through the carbon filter not pushing the air through it as it appears in photos and is in the wrong place you want it closer to the plants not on top ov the shelf were it is now

ckckck said:

as above its setup wrong it should be pulling air through the carbon filter not pushing the air through it as it appears in photos and is in the wrong place you want it closer to the plants not on top ov the shelf were it is now

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The air is being pulled through. Its carbon filter -> fan -> exhaust fumes get blown out the cab
It shouldnt matter where the filter is (as long as its inside the growroom), theres no need for it to be closer to the plants.
Might want to double check your facts before you claim something. Still thanks for meaning well by replying, I just always try to avoid false information to be spread around.

@ Bigv: The filter has a special piece connection it to the fan so its actually nicely sealed up. It sitting on a shelf doesnt mean its in a different room, its still inside the same space as the plants.

....it is very possible that you may need a larger scrubber, or a smaller inline fan.
...if your fan is pulling the air too fast through the scrubber, you'll not get the full effect. I would shake your scrubber well to stir up the carbon rocks and attach a dimmer.
...I have a dimmer attached to my inline fan for just this purpose....although, many people will claim that the dimmer isn't good for your fan, I've had my setup the same for 3 years now (with dimmer)...no problems. Good luck man.

ya if that filter is pulling the air then its not even in the room and isnt doing a thing for smells,. needs to be in the room and yes filters are meant to be drawn through not blown through, hence the pre filter on them. and may be made of inferior carbon. ive been running mine almost 2 years on 24/7 and still no smells. this filter uses the best carbon there is out there. and gauranteed for 2 years.

ckckck, does has the fatcs right. we design filters. pull through them not push. why is there a pre filter if we push then???