Why is there still smell outside my apartment?

[Landing]

So, I've been having a slight odor problem because I moved my plants to a larger room and didn't have a working carbon filter/fan for about a month.

Now, I've purchased an expensive S&P TD Silent 800 fan and a Can-Lite 800 carbon filter..

And the smell has maintained at pretty much the same level.

I am both surprised that there wasn't as much smell before and that there is still smell right now.

There is also a slight smell inside the grow room that has lingered.

What could it be? I've spent almost $1,000 on this and I'm not getting results..

 

[trillions of atoms]

You need negative air pressure in the growing area.

Cut a hole in the door and vent air out into the living area that has been scrubbed. Best way I've found to do in an apartment.

You can buy doors cheap when you move out.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

:yeahthat:

 

[lowrydergrower775]

also I do see you purchased the can lite for this project I have only used the regular can filter I do not know how well the lite versions perform does anyone else on the site have any information on this? are they pretty equal or is there quite a difference in what they can do?

 

[Surfer Joe]

So, I've been having a slight odor problem because I moved my plants to a larger room and didn't have a working carbon filter/fan for about a month.

Now, I've purchased an expensive S&P TD Silent 800 fan and a Can-Lite 800 carbon filter..

And the smell has maintained at pretty much the same level.

I am both surprised that there wasn't as much smell before and that there is still smell right now.

There is also a slight smell inside the grow room that has lingered.

What could it be? I've spent almost $1,000 on this and I'm not getting results..

You sure it's coming from you?
I was wandering around my yard the other day and kept getting a whiff of pot, but it wasn't from me. Apparently some of my neighbors must like to partake.
What a shame that we all can't hang out by the fence and trade advice about our grows like we do about the tomatoes or the carrots.

 

[Joe420Camel]

.

count your blessings!!

I had a slight smell outside my apartment door about 15 years ago
(smoke smell not growing smell)
Well, one of my fellow apartment dwellers (unhappy and pregnant) called the cops, the DEA, the apartment owners, just about everybody she could think of.

Must be nice to live in a medical state, the authorities have to @ least think before simply busting everybody, as some may have a prescription.

good luck


PS
I blow my phresh-filtered air (out of a negative pressure grow cabinet) over a few "odder-absorber" things, gives it a nice citrus smell.
(Yet the wife still swears she can smell it upstairs sometimes.)

 

[Hushpuppy]

It sounds like you may not have your ventilation set up correctly, or you have positive pressure in your room which is causing odor to get pushed out through tiny cracks. Odor can seep through the tiniest places. That is why we keep more vacuum pressure on a grow space rather than forcing fresh air in.

Also, if you have your exhaust set up correctly but you don't allow for enough passive air movement into the space, the vacuum pressure off the exhaust will fail to scrub all of the air. Can you describe your ventilation setup and routing for us, including how fresh air comes in?

 

[Landing]

It sounds like you may not have your ventilation set up correctly, or you have positive pressure in your room which is causing odor to get pushed out through tiny cracks. Odor can seep through the tiniest places. That is why we keep more vacuum pressure on a grow space rather than forcing fresh air in.

Also, if you have your exhaust set up correctly but you don't allow for enough passive air movement into the space, the vacuum pressure off the exhaust will fail to scrub all of the air. Can you describe your ventilation setup and routing for us, including how fresh air comes in?

I have a 30 cubic meter room with an attic above it.

I cut an 8" hole in the attic (it's thin) and placed the 8" duct into it.

I connected the duct to the fan which is connected to the filter. The fan is either 880 M3/h or 700 M3/h and the filter is 800 M3/h. Either setting has the same effect.

Since I have ~800M3/h of air being pushed out of a 30 M3/h room with no intake, I assume I have plenty of negative air pressure.

In fact, I can place my hand underneath the holes in the ceiling and feel the air being sucked in.

On top of that, the smell has not gotten stronger or weaker ever since I installed that fan/filter.

It's as if the smell is simply not coming from me, but my girlfriend is freaking out about it so I have to do something!

 

[Joe420Camel]

maybe you need to make (force) an "intake" so as to help create a favorable air flow pattern "up and out" of the room

sounds as if the fan is so strong (and or the "intake" so restrictive) that you are just pulling the air back down from the attic rather than "through" the room... IDK , just throwing out ideas

 

[Landing]

maybe you need to make (force) an "intake" so as to help create a favorable air flow pattern "up and out" of the room

sounds as if the fan is so strong (and or the "intake" so restrictive) that you are just pulling the air back down from the attic rather than "through" the room... IDK , just throwing out ideas

That's actually the best theory I've heard so far.

But the air would still have to go through the filter anyway, no? As there would still be negative pressure.

I ran the fan from the small room to the big room, providing intake, but nothing changed..

 

[Joe420Camel]

got to get the air OUT of the attic "before" you try to put more in

If there's no flow out of the attic then you aren't going to get much flow through and out of your room.


thinking outside of the box, (and into the next) nice multifarious :cool2:

 

[Landing]

How is the attic ventilated ?

The attic isn't air-tight. It's just what's underneath the shingled roof.

There is a large opening in the attic that vents air down to the stairwell.

The biggest conundrum is that the smell is NEVER on the top floor (where the opening is) but rather downstairs close to the lobby.

got to get the air OUT of the attic "before" you try to put more in

If there's no flow out of the attic then you aren't going to get much flow through and out of your room.


thinking outside of the box, (and into the next) nice multifarious :cool2:

Well, like I said, the attic vents down into the rest of the building which leads outside.

Essentially, the air is being sucked through the holes in the ceiling from the attic, combined with the smell, filtered through the carbon filter and then sent back up into the attic where it is then sucked back in or vented down the building.

EDIT: Okay, I took apart the ducting and instead of blowing the filtered air into the attic, had it blowing straight into the rest of the house with the door somewhat open.

This has caused the smell in the stairwell to increase exponentially!

I have no idea why.. perhaps the negative pressure was lowered because the door was open?

The air in the house doesn't smell, so I know the filter is working properly.

 

[trillions of atoms]

If filtered properly, the air will not smell.

filter sucks? (Shitty?)


Negative air pressure that's properly filtered will NOT smell.



PERIOD.


To add insult to injury...venting shitty filtered air into an attic space might move smell away from stairwell..but WILL find its way elsewhere.


U need to remedy ASAP.

 

[Wetdog]

Perhaps find a strain with much lower odor?

Lack of smell doesn't mean lack of potency, but it sure does lower complaints from the wife and overall paranoia.

Wet

 

[HipsterDoofus]

The grow room vents to the attic. The attic vents to the stair well. The stair well vents to the lobby. There is smell in the lobby. That sure is a mystery.

 

[justafarmer]

If filtered properly, the air will not smell.

filter sucks? (Shitty?)


Negative air pressure that's properly filtered will NOT smell.



PERIOD.


To add insult to injury...venting shitty filtered air into an attic space might move smell away from stairwell..but WILL find its way elsewhere.


U need to remedy ASAP.

Maybe someone else in your building is also growing, and venting into the attic? Your forced air into the attic is maybe helping to push their un-filtered smell all around? Thats kind of a long shot guess though.

I would also agree, that if your carbon scrubber is set up propperly, there is NO strain that could be too stinky for any smell to come out of the exhaust,.....period.


Filter>>>>>Fan>>>>>Duct work to light>>>>>Light>>>>>Duct work to exit room>>>>>>>

Making sure that all connections are air tight, I like to use aluminum duct tape, as the stuff is sooo sticky that it assures a great airtight seal.


Hope you get it resolved!


ps, sorry if I missed it, but what type of carbon filter do you use?

I have a 24x6 Phresh Filter hooked to a 450 cfm vortex and it works to eliminate 100 % of all skunk stink.


cheers ~

 

[AluminumMonster]

I could have sworn you are supposed to set it up....Filter--Ducting--A/C Hood--Ducting--Fan/Exhaust.

That's how I run my setup and I have never had an issue.

 

[justafarmer]

I could have sworn you are supposed to set it up....Filter--Ducting--A/C Hood--Ducting--Fan/Exhaust.

That's how I run my setup and I have never had an issue.

I called 'atmosphere' last year, they are the makers of Vortex fans, and they advised the setup I posted previously....

Not to say other setups dont work well, but they advised that the fans are designed to BLOW and NOT to SUCK.........

peace ~

 

[Wetdog]

I could have sworn you are supposed to set it up....Filter--Ducting--A/C Hood--Ducting--Fan/Exhaust.

That's how I run my setup and I have never had an issue.

That is correct, the fan is last in line, blowing out. They are more efficient blowing out and using the lower pressure behind to pull air through.

We had a lot of air cooled and filtered equipment in our shop and the basic set up was as you describe. Filter at one end, exhaust fan at the other, with what got cooled in between.

Wet

 

[justafarmer]

That is correct, the fan is last in line, blowing out. They are more efficient blowing out and using the lower pressure behind to pull air through.

We had a lot of air cooled and filtered equipment in our shop and the basic set up was as you describe. Filter at one end, exhaust fan at the other, with what got cooled in between.

Wet

hi wetdog

this is incorrect according to the manufacturer of VORTEX fans as i stated above,....they obviously do work well when they are set up to 'suck', but are designed and tested to blow.

And if smell is a great concern, setting it up as i posted, is the most efficient way because ALL air is filtered and then exhausted and its almost impossible to have smell exit.
When you set it up with the fan pulling a vacuum on the whole line, with the filter furthest away,....you are most definately going to pull UNFILTERED air into the line at all sorts of connection points.....it is suprising how much an air cooled hood will actually leak under a vacuum.

Anyway, this was all according to 'Atmosphere', the makers of Vortex Fans,....and not only my opinion.


peace man!