Does A Carbon Filter Have To Vent Outside?

Are annoying odors coming from your grow tent? What could be the reason? Do you think it’s essential to vent the carbon filter outside? Let’s go through this article to vanish the confusion about this topic.

so, Does a carbon filter have to vent outside?

It relies on the situation. If the grow room needs to have an increased temperature, venting the carbon filter outside is necessary. But it is not compulsory to vent outside because plants can absorb this clean, nontoxic, and good air.

However, ventilation will occur automatically if the tent size is compact and hermetically sealed when you set up the carbon filter outside your grow room.

The main job of a carbon filter is to decrease heat and remove foul smells from the grow room. It can perform the task from the outside. However, it would not be as effective as it would be from the inside. Using an extra fan may make the task easier, though.

Does A Carbon Filter Have To Vent Outside?

So, you are here to know about, does a carbon filter have to vent outside? Though it is pretty uncommon to vent carbon filter outside, you can still do it. But some reasons are there. What are they? Let’s learn them.

Small Sized Grow Tents

Grow tents come in various sizes. 5′ x 5′ and 4′ x 8′ are the most commonly used grow tents. However, you will also find huge grow tents such as 8′ x 16′, etc.

However, anything such as 2′ x 4′, 4′ x 4′, 4′ x 8′, etc. are considered as small grow tent. Their size is not spacious enough to accommodate the carbon filter inside them.

Planting More Plants

Since carbon filters cover a considerable amount of space, many growers set up it outside to save space. This allows them to plant more plants inside them. It is particularly beneficial when your grow tent is small, and you want to plant more plants.

Not Having Sturdy Construction

A carbon filter has a decent weight. Since most carbon filters are required to hang up, enough support is necessary.

Unless your grow tent has a sturdy construction, it may not hold it firmly. Otherwise, it may fall anytime since it is failing to take the load.

So, these are 3 primary reasons you should count on if you think of venting the carbon filter outside.

Does The Carbon Filter Have To Be Inside The Tent?

It is unnecessary to vent the carbon filter outside if you have already installed it inside. However, some manufactures use special carbon filters.

This type of filter includes a pipe that moves recycled air from inside to outside. Also, it allows to let fresh and clean air come inside the grow tent.

However, you should only allow the recycled air to move outside only when the air is warm. Otherwise, it is not necessary.

The air inside grows tent mainly becomes hot when you don’t set up several cooling fans or no fan. This makes the internal environment hot.

Without proper fanning, air can’t move freely. As a result, the humidity level will rise, and so does the moisture level. Excessive humidity harms plants.

To keep it balanced, set up several cooling fans, and maintain a perfect level of humidity.  Hopefully, you got your answer about “Does the carbon filter have to be inside the tent?”

How to Stop Vent Outside When Carbon Filter is Placed Inside?

How do you handle a situation when the carbon filter is vented outside automatically? As we mentioned earlier, a carbon filter should not be vented outside unless some situation arises.

Wondering how to stop vent outside when carbon filter is placed inside? Here are the steps to follow:

1. First of all, remove the cover of the carbon filter and use rubber bands to modify the pre-filter settings.
2. Now, locate the intake fan from the last part of the filter.
3. If the fan is located outside the filter in pipework, it is easy to prevent the ventilation outside. Use a rubber coupling to block the air coming outside.
4. The next task is cutting the pipe based on the vent gap and fan.
5. Install the pipe on the last part of the fan.
6. Now, install both the fan and the carbon air filter by hanging it on the upper part of the grow room.
7. Finally, you want to put the pipe inside the hole of the vent. The pipe is connected to a fan.

Is It Necessary To Use A Carbon Filter In A Grow Tent?

Setting up a grow tent without a carbon filter is a grow room without efficiency. Is it necessary to use a carbon filter in a grow tent? The main task of a carbon filter is eliminating bad smells and controlling emissions from the room.

Grow tents are mainly installed in a secure place. So, fresh air fails to enter inside it. Hence, toxic air or gas may develop inside the grow tent. It deteriorates air quality.

Do you think it will affect your plant growth? NO! However, growers may end up having annoying smells, contaminants, harmful particles, etc.

A carbon filter is intelligently designed to absorb harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and others from grow tents. As a result, the air quality improves, making it fresh and allergy-friendly.

Don’t mix up between a ventilation system and a carbon filter. A ventilation system can’t remove any harmful gases or odors from the air. But having both of these helps you to create an ideal environment for your grow tent.

Where to Put Carbon Filter In Grow Room?

Choosing a perfect location for setting up a carbon filter inside the grow room is essential. Where to put carbon filter in grow room? You have several options.

The Primary Recommended Location

According to several experts, installing your carbon filter at the opening of the ducting route is one of the best places. The duct routing begins from this location.

So, why use the begging part of the duct routing for installing a carbon filter? It reduces the probability of gas leaking, which has a unique smell. The smell stays inside the grow tent.

Apart from that, this approach moves the annoying smell out of the grow room. It also reduces hot air. You achieve a balanced temperature. Since you place the carbon filter at the beginning part, the annoying smell has less chance to into the grow room.

Optional Location

Whether you can include a carbon filter inside your grow room depends on your grow tent size. Since you have to add other things such as grow lights, oscillating fans, etc., your grow tent may not have sufficient space to location all of them.

In such scenarios, locating a carbon filter outside the grow room is okay. In case your ductwork is fully airtight, it is a sustainable solution to add the device at the last part.

In addition, be sure the duct ports of your grow tent are appropriately airtight. Alternatively, you can connect the inline fan directly to the carbon filter if there is no grow light hood.

No matter where you install the carbon filter, always maintain two crucial points:

• Properly airtight the grow tent
• Properly airtight the ducting route

Doing both will ensure no leakage issues and keep the whole grow room free from foul odors.

3 Pro Tips

When you finally decide to put your carbon filter outside, these pro tips you should always consider.

1. Fans with Circuit Breakers

You can use different electric fans in your grow tents, such as Oscillating fans, Inline fans, and Static fans. Regardless of the fan you use, make sure it features circuit breakers to prevent electrical overloads.

2. No Bending For the Ducting

Avoid bending the ducting. Also, their length should be short.

3. Higher CFM Fan

You may have several types’ fans. But make sure the cubic feet per minute for one fan should be more than 10 for your grow room. Higher CFM is particularly useful when you want to achieve great ventilation inside the grow room.

How Long Does a Carbon Filter Last?

If you continually use the carbon filter without any break, you want to replace it after 1.5-2 years. However, if the environment is not challenging, carbon filters may last as long as 4 years. But, the lifespan of a carbon filter depends on its construction quality, surrounding environments, and the type of plants you are growing inside.

Do I Need an Activated Carbon Filter in My Grow Room?

The presence of a carbon filter in a growing room is essential for plant growth. Controlling the internal environments of a grow tent requires you to set up a high-quality carbon filter.

However, if you set up your grow tent in an open space where sufficient airflow can be inside it, setting up an activated carbon filter may not be compulsory.

Final Thought

Are you still wondering about this question: Does a carbon filter have to vent outside? Unless you have no option to set up a carbon filter inside the grow tent, you avoid venting it outside. But if you have no option left, you can vent it outside by following our step-by-step method.