Filtering Your InTake

[lilzayne]

Wattup farmers. So I've been thinkin about starting to filter my intake air. I'm just a bit skeptical about if it's really necessary and if a filter would slow down the intake rate significantly.
I was wondering what you guys think about filtering your intake. If you filter your intake, please feel free to chime in about methods and/or any other thoughts about it.
Keep it Green!

-Lil Zayne

 

[~xO Kakalak Ox~]

If you are bringing air in from outside I would filter but otherwise I don't see the point.

 

[Malachi]

I filter the intake to air-cool my hoods, it cuts down on the dust inside the glass. That can kill your lumens quick

 

[_BIG_YIELDS_]

i filter my air cooled hoods and my air intake when im not running a air tight room, i use 2 filters when i bring air into a room, i use the expensive 1 that catchs 99 percent of pollen and particles and i use the 1 that covers the end of my fan, think about it do you want some1s pollen hittn your plants or do you want 2 let bugs in??? i would never just bring in outside air in 2 my room with my plants!! i change them every 2 months and there dark brown with all kinds of bugs and stuff stuck in them!! if you dont filter all your air youll be sorry later

 

[mrdizzle]

I have thought about it, try an odorsok, depends why you want to filter it. if its for bugs I dont see how any bugs can make it through a fans blades. if its for dirt then go with the odorsok

 

[lilzayne]

Wow, thanks for all the responses guys. In the past, I've always covered my intake ducting with screens... these screens probably slowed down the intake as well. When I was looking at the filtrete filters they just seemed kinda thick... so i'm just a bit skeptical on the rate of airflow.
I do have a good vent fan, and a duct booster for the intake. The one 4inch ductbooster will most likely be my only means of intake (I'm using a 3x3 secret jardin, but wont be using the side flaps for intake as I wanna have no light leaks). Think just one 4 in duct booster with a filter covering it will be enough intake? Please let me know what you guys are thinking.

Lil Zayne

 

[CAPO]

What up lilzayne?

I use a HEPA pre-filter, the blue washable one (the carbon hepa is not).
I used to have a slight PM problem, now I don't. Now that I use intake, not only am I pest and mildew free, but my plants seem alot happier, always reachin for the light. Watching them react practically over night was radical. I used to use a passive intake to insure negative pressure.
I wasn't sure if it would work out at first, but it did. Here's how I did it:
My room is 8x10 with 2 1k vertizontals, 24/7 ventilation going. My outtake is a 6" vortex with a large 6" carbon can-filter. Then for my intake, I use a Sunleaves brand 6" fan. The Sunleaves uses less wattage and has a lower cfm. If I stand at the closed door to the garden and light a lighter, the flame gets sucked through the cracks instantly; ensuring me that I have negative pressure. I grow OGKush skunkfunk and I don't have any smells escaping the room at all. I also think that the force of air coming through my intake, helps my outtake fan not work so hard.
Some people say to use a 4" intake and a 6" outtake or a 6" with a 10". I think this would make your outtake work just as hard as it being passive.
I don't think I will ever flower without one again; there's something very comforting about having very clean air. I imagine if I were to use CO2, I would just filter in the room through a carbon can. If I was cooling lights or couldn't afford a $100 Hepa, I would build a diy box with a good furnace filter.

 

[lilzayne]

Wow great info CAPO! A lot of OG's preach filtering your intake... so it's definitely something I wanna take into account. I just got a new 4" inline 65-80 or something cfm, and for outake i use a 4" 106 cfm fan. I guess im gonna try and just cut a filter to cover one of the duct tubes side that's out of the tent(the other side will be right in the tent attached to the duct booster). Does this sound like the way to go?
The guy at home depot told me that I wouldn't be able to cut the filtrete filter... hmmm
Thanks for the great input... I'm definetely gonna have to make this happen. Cleaner air=cleaner meds :)

-Lil Zayne

 

[CAPO]

I know nothing of cutting the filtretes.
I'd look around for a cardboard box or spare storage bin.
Amazing what one can do with some good duct tape( I like the gorilla glue kind) and a razor knife.
Don't know your environment, but a lot of dirt on a small piece piece of filter might clog quicker than you care to change.
Good luck ...be safe!

 

[mrpurplestuff]

Could be detramental to your crop but at the same time not so relavent to succeding

 

[lilzayne]

I'm really liking the carboard box idea CAPO. Thx for the advice!!! So would you recommend i attach the ducting to the carboard box and then filter the other side of the cardboard box? I like this idea because than i can have a bigger area to filter rather than just a small 4in ducting... still gotta figure this out a bit...
Again thx for the info.
Keep it Green!

-Lil Zayne

 

[mrpurplestuff]

so if your gonna do it do it right and use a hepa with a pre' filter that is four or five times larger than you would even need to prevent flow issues after dust and whatnot begin to accumulate.... do not use a carbon filter such as an odor sok it would be better used on the exaust also i love the cardboard idea it was a greate one as I like to cut wood and that is what i would have used.....:cool0010:

 

[lilzayne]

Just wanna bumb this thread and give a big thanks to CAPO. I took his suggestion and have been filtering my intake through a cardboard box. It has been working great and I would highly suggest doing this for people who use tents. Again big thanks to CAPO, you rock!

-Lil Zayne

 

[CAPO]

You're Welcome!:hi:

 

[Jalisco Kid]

I use HD's 20 dollar filter that cleans well. You can cut it to size and clean it.
Fan blades do not kill bugs,eggs and/or spores. Just gives them an eticket ride. JK

 

[lilzayne]

Hey JK, is HD Home Depot? I'm using those Filtrete Ultra Allergen filters and I got it from Home Depot. The people there told me that I would not be able to cut the filtrete filters... so I was a bit skeptical how I was gonna make this happen at first. I ended up cutting the filter and it worked just fine... it still keeps its shape and the metal wire can be easily cut with a normal pair of scissors.
I agree with you that fan blades def. don't kill bugs or anything. Before I would use screens for my intake, but I'm very happy with the filtrete filters. Looking forward to always filtering my intake in the future.:happy

-Lil Zayne

 

[Gro]

just make sure your intake(passive) is 2x larger than ur exhaust.don't forget to calculate the reduction in flow as the filter gets dirty.also install the filter so as to make replacement simple and convenient.