Help from rocket scientists

[bass ackwards]

To begin let me state that I have never been accused of being the sharpest tack in the box. Having said that bear with me as I try to frame my questions in a manner that won't make you think that I'm a complete imbecile. I am trying to figure out what I need to do in order to control odor inside a flowering room. Let me say for the sake of discussion that the room will be 8'w x12'l x8'h or roughly 800 cu.ft. It will have six 600w HPS lights or 3600watts total. The lights will not be air cooled.
I have a six inch fan tech axial fan rated at 230cfm which I would like to couple to a Can Filter for odor control. Based on cubic footage I would need to run the fan just over three minutes to move 800 cu.ft. of air. Now here is where things get confusing. From what I understand the cfm rating for the fan has to be reduced by half due to pulling air through the filter. Is this true? If so, what size filter will I need?
Looking at the Can-Fan website it would appear that I would need the model #33, but that is just based on airflow rates. Shouldn't I be more concerned with the number of plants within the room (which in my case will be twenty-four)? It just seems that the number of plants has to fit into the equation somehow. The filter would have to extract more odor from the room with 24 plants than it would if there were only 12 plants. Would 16.5lbs.of carbon (their figures) be enough to control odor,and if so for how long? How frequently should I vent the room? Would it be better to recirculate the air within the room using the filter and add an additional extraction fan?
I have a lot of other questions regarding heat,humidity,and CO2 enrichment but I'll save them for another thread.For now I would just like to get the problem of controlling odor resolved. I'm sure I haven't asked all the pertinent questions yet but with some feedback from you guys I'm sure I will get it right.

Respect bass

 

[todgerdelburro]

run the fan/flter 24/7, fans work better that way and without negative presure your fan off, unfiltered garden will stink up yo' hood real quick.

plant #s do not affect the smell, 1 or 400, it is still 8'x12' [or whatever is garden] of flowering canopy

dont bother with CO2 till you are an expert, get the basics right first.

unless you run air con, running 6 lights needs full time extraction just to have any chance of keeping your six light garden within bounds

 

[Somnambulist]

I am no expert, I am just a beginner myself, but I don't think the can33 will be near enough for the size of your room.

The couple people I have talked to that are using the can33's are using them in tents no larger than appx. 160 cubic feet.

 

[mace]

I don't think i could say it any better than this article.

 

[Old Yeller]

bass - At 768 sq. feet it looks like your right on the border between a 6" or 8" inline fan & carbon scrubber. Since you're not using a/c hoods, i'd go with an 8" fan with a speed control & a c/f that is rated for 768cfm (at least). It's always better to go bigger on the fan & adjust it down while matching the filter to the room size. The Can33 would be too small - looks more like you'd need a Can66. There's other, cheaper c/f's that would be worth checking into, like the Carbonaire & Active Air models, but remember shipping will be $ on these heavy items & more than one guy has gotten a smashed filter in the mail.

 

[Dr Herbal]

hey bro my room is is the same size as your but mine beeing 1ft taller i use an 8" with carb and 5" intake and using 3x 600w lights my temp during cooler month and humidity is pritty much bang on but once the summer kicks in the temp goes sky high id say if you got the cash id go at least one 12" or 2x 8" and 2x 5" for intake. all ways use a carb that maches your fan :)

 

[Nuglover]

A can 33 will probably be too small. You have to look at the cfm of fan and filter. If you pull air through the filter too fast, the carbon won't have time to absorb all the smell. If you're not pulling out air fast enough it will be too hot. you've got to find a happy medium.

 

[Jalisco Kid]

I only work with closed rooms but I use a formula that calls for 1 lb of 20 cubic feet. If you are dumping your air outside I would use more carbon,so I guess the above would need to be your minimal. The more stink the more carbon.just match the fan to the filter. If you pull too much air there is not enough time for the air to be in contact with the carbon. Also it depends on where you live. If you are in Alabama I would buy a ozone generator and add that to your exhaust. I do this on my room just for emergency situations and harvest time. I just like to sleep well. I tell my clients when they think about not spending the money,think about someone telling them to bend over and grab your ankles. That said peoples mouths get them in trouble more then smell.
If your room is designed right you sure do not need to be an expert for co2. The plants metabolism does not need to know your skills. There are things I would spend money on before I used co2. You need the light to really get benefits of co2. If you are at 50w sq' co2 will help. Suerte JK

 

[bass ackwards]

todgerdelburro,Your are right about how quick the odor spreads, it doesn't take long. I don't think I will run the fan/filter constantly though because at this point I do intend to supplement with CO2. I have a few portable a/c units that I can roll into the flower room as needed. Probably have to rewire them to cycle on and off with the lights, but thats another problem that I won't go into here.

Somnambulist, I agree with you that the Can #33 is probably too small. I went back to the Canfilter site and checked more thoroughly and probably the smallest filter I could use with the fans I have would be the #66. I'm not sure but that filter with my fans would probably be marginal. I guess I will have to find another use for these fans and get a larger fan/filter combo. Thank you for your advise.

mace, Thanks for posting that article. I looked around before starting this thread but didn't see it. Just goes to prove the validity of my first sentence. The article makes the following statement;

Your fan should be big enough to move the volume of your area 2 to 3 times every minute.

I have heard that before and always wondered how you could use CO2 and still move the air that much. Could you help me with that?

Old Yeller, Thanks for stopping by. I am beginning to believe you and others are correct and I do need to get a larger filter and fan combo. Something on the order of a model #11 wich is rated for 840cfm.
I am not committed to the Canfilters my any means. I just used them as an example so everyone who responded would have a frame of reference. Your are also correct about shipping costs and damage. I could pick up the filters myself I suppose. You just gave me something more to think about.

ripz, Point well made my friend. Fit isn't as big of a concern as afford. But that is always the case isn't it?
Your advise on expansion is well made.

Freakshow, I wish I could use air cooled hoods but I never gave that a thought when I purchased my lights some years ago. And I'm not sure at that time that Phillips even made air cooled hoods. They don't now, although they do make an enclosure for the light and reflector but at this time for me it is cost prohibitive. I have to draw the line somewhere, besides I have managed to get by without them in the past. Possibly down the road. Nevertheless, I thank you for bringing up the subject.

Dr Herbal, Thank you sir, yes I will probably use at least an 8" fan, maybe a 10". You are right, winter time is not as big of a problem as summer. Just my luck that I will be starting up in summer. On a positive note, once I get through mid September temps here should start to decline. Another point is because I will be starting from seed it will take me some time before I will have my flower room on full bore. But then I will be able to go full throttle for at least six months before temps start to rise again. At least that's my plan.

Nuglover, That happy medium you speak of seems at this point to be elusive. However with the help of people like yourself and the others here who have contributed their thoughts I have no doubt that I will stumble upon it.

Thank you one and all for your advise and direction. I have studied your comments and will again in the future, I think it's great that so many people are willing to offer their advise in such a helpful manner. Please don't stop, I still look for your continued advise.

Respect bass

 

[bass ackwards]

Jalisco Kid, Thanks for stopping by with some great info,I might add. You have given me something to hang my hat on, I need at least 40lbs. of carbon for each room. I can work with that. Actually I'm planning on dumping into a separate room, and from that room I will exhaust with an additional C/F into the exhaust from the furnace if possible. Inside the ducting that runs to the furnace ducting I plan on placing an ozone generator to further eliminate the odor. I haven't found the right location to set this grow up at yet so my plans on exhaust may change but I will use ozone for sure.
Since you brought the subject of ozone up I wonder if you might give me your opinion on which is best, U/V generators or Corona discharge generators. I was planning on bringing that subject up in a different thread but the opportunity arose now so I'll ask.
As far as watts/sq.ft. goes,the room dimensions I used are pretty close for the overall size of the room. The area within the room taken up by the plants will be closer to 6'x10' give or take so yes I will be around 50watts/sq.ft. Thanks again for the input

Respect bass

 

[Jalisco Kid]

I use the corona, but it still freaks me out as it is basically a controlled short. You just have to make sure you mix the air/ozone well. I run it into a baffled box then down 20' of ducting. JK