Does a carbon filter remove smell? 2019 Updated
What is an Activated Carbon Filter?
Activated carbon filters are small pieces of carbon, typically in granular or powdered block form, that have been treated to be extremely porous. It is so cavernous, in fact, that just one gram of activated carbon can easily have a surface area of 500m2 or higher. Vast surface area enables these carbon filters to adsorb exponentially more contaminants and allergens than traditional carbon.
Adsorption is a distinct process where organic compounds in the air or water react chemically with the activated carbon, which causes them to stick to the filter. The more porous the activated carbon is, the more contaminants it will capture. These filters are most notably used to remove hazardous compounds in home air purification systems.
HOW LONG DOES ACTIVATED CARBON LAST?
The Activated Carbon filter is a very important air filter in all the air purifier systems, but it can only last for a short time. Typical Activated carbon filter (or Charcoal filter) can only last between two and four weeks, then you need to vacuum or clean the air filter before using it again. The Activated Carbon filter needs to be changed every few month to be efficient. This is because of the adsorption process that increasingly fill up the pollutants inside the activated carbon bed. Once the bed is saturated, the filter can no longer be capable of taking in pollutants more.
Can Activated Carbon be reused? The simple answer is yes, because of the porous nature of activated carbon, this air filter can be recycled by baking out the odors of it, then you can reuse the air filter completely. However, you can only reuse the Activated Carbon filter two to the maximum of three times, then you must replace the carbon filter so it can work against the smoke, odors and chemicals.
How Carbon Filters Work Inside a Grow Room?
For starters, activated carbon is basically a sponge that captures odor-causing vapors and takes them out of circulation. The level of odor-causing chemicals is lowered and thus the odor, which is the nose’s detection and quantification of the presence of non-air molecules, is reduced.
At some level, called the odor threshold, a typical nose cannot detect the presence of the odor compound in the air and the odor is considered absent, although the chemical is likely still there at a reduced level. This can be a problem, since the slightest increase in the level of the odor compound in the air brings it above the odor threshold and suddenly the odor is detected.
How to effectively use a carbon air filter?
Carbon filters can be an important part of your home air purification system, but they have to be used correctly.
Make sure it uses enough carbon. Some filters claim to be activated carbon filters, but they use only a trace of carbon. These will not be effective because they become saturated almost immediately. A rough guideline is that a good activated carbon air filter uses at least five pounds of carbon–of course, not all carbon is created equal, and some may have more binding sites (and saturation capacity) than others.
Change your carbon filter for grow tent. Once the carbon becomes saturated, it loses all effectiveness as an air filter. It is imperative that you change it out for a fresh carbon filter when this happens. The problem is that there is not a perfect method of knowing when carbon is saturated. Replacing carbon filters is a costly investment, but a monthly replacement schedule is a good starting point.