air purifier for grow room

[glued gorilla]

So I have a problem, I have gotten powdery mildew. I feel like I have everything in control. However, I want to get some type of filter system, something that can capture mildew, and keep the air clean to prevent a future outbreak. Anyone here use a filter like this, or have suggestions? I grow in a nonvented  9x9 room and run a 8x39 phresh filter for odor control, but these do not filter mildew. Any help is deeply appreciated, thanks

[Kingdiamond]

You need a dehumidifier that  takes all of that extra moisture out of the room   not allowing PM  to  grow I had it for almost a year until I bought my unit .

[Restorium2]

Some strains mildew really easily.

[semicaregiver]

2 hours ago, Restorium2 said:

Some strains mildew really easily.

Second that!   The OG Kush and Blue Dream strains that I have will develop PM if you just look at them.  Just the opposite is Gorilla Glue.  It seems impervious to nearly everything.

[glued gorilla]

15 hours ago, Kingdiamond said:

You need a dehumidifier that  takes all of that extra moisture out of the room   not allowing PM  to  grow I had it for almost a year until I bought my unit .

I have one, what i needed to do, is not get new genetics from people. I know the general preventitive measures. My room was 78f and 55% humidity, these were vegetative plants. I run 45% in flower when buds are getting big

Edited January 30, 2020 by glued gorilla

[glued gorilla]

Really just looking for info on purification in grow room. I am taking the necessary precautions, but bieng airborne, I would like something that will clean the air. Thanks everyone

 

 

[semicaregiver]

_{You might consider some version of a photocatalytic oxidation device.}     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661927

About 18 months ago I was at a commercial grow show and a number of suppliers were showing black boxes that they just hung from the ceiling and they were asking thousands of dollars for.   They promised odor and mold removal.   You see the technology sold for consumers at outrageous prices by https://molekule.com/   and a dozen other suppliers.  Basically they are all just a uv light bulb surrounded by a mesh cylinder coated with titanium dioxide. From reading the technical paper and the hype from the various suppliers, it appears that the uv bulb creates ozone in the air passing over it, then the ozone in contact with the moisture in the air is converted into hydrogen peroxide due to a catalytic effect of the titanium dioxide.  All sounds like a bit of hocus pocus snake oil, but it works.  

In my situation I have a separate dedicated hvac system that I installed 10 years ago when I converted my 600 sq. ft basement to a grow area.  Given that I already had dedicated duct work I just bought an induct unit....  https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LATEST-MODEL-Reme-Halo-24V-In-Duct-Air-Purification-System-NEW-SEALED-BOX/174177184524?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225086%26meid%3D07e59b0b522a4b489edb0c1a07c21eac%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D333291450548%26itm%3D174177184524%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

I was very skeptical at first but the $350 price was well within all the dumb flyers I have taken on the latest and greatest nutrients, light fixtures, bulbs, etc, etc.   Turns out it worked.  It eliminated odor and reduced PM problems significantly.  I still have a routine of using Neem oil as a preventative treatment, but I am seeing only a few plants occasionally with PM issues.  

Edited February 1, 2020 by semicaregiver
typo

[glued gorilla]

54 minutes ago, semicaregiver said:

_{You might consider some version of a photocatalytic oxidation device.}     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661927

About 18 months ago I was at a commercial grow show and a number of suppliers were showing black boxes that they just hung from the ceiling and they were asking thousands of dollars for.   They promised odor and mold removal.   You see the technology sold for consumers at outrageous prices by https://molekule.com/   and a dozen other suppliers.  Basically they are all just a uv light bulb surrounded by a mesh cylinder coated with titanium dioxide. From reading the technical paper and the hype from the various suppliers, it appears that the uv bulb creates ozone in the air passing over it, then the ozone in contact with the moisture in the air is converted into hydrogen peroxide due to a catalytic effect of the titanium dioxide.  All sounds like a bit of hocus pocus snake oil, but it works.  

In my situation I have a separate dedicated hvac system that I installed 10 years ago when I converted my 600 sq. ft basement to a grow area.  Given that I already had dedicated duct work I just bought an induct unit....  https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LATEST-MODEL-Reme-Halo-24V-In-Duct-Air-Purification-System-NEW-SEALED-BOX/174177184524?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225086%26meid%3D07e59b0b522a4b489edb0c1a07c21eac%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D333291450548%26itm%3D174177184524%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

I was very skeptical at first but the $350 price was well within all the dumb flyers I have taken on the latest and greatest nutrients, light fixtures, bulbs, etc, etc.   Turns out it worked.  It eliminated odor and reduced PM problems significantly.  I still have a routine of using Neem oil as a preventative treatment, but I am seeing only a few plants occasionally with PM issues.  

Thanks for the info, I will be looking into that. I have found a few potential options, but some companies don't seem legit, like IQ Air. I could be wrong, but going with my gut.

[garyfisher]

If the room is sealed just throw a hepa filter in the room.  It will filter 99.99% of particles in the air.  I run one 24/7.  
I also use Ozone in the air.  Together these are extremely effective at removing and eliminating airbourne particles.

This is the honewell hepa i use and it puts out massive amounts of air.  It also has a prefilter so the HEPA stays clean for a long time..

[garyfisher]

Here is the exact ozone/UV I use as well.  This is a commercial unit and not intended for rooms occupied by humans.  I have no issues with the plants, it also reduces smell.

https://hydrobuilder.com/ozone-generator-5500-cubic-feet-1-lamp.html

[semicaregiver]

The hepa filter is a good idea.  If you research the various consumer room type units sold with the photo catalytic oxidation units they usually have a pre-filter that is often a hepa filter.   

I have experimented with ozone over the years and as GaryFisher mentions their are potential human health issues.  I was not comfortable with this downside and had hoped one might be able to deal with it via some sort of controller like one deals with CO2 generators.   There are controllers out there, but they are $500+ and their sensors need to be replaced every six months.   

Companies sell O3 generators in two formats, one is  uv bulb and the other are two electrically charged plates that break the O2 bonds as air passes between them and this allows the formation of O3.   The only thing going for the uv bulb is they will never generate enough O3 to be harmful.   The plate type unit, which appears to be what GaryFisher is showing is fantastically efficient, but it's output is affected by dust and dirt accumulating on the plates.   The ideal unit would be a hepa filter followed by a plate type O3 generator.

My concern about O3 may also be unique to my set up.   I converted the entire basement to a grow area and I also have a small space where I trim.   My hvac system covers the entire basement and as such I would be spending a lot of time potentially exposed to high levels of O3.  

One potential caveat to all the above is hydrogen peroxide.  Exposure to O3 has been studied to death, but I have not seen anything on the effect of peroxide and human lungs.   I know peroxide breaks down readily, but so does O3.  The only plus is companies have been selling the consumer pco type units for 10 years and I would think there would be some reports about peroxide exposure particularly given that the consumer units are supposedly sold to improve the air quality for folks that have breathing issues.  

[glued gorilla]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ordered a hepa with uv-c ionizer and am thinking of an ozone generator as well. Could I run a generator for just a couple hours each day? I have a cat that lives in the basement, so I don't want to hurt her. She is not in the rooms, but still not sure how much I can run it with her down there.

 I am running both rooms at 100f for a week, dropping a Trinity TR bomb, then running the purifier constantly. Also, getting all fresh PM free cutting of the same genetics from friends. Really hoping taking all precautions at first sight pays off, never want to see this bunny muffin again!

[glued gorilla]

8 hours ago, garyfisher said:

Here is the exact ozone/UV I use as well.  This is a commercial unit and not intended for rooms occupied by humans.  I have no issues with the plants, it also reduces smell.

https://hydrobuilder.com/ozone-generator-5500-cubic-feet-1-lamp.html

How long and how often do you run it? Size of space?

Edited February 3, 2020 by glued gorilla

[garyfisher]

this one is SUPER strong.  I run it in the adjacent room, not in the actual grow room.  It helps kill smell and whatnot.    Im not using it currently but from time to time I run it on a timer.  15on/15 off.

[garyfisher]

On 2/2/2020 at 1:47 PM, semicaregiver said:

The hepa filter is a good idea.  If you research the various consumer room type units sold with the photo catalytic oxidation units they usually have a pre-filter that is often a hepa filter.   

I have experimented with ozone over the years and as GaryFisher mentions their are potential human health issues.  I was not comfortable with this downside and had hoped one might be able to deal with it via some sort of controller like one deals with CO2 generators.   There are controllers out there, but they are $500+ and their sensors need to be replaced every six months.   

Companies sell O3 generators in two formats, one is  uv bulb and the other are two electrically charged plates that break the O2 bonds as air passes between them and this allows the formation of O3.   The only thing going for the uv bulb is they will never generate enough O3 to be harmful.   The plate type unit, which appears to be what GaryFisher is showing is fantastically efficient, but it's output is affected by dust and dirt accumulating on the plates.   The ideal unit would be a hepa filter followed by a plate type O3 generator.

My concern about O3 may also be unique to my set up.   I converted the entire basement to a grow area and I also have a small space where I trim.   My hvac system covers the entire basement and as such I would be spending a lot of time potentially exposed to high levels of O3.  

One potential caveat to all the above is hydrogen peroxide.  Exposure to O3 has been studied to death, but I have not seen anything on the effect of peroxide and human lungs.   I know peroxide breaks down readily, but so does O3.  The only plus is companies have been selling the consumer pco type units for 10 years and I would think there would be some reports about peroxide exposure particularly given that the consumer units are supposedly sold to improve the air quality for folks that have breathing issues.  

Actually the unit I showed uses a UV light to produce ozone.  It isn't adjustable and is MUCH stronger than my home unit which uses the plates as mentioned.  That one is adjustable and was built to be in rooms with humans.  Either way, they both work extremely well and i turn them off if I can smell it too strong.

[semicaregiver]

My bad on assuming the photo was a plate type unit.  The long flat shape did not look like it held a bulb.  I should have noticed the link which included the word "bulb"

[DominicWhite]

I had the same situation and a good dehumidifier helped me. In general for my grow room you need to have a good air purifier and a good dehumidifier. Because it is difficult to maintain constant humidity and these devices can help a lot. There a lot of different purifiers and dehumidifiers at market now and you can choose the one that suits you the most. I can recommend you one platform where you can find many articles that can help you to make a decision. https://www.damagecontrol-911.com/guide-to-ozone-generator-air-purifiers/ For example this is an article about the best air purifiers.

Edited August 25, 2020 by DominicWhite

[DVandrunen]

It sounds like your room is too humid, catching mildew isn't the problem. You will need a venting system in the room or a dehumidifier. Since it is already there I might suggest Green Clean to clean off the mildew that is on there right now

Edited September 17, 2020 by DVandrunen