Picture this. Your grow tent is wonderfully set up with your grow lights, shelves, humidifier or de-humidifier, air conditioner, ventilator fans, and ducting for air. You never thought to ask yourself: 'Are grow tents smell-proof?', and you think your grow tent is sealed off from the rest of your living space as well.
But still, you notice a particular and unmistakable odor coming from the tent. When cannabis plants flower, they can give off a distinct pungent smell. It not only seeps into your home, but it can even be detected by outside visitors. For many reasons, you don’t want unwanted attention to your growing plants.
Unfortunately, grow tents are not 100% smell-proof. The reason for this is simple – plants are living things that are designed to have an odor when they’re trying to reproduce. They are working to attract bees, birds, and other helpers that will assist in the pollinating process.
You will never be able to eliminate grow tent odors entirely, but you can contain them and protect your plant smells from taking over your house.
How to Contain Grow Tent Smells
There are several methods you can use to help contain grow tent smells. In this article, they are listed and explained below.
Activated carbon/charcoal
Activated carbon/charcoal filters and scrubbers remove contaminants and impurities from the air around them. They act like sponges to adhere to the scent molecules coming off your plants and absorb them. You don’t need a huge filter or a large quantity to get the benefits from this method. Carbon filtering or scrubbing can also be used to purify water or air. This method is not expensive, and they are also the most environmentally safe.
These carbon filters are usually found in lengths ranging between 4-12 inches in diameter. To find which size you’ll need, you will want to find out the cubic footage of your grow tent. Multiply the length, width, and height of your grow tent to get the total cubic inches, and then divide by 12 to find the cubic footage. Purchase carbon filters that will last the longest, so that you get the maximum return on your investment.
Inline exhaust fans
With any activated carbon or charcoal filter, you’ll want to also use an inline fan with it. They are mounted either inside or connected to your ducting pipe as part of your grow tent ventilation system. Some go on the wall of the grow tent. You’ll have to check with your particular grow tent as to whether it will fit. They can be quieter or noisier, depending on the price range. Inline fan sizes should match up with the carbon filter sizes. Since they need to be run continuously to help keep the grow tent smells down, you might want to purchase one that’s more energy efficient.
You can either have your inline fan blow air into the filter or suck air through the carbon filter.
Air purifiers
Regular air purifiers will also help to make your grow tent much more smell-proof. As a bonus, they also do what they’re designed to do, which is remove allergens and dust particles from the air. They are especially effective with fans that assist with moving air around. Air purifiers will clean up the air that the fan blows.
Ozone generators
Ozone generators intentionally produce ozone, even though it’s a toxic gas. Ozone generators clean up the air, in a similar way to air purifiers, and they do so much more, including deodorizing, disinfecting, killing, or removing any airborne particles in your home. They will certainly do the same to any smells coming from your grow tent.
However, ozone generators should only be used in closed environments. The ozone is toxic, so check with your local EPA and your state’s regulations before investing in one of these old-fashioned methods.
Other specialty products
There are other special cannabis smell remover products on the market that don’t fall into the above categories. They mostly cover up the odors rather than getting rid of them completely. One of them is the Ona brand.
The Grow Tent Sniff Test
Most of the above methods are pretty effective at either dispersing, absorbing, or containing the strong smells that come from growing cannabis plants. Grow tents might not be smell-proof, but you can get creative. Set up several carbon filters, inline fans to create a breeze, and at least one strong air purifier. Proper ventilation is key as well.
Wonderful website. Plenty of useful information here for growers. I’m sending it to several buddies and additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks for your effort!
Hi Onita, Thanks for the nice comment and thanks for sharing! Appreciated. Cheers 🙂