carbon filter, how long to use before changing?

i have a vortex 600 fan hooked to a profilter 75 canister style carbon filter (the profilter 75 can be flipped over to use the carbon in other half of canister) i run this setup 24/7. How long can i run it before flipping the canister over to use the other half of carbon? 5 months , 6 months, 8 months? How long does the carbon last in these things 12 months 18 months? another question i have is how hard are they to change the carbon? and is there different variations in carbon like this brand is better than that brand or is all the carbon refill pretty much the same? anyone who is running a similar setup with roughly same size filter care to answer some of my questions? any replies and help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

You need someone to do a smell test. I exhaust 24/7 also and have been using the same filter for over 4 years. I have a rheostat on my fan and run it as slow as possible. I check my attic for odors at harvest time and haven't smellled anything yet, nor has the wife.

And yes, there is a huge difference between grades of carbon. The best is from a mine in Austrailia. I believe it's the oldest deposit in the world, not cheap but certainly worth it.

How long your filter will last depends on the amount (and surface area) of carbon in your filter. It's also affected by the amount of moisture and heat passing through it.

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Originally Posted by grey1223

You need someone to do a smell test..

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Grey's not kidding on this one. If you live with your plants, you won't be able to smell it as early as someone who doesn't inhabit a house redolent of a skunk orgy... That's the only way to tell when it's change time. There are so many variables in filter life- mass of activated carbon in the filter, particle size, how it is packed, temperature, air speed through filter, how stanky is your strain, etc.