i ordered a carbon scrubber and i am wondering if it will blow air that is scent-free enough to vent into the heating duct? or is this a really stupid idea?
As the individual bits of carbon in the filter catch the tiny little particles of "whatever" they become loaded with "debris" - like an oil filter. At some point they become ineffective and the carbon has to be replaced - like an oil filter. The difference is that a clogged oil filter will restrict flow where a clogged carbon scrubber will just pass on unfiltered air between the bits of carbon - remember, air flow will always seek the path of less resistance. If the carbon scrubber, with a fresh load of carbon, can actually remove all of the unwanted odor (and that's a pretty big if!) then you could vent it anywhere. But I wouldn't recommend the heating duct; for the sake of domestic tranquility!!! A lot of people use scubbers in conjunction with an ionizer or ozone generator and claim complete success over the odor problem. If this method worked for you, and domestic tranquility isn't an issue, you might try venting to the heating duct as an Early Warning System. That way, at the first whiff of "skunk" in the rest of the house, you should change the carbon pronto!!! It is very important to remember that people who don't smoke can detect odors much better than people who do!