How to update adaptive components without dynamo placing a new set of components

It depends on the workflow and how the families or components are created. Dynamo owned elements will usually update with changes to the graph. Python or Revit owned elements are committed to the model when they’re created and will not be updated with changes to the graph.

Archi-lab has an Element.Delete node that deletes elements from a project, but you will have to have Dynamo select those elements for you.