DIY carbon air filter

Evil 1 · Nov 3, 2008

I have been thinking of this after I watch a show about cleaning river water in japan where they use bags of activated charcoal that they place in the rivers that let the water filter through them could you use a similar setup using crushed charcoal in layers to help filter out the smells from an exhaust fan, I live in a country where iv never seen an air filter maybe pollen filters but thats it, would the carbon absorb some of the smell and what size would you think the carcoal would have to be crushed to I already have a design in my head for the box and the layering system but any advice would be appreciated :joint:

one Q · Nov 3, 2008

I'd like to see the design. Yes carbon helps rid smell

White · Nov 3, 2008

Hey Evil 1,
You can find lots of DIY carbon filters on here, too many to link to. Just search for "carbon scrubber" (title only) and you should find plenty of designs. Basically, you will find a device that mounts to your exhaust fan that is permeable and filled with activated carbon (commonly available at aquarium shops / pet supply). The air is pulled through the carbon before being exhausted outside your grow room. This is a MUST have, since smell is one of the biggest factors of people being CAUGHT. Good luck.

Peace,
White

Evil 1 · Nov 3, 2008

to one q
it would just be a basic wooden box at least 3-4 times the size the size of the exhaust pipes outlet to help prevent to much back pressure and then use some sturdy metal mesh to keep the different layers in place the thing is you would have to make sure it's properly packed but not to much with carbon all the way to the top because air will always try to find the easiest way out.

and thank you white im gonna give the search those words to search for :joint:

Treetops · Nov 3, 2008

Evil,
Check this one I built in just a few minutes...Using the carbon filter sheets/material is much less messy than the carbon one uses for fish tanks...does the same thing..I'm using this on a 2.5x2.5x4.5 cabinet...never any smells...

Fan is an inline 80cfm..from Home Depot...Give it a shot..

Peace,
Treetops :jump:

GrüneErd · Nov 3, 2008

treetops, love the design of that carbon filter. it shall be my new one :joint:

thanks man
peace

White · Nov 3, 2008

Treetops said:
Evil,
Check this one I built in just a few minutes...Using the carbon filter sheets/material is much less messy than the carbon one uses for fish tanks...does the same thing..I'm using this on a 2.5x2.5x4.5 cabinet...never any smells...

Fan is an inline 80cfm..from Home Depot...Give it a shot..

Peace,
Treetops

Nice design man. Just wondering, how quiet is your fan? I was looking at the Panasonic whisper fans, but they're pricey. And how long do you go in between changing out your carbon sheet?

peace,
White

Dee9 · Nov 3, 2008

Granny always kept a piece of charcoal in her fridge ' to absorb the smells '.

So for her flowergrowing grandchild she left the legacy of a drawer of charcoal on a wire mesh just above the extractor fan, and on top of charcoal drawer one - a air space and then another drawer with charchoal...

Thanks Gran, for the how-to's of ham making, jam making and a no-smell making!

VaporBros · Nov 3, 2008

Dee9, how wel ldoes your method work?

Blunt_69 · Nov 4, 2008

check out my writeup in the sig!. Yes it works.

Treetops · Nov 4, 2008

GrüneErd said:
treetops, love the design of that carbon filter. it shall be my new one

thanks man
peace

Your welcome Grune,
Glad I could help...hey we are all after the same thing..
Peace,
Treetops

Treetops · Nov 4, 2008

White said:
Treetops said:

Evil,
Check this one I built in just a few minutes...Using the carbon filter sheets/material is much less messy than the carbon one uses for fish tanks...does the same thing..I'm using this on a 2.5x2.5x4.5 cabinet...never any smells...

Fan is an inline 80cfm..from Home Depot...Give it a shot..

Peace,
Treetops

Nice design man. Just wondering, how quiet is your fan? I was looking at the Panasonic whisper fans, but they're pricey. And how long do you go in between changing out your carbon sheet?

peace,
White

Click to expand...

White,
Thanks, I cant hear it...its in the attic...give it a try..If I happen to smell anything I just replace/wrap another layer of material around the mesh...Couldnt be easier...

Peace,
Treetops

White · Nov 4, 2008

Treetops said:
White,
Thanks, I cant hear it...its in the attic...give it a try..If I happen to smell anything I just replace/wrap another layer of material around the mesh...Couldnt be easier...

Peace,
Treetops

Very nice, I thought about venting into the attic, but access would be a pain in the ass since my attic is so small. Im definitely gonna use the sheets though. Thanks man.

Peace,
White

White · Nov 4, 2008

Forgot something

Forgot something

Hey Evil,
I almost forgot, I have a link in my sig. to the DIY sticky. Check it out, there's a bunch of designs for scrubbers. You still cant beat treetops style, it's been around for a while, classic.

Dee9 · Nov 4, 2008

VaporBros said:
Dee9, how wel ldoes your method work?

quite well, actually! I dont have a huge growroom - 2x1.5 meters - halfway into flower and the smell seems to be contained.

Pig-Pen · Nov 4, 2008

I see where you're coming from. And I've given lots of thought to various carbon filter designs and some similar to yours.

At the end of the day, the cylinder simply offers the best performance because you can get the most surface area in a given space, and the air will only have to pass through once so the airflow doesn't bog down between layers.

In-line designs like yours can certainly be effective, but never as efficient. If you use a large enough canister filter, there's no noticeable loss in airflow. It's hard to get that with any other design without taking up a prohibitive amount of space.

See my sig for some DIY scrubbers.

Wiimote · Nov 4, 2008

I use a closet for my hobby (2 in/2 out weekly perpetual sog, 400w, 180 cfm fan blowing out), and the exhaust is just a hole cut into the ceiling of said closet. All I use is an old pair of "nylons" cut to about mid calf, filled with activated charcoal (fishtank refill kit) plopped over the exhaust hole. Cost me less than $10 and works perfectly. The only time any smell escapes is when I open the door.

Pig-Pen · Nov 4, 2008

Wiimote said:
I use a closet for my hobby (2 in/2 out weekly perpetual sog, 400w, 180 cfm fan blowing out), and the exhaust is just a hole cut into the ceiling of said closet. All I use is an old pair of "nylons" cut to about mid calf, filled with activated charcoal (fishtank refill kit) plopped over the exhaust hole. Cost me less than $10 and works perfectly. The only time any smell escapes is when I open the door.

That does work, but it slows the fan and doesn't allow for even flow through the carbon; it's going to mostly go out through the carbon closest to the fan exhaust opening, while the carbon down in the toe of the stocking will go untouched since there's nothing to dissipate nor direct the flow evenly. This is another advantage of the cylinder; the hollow core allows for the air to flow evenly throughout the entire surface of the filter. You could do just as well with a couple-inch layer rather than a sticking full.

Wiimote · Nov 4, 2008

Actually, the stocking forms into a nice conical shape, and fits down into the hole about 2 or 3in. Just enough to force all of the air through the center of the charcoal mass, while being well away (and stable enough) not to actually come into contact with the fan itself (about 5in clearance).

Also, another nice (unplanned by me) benefit is that when it starts losing effectiveness, just pick the "bag" up, move the chunks around a bit, and plop it back in place. That gives me another 2-3 months of effective control (so far, I've gotten almost 2 years out of this one "bag" and still going strong).

FreezerBoy · Dec 15, 2008

Thanks Treetop. I needed something but, going back to an inline amused me not. This should be perfect with my axial.

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