Cheap, Simple, Easy DIY Carbon filter (pc fan)

Purpose: Create a carbon filter which will work with pc fans (or bigger). Need to be able to adapt to strength of fan. (not too thick, not too thin)

This is the prototype: (excuse the roughness)




Parts:
fiberglass screening for windows.
carbon from pet store
construction paper
string or zip ties (string is better)
tape

Little background:
Small cabinet with pc fans as intake/exhaust drivers.
PC fans are notoriously weak. They can’t push thru a much carbon filter.
Since this was for cool tube, high flow was essential.
Every DIY filter was too big, too awkward to fit, no way to easily change size.
PC fan= cool master 120mm 70cfm pushing into carbon filter for cool tube.
Duct size is 4"

Procedure:

1) Building the Ring with construction paper.
(ended up with +2.5 cm wide 64 cm long piece of construction paper)

Find diameter of the duct you have.
my case duct size is 4" or ~11cm.
find circumference Diameter X 3.14 (pie)= ~34 cm
double the length of circumference for length of construction paper ring. ~68 cm (overlap helps strengthen the ring)
To determine width of the paper ring depends on your setup.
Guessitmated 2.5 cm depth of carbon filter to would be just enough.
Adjust depth to match the fan/duct size.
Coil and tape ring to make a circle size of circumference you measured earlier ( ~34 cm.)

2) Cut Two pieces (fiberglass) screen to size of duct plus extra.
(Roughly Two pieces of 7” X 7 “ screen)
Leave lots of extra screen. This is how you will mount the filter onto the duct.

3) Place ring in between screens and begin sewing (with string or zip ties) the three pieces together.
Sew almost all the way around the ring. THEN, ADD Carbon filter. THEN, finish last bit of sewing.

4). Place filter on end of duct. Use extra screen around the edges to wrap around the duct. Use zipties/rubber band/string to hold filter on end of duct.

All DONE!
If filter is not effective, make a new a ring more/less depth.

Sounds good, as soon as I start vegging or maybe next week I will upgrade my exhaust from a 32db 8mm to 2 120mm 8db :]

Does the carbon filter kill some noise?

frozty said:

Does the carbon filter kill some noise?

Click to expand...

Axials are among the quietest fans. Unrestricted, they move the most air of any type of fan; restricted, the least. By the time you built a carbon bed enough to kill sound, you'll be choking the fan, killing ventilation.

Hmm I found a scythe slip stream
(Scythe Slip Stream SY1225SL12SL) - Case fan - 120 mm
SY1225SL12L

800 rpm 10.70 dBA 40.17CFM, If you ask me that is amazing, virtually quiet. decent airflow for such low noise

I think with a 2 12mm pc fan like this and a 1/2" Filter I will be good to go. What do you guys say?

good information, thank you!

Any reports on how this does against flowering odors? I fear that my scythe slip stream is too weak to handle a scrubber I added 1 L shaped pvc to one of my exhausts and saw a 25% decrease in cooling efficiency.

My setup worked great.
PC fan pushed directly into carbon.
(most setups pull. found pushing performed better)
Ended up using 4" duct mounts to hold filter.

Eliminated almost all of the odors throughout flowering. I could have made the collar bigger to add more carbon to setup. But I didnt.

no regrets

Good to now its working for you. I too would be scared the fan was limited.

I am still taking notes though.