Easy and Cheap Homemade carbon scrubber

Here's a few shots and a little DIY tutorial for anyone looking to make a carbon scrubber. It just doesnt get easier than this.

Materials - All avaialable at any HDepot, Lowes or hardware store
Note: All "PVC" items are not really PVC since that is expensive. I used a cheaper, flimsier plastic tubing that is used for drainage.
-4" PVC Pipe
-4" PVC pipe with holes
-4" T's and Elbows as needed
-Mesh stocking for 4" PVC pipe with holes. - This is right near the PVC in my home depot
- Fan
- Carbon

PIC 1 & 2: some of the materials




ASSEMBLY:

1. Cut pipe with holes to desired length.

2. Take mesh stocking and slip it over outside of the whole pipe leaving about 6" at the bottom (enough to tie a knot in it) and 24" at the top.

3. Tie a knot at both ends. PIC 3


4. Stuff the top leftover mesh into the center of the tube PIC 4


5. Place a cap on bottom of PVC pipe (knot on bottom gets centered on pipe or tucked into middle as needed) PIC 5



6. Fill sack created in center of pipe at top with Carbon.PIC 6



7. Repeat 1-6 for as many scrubbers you want for your area. I use 3.

8. Use PVC elbows and T's to create custom configured layout. Leave 1 entry whole extra for 4" in line fan

PIC 7



A few add'l things:

This is not an engineered system but does work.

Fan is most expensive parts at about 170. Entire system can be built for 200-250.

My carbon filled pouches hang down about 12-14" and I have about 24" below that until the cap on the ground. This is on purpose so I dont create too much pressure. Again see bullet #1 since I am using common sense and not applied engineering principals.

Comments, suggestions on improvements all welcome.

Peace

interesting idea but aren't you also going to need to expand the pvc at the mouth in order to hook it up to your fan? other than that it looks like it would be perfect for all the cabinet growers. nice post.

Hey Sumoz-

In the last pic you can see my blue fan in the left corner. I use a 4" Eco Plus which slips right in. Yes for a larger fan you add a pvc converter for a few bucks more.

nice use of PVC sweetgreendream, looks solid! IMO i would add more holes.

man that seems kinda expensive! lol

~O-

Good point on the holes although the tube is drilled with offsets all the way around so there are more you dont see. Even with those you may be correct since the last thing I want is to much pressure build up. The good news is drilling holes is cheap!

sgd

Too expensive. Why not just try to build your own same design as the experts. Sun Is Shining had a tutorial on OG. Google cache it. All I can ever get with google cache is the first page but the instructions are all on the 1st page.

Sumo - you think my way is too expensive? I'd go $ for $ or Euro for Euro against any other design out their. Also while I appreciate the commercial designs I am not sure why they use such a complex design. In the end isnt the goal to use a fan to force the air across carbon. In other words the carbon is the core part ato odor removal and the rest of the material is just there to help that process. Based on that why not use the KISS principal to come up with a differnt design.

Electricity,water,and air will take the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance in your design is out or in first set of holes (depending on whether you are sucking or blowing) bypassing most of your carbon and only utilizing very top of carbon . Too make use of all carbon and causing much added resistance you would have to put holes only in bottom of tube forcing air to pass through all carbon. You could probably see this with a smoke test, try it. Do you see my scrubber in pic? It is designed like the ones you buy. There is a hollow tube in center surrounded by a uniform layer of carbon. No matter where air enters it must pass through a uniform layer meaning equal resistance throughout tube. This means air is uniformally being pushed throughout entire surface area of carbon creating little resistance and using this expensive carbon efficiently.

"The path of least resistance in your design is out or in first set of holes (depending on whether you are sucking or blowing) bypassing most of your carbon and only utilizing very top of carbon ."

I agree with the least resistance theory but i am not sure the rest follows. Once the pressure from the fan forces the maximum air possible through the first hole than the path of least resistance is to gofurther down into the carbon and out the next hole. This process repeats until every hole in all the tubes are pushing the maximum air possible and than creates static pressure on the fan.

Now if this were drawings only I have to admit I would be pretty concerned. But they're not they are live photos and I have felt the air come out the bottom holes furtherst away from the fan. Now whether or not all of the carbon is being maximized I have no idea but I shake it up every harvest (I had 2 stand alone versions of these with PC fans) and it seems to energize the caroon.

peace

what matters is does it work for you? Do you have smells? and what strains did you use? I'm sure there are better ways, but for people who would like to do something quickly this idea looks like it would work.

What strain are you growing? How much odor do your plants actually release? Also, is that fan blowing or sucking? Interesting design. Thanks!

Ponics.

420p-

Personal grower so I mutli strain. right now I have, Bubba Kush, Trainwreck and baby Sour Diesel IBL's.

As for qty of odor those are a pretty stinky lot.

Fan is currently blowing but if you feel that is better sucking is better chime on in. Easy modificationt o make that happen although I will go one cycle with it this way and see the results. I got nothin in 12/12 right now since I want to get the SD's going and dont really need anymore stash.