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Blunt builds a DIY carbon filter

Blunt_69

the keeper of the creeper
Veteran
The time to upgrade my space with a carbon filter has been way overdue. The ones at the store are not only $$$ they are non refillable and the smallest one is overkill for my needs and space requirments...

I want to thank Durban Poison for his thread. Formulas and other tidbits can be found here http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31679&page=1&pp=15&highlight=diy+filter

I decided to build the 4 inch core using a 250 CFM rated DC blower fan. In theory, a room must completely exchange air every 3-5 minutes for the carbon scrubber to be effective. Durban also has a formula for figuring how much square footage you will be exchanging.

Using Durbans Formula, I determined that i need a 15 inch long inner core to match the 250CFM fan i intended on using!

Items required

6 inch end cap
4 inch end cap
Galvanised woven Hardware cloth
6 inch to 5 inch reducer
5 inch to 4 inch(small) reducer
5 inch to 4 inch reducer
pantyhose(stockings)
2 4 inch pipe clamps
2 6 inch pipe clamps
pair of tin snips(straite cut)


The first step is to make your inner core using the end cap to help determine diameter. Rather then using wire to fasten i cut the mesh so that i had a bunch of loose ends. I took these and bent each one around the overlap. This takes time, took me over 2 hours to complete, but it resulted in a perfect cylinder with no uneven spots.It is very strong as well, no flexing and the nylon will NOT get hung up on it.
9118meshoverlap.jpg

9118intothevoid.jpg


I used a 5 to 4 inch (small) reducer to mount the other side of the innercore. The reason is is that it slides perfectly inside the 6-5 inch reducer, and is VERY sturdy. you can see the two of them here.

9118innercore_an_6_to_5_reducer.jpg

9118innercorecomplete.jpg


Once you have fit the Nylon over the core, its time to get crackin on the 6 inch outter shell. This is built the exact same way as the 4 inch, again to get it perfect takes about 2 hours to complete... That is with one set of hands. The mesh is not the easiest stuff to work with, patience pays off though..

here is the outter shell completed.

9118stichedside.jpg
9118outtercorecompleted.jpg


I choose to order my activated carbon online, i bought enough to refill my filter at least 4 times, plus it came with some fancy filter media as well I may use this for the outter shell.. I am into this filter can for about 100$ including refills and the 250cfm blower fan on route!
Will update again when the rest of my supplies come in!!!!
 
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Blunt_69

the keeper of the creeper
Veteran
OK so i recieved the rest of the supplies.. The blowerfan i bought works great!! it is by far the most amazing dc powered blower ive seen. It truley does pump 250CFM! For 12 volts thats awsome!!

HOWEVER... Downfall... It is extreamly loud....Hopefully i can come up with a sound dampener of some sort. Will have some completed pictures soon
 
The scrubber should dampen the sound to some extent. What kind of room is this going in? Thumbs up for taking your time and making it clean :smile:
 

FRIENDinDEED

A FRIEND WITH WEED IS A . . .
Veteran
i am right there with you!!!

i am right there with you!!!

yeah those damned things are expensive as hell and i had NO CLUE tha tyou couldnt refill them!! i jsut finished redoing my own DIY filter it should do the job though. it worked in the closet i was using to flower in, but since i converted that into a veg/clone/mom cab, i decided to redo my filter so it should work even better since it holds even more carbon now but its still compact


and i had enough material left over to make a smaller version for the new veg/clone/mom cab

jsut have to attach it to the hole where the old setup was and viola!
 
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Pig-Pen

Member
That's the Sun-Scrubber! :yes: The first tutorial was @ OG by Sun is Shining, oh about 4 years ago. Great design, hence it's astounding popularity. :D
 
N

nekoloving

how do you hold the carbon in? i don't like the pantyhose idea for the most part; just doesn't seem quite the right material. also do the small holes not eventually dig 'used up' paths in the carbon? :laughing:
 

Bumble Buddy

Active member
That's the Sun-Scrubber! :yes: The first tutorial was @ OG by Sun is Shining, oh about 4 years ago. Great design, hence it's astounding popularity. :D

Hehe, I built my first Sun Scrubber years ago right after you originally posted the tutorial, its still going strong. Just built another one: a desktop model using two 80mm computer fans inline for greater back pressure. It works great, uses only ~3 watts and completely annihilates any smoke exhalations and wafting aromas of plants being trimmed. :woohoo: Thanks a ton man! :bow:

how do you hold the carbon in? i don't like the pantyhose idea for the most part; just doesn't seem quite the right material. also do the small holes not eventually dig 'used up' paths in the carbon?

I don't like the pantyhose that much either, mostly because it was embarrassing to go into Target and try and figure out what pantyhose to buy from the HUGE freaking confusing racks of pantyhose amongst the lingerie and little hotties making me blush and old women giving me strange looks, started to sweat profusely, panic setting in, had to get out, oh crap the check out girl is hot: "Umm its for a crafts project".. and she is looking like "suuure... you sick old freak" oh god humiliation. For the next one built I used some "tuille" type fabric, it is sort of like mosquito netting or fine crochet material, can be obtained at a sewing/fabric store. I secured the tuille on to the hardware cloth (on both cylinders) with 4 or 5 loops of baling wire. I also like to surround the whole filter in a wrap of a large furnace filter cut out of its cardboard housing and stretched flat, also secured with baling wire loops.

The carbon can be emptied and reused (repacked) periodically, the re-jumbling of the particles tends to extend the life of the carbon I've found.
 

Blunt_69

the keeper of the creeper
Veteran
i totally forgot to post some finished pictures of this rig!! the fan is a 265 cfm blower fan, perfectly matched for the cylinder size.

heres a few.All i can say is it works awsome.. that burn mark was a bit of an accident while checking airflow throught the entire face of the filter..... vaccum works...lol

picture.php


picture.php


hope that helps!
 

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