DIY Micro Carbon Filter; Cheap, Easy and Quick.

[GeneticHeirloom]

One thing I think should be mentioned is that if you use a coffee filter or other standard small filter before the air gets to the carbon, you'll have more odor being trapped longer as dust and dust mite debris etc. wont clog up the pours of the carbon, instead it'll get trapped by the coffee filter

 

[thizzness]

I made this filter with a 4" atrium grate, using it to scrub a pretty big rubbermaid box. Originally it only had 9oz of carbon and it worked well during veg, but once bloom started it barely worked at all. So today I doubled the carbon to 18 oz. Its ridiculously large but works great. Absolutely no smell is getting through anymore. This is a great filter design but you'll definitely need a lot more carbon for stinkier applications.

 

[real ting]

I made this filter with a 4" atrium grate, using it to scrub a pretty big rubbermaid box. Originally it only had 9oz of carbon and it worked well during veg, but once bloom started it barely worked at all. So today I doubled the carbon to 18 oz. Its ridiculously large but works great. Absolutely no smell is getting through anymore. This is a great filter design but you'll definitely need a lot more carbon for stinkier applications.

You still using a nylon to hold it all? Any problems with them running and falling apart?

The small 3" version really doesn't do much as far as scrubbing, even in veg, maybe the 4" one would be better. One modification you can do is after you get it together use foil tape on the inside of the atrium gate so that air has to go through the bottom part, instead of the edge up by where the zip tie is, increasing the amount of carbon air has to flow through.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Any updates from folks who have actually used this design? I'll have one in about month or so, but would love to hear from others recent experiences

Yep. I'm still using one in my veg cab (I actually need it for my veggies) and have used on in a small flowering cab with no issues. One could use t-fittings and whatnot to increase capacity and have 2 or more connected to one fan if need be.

 

[Pig-Pen]

I applaud your ingenuity, however there is a flaw in your design and that is that you have the core filled with carbon. For a scrubber to work at its' best, you need a hollow chamber surrounded by a layer of carbon of consistent thickness. The reason is, as yours sits, air is pulled unevenly through the carbon; it pulls mostly through the part closest to the fan, leaving most of the carbon unused and overworking the carbon that is being used. The hollow core design provides for even airflow through out the entire layer of carbon. What you have there may work fine, but you could get the same results with a smaller scrubber and less carbon.

I use pretty much the same design but I use a car/truck air filter that you can buy at wally world, pour carbon inside and used a pvc fitting with some screen to hold carbon in,

 

[Pig-Pen]

I made this filter with a 4" atrium grate, using it to scrub a pretty big rubbermaid box. Originally it only had 9oz of carbon and it worked well during veg, but once bloom started it barely worked at all. So today I doubled the carbon to 18 oz. Its ridiculously large but works great. Absolutely no smell is getting through anymore. This is a great filter design but you'll definitely need a lot more carbon for stinkier applications.

You could also use a T fitting and just run 2 of them.

 

[Pig-Pen]

You still using a nylon to hold it all? Any problems with them running and falling apart?

The small 3" version really doesn't do much as far as scrubbing, even in veg, maybe the 4" one would be better. One modification you can do is after you get it together use foil tape on the inside of the atrium gate so that air has to go through the bottom part, instead of the edge up by where the zip tie is, increasing the amount of carbon air has to flow through.

So long as you have the carbon layed out fairly evenly, it will flow evenly through the entire layer as it is, that's what the hollow core does. That's how can filters are designed, same concept here.

The stockings hold up fine, they've been used in my Sun Scrubber design for years. They will need to be replaced from time to time, however. And depending on how you tie it off on the Lil Pig, you may have to use a fresh one each time you change the carbon, if you have to cut off a knot, that is.

I'd like to add, that you can also use several wraps of electrical tape in lieu of zip ties.

 

[lamp-hill]

hey Pig-Pen. i just attempted to make my own micro-scrub based on your design. got a pantyhose, cut up a yogurt tin to make an "atrium grate" cage and actually used electrical tape with duct tape instead of zip ties.

tested it out by burning some nag champa, stuck the burning end into a hole i made in the yogurt tin lid, and within a moment visable smoke was coming out the fan (pulling) end! at certain fan speeds (lower as opposed to higher) it's looking to be a pretty promising design. at full speed, there's a slight smell of the incense, but at 60-75%, it seems to control the incense smell pretty absolutely. probably due to an extended travel-time through the carbon with the lower fan speeds. seems to be workig quite well. i was using incense because my plants aren't quite in full bloom just yet. but i figured that incense smell is probably more intense than flowering plants. now it's just a matter of figuring out where to make an exhaust hole in the micro "cab" to place this filter....


i'd like to thank you for posting this tutorial! much appreciated and inspiring.

 

[Terry Hesticles]

Quick question from a newbie. Are you taping the filter to the fan directly or to the duct (which is attached to the fan at the other end)?

Thanks for the DIY with pics. It really helps someone like me out. I will be making on these this weekend.

Thanks!

 

[miniweiz]

hey Pig-Pen. i just attempted to make my own micro-scrub based on your design. got a pantyhose, cut up a yogurt tin to make an "atrium grate" cage and actually used electrical tape with duct tape instead of zip ties.

tested it out by burning some nag champa, stuck the burning end into a hole i made in the yogurt tin lid, and within a moment visable smoke was coming out the fan (pulling) end! at certain fan speeds (lower as opposed to higher) it's looking to be a pretty promising design. at full speed, there's a slight smell of the incense, but at 60-75%, it seems to control the incense smell pretty absolutely. probably due to an extended travel-time through the carbon with the lower fan speeds. seems to be workig quite well. i was using incense because my plants aren't quite in full bloom just yet. but i figured that incense smell is probably more intense than flowering plants. now it's just a matter of figuring out where to make an exhaust hole in the micro "cab" to place this filter....


i'd like to thank you for posting this tutorial! much appreciated and inspiring.

id recommend against using incense if you can. the smoke is very harmful to your plants, especially at a young developing period. id recommend some sort of odor hider like febreeze instead.

 

[e_24]

sorrry fro the rotting corpse revival, but i have to say, that from using this design, i have had NO odor in my micro box for about 3 months. it is finally starting to show a loss in effectiveness. but for 3 months of no odor, i call that a good DIY. AND i only spent about 12.50 on parts, including a small container carbon. the carbon will last more then 2 rounds easy. thumbs up man!!

 

[Robotrumble]

Sorry if I missed this but what kind of fan is everyone using? I will definitely need to make a few of these once I figure out what kind of fan to hook it up to. Thanks for this DIY

 

[e_24]

i use a DC squirrel cage blower rated at 12v. it pulls more then enough air, and is kinda quiet. my cab is in the closet, and i cant hear a thing. low restriction on air flow, compared to previous designs, and quite compact.

i have a quick one for you guys. i want to move the scrubber to the outside of the cab so i can have more space. now i know im supposed to have the scrubber in the front on the exhaust fan, but since my blower is kick ass, i want to put the scrubber on the end of my blower. now the question is, can i do this? the air coming out of the exhaust fan can be felt from over 3ft away without the scrubber, and about 16 to 18 inches with the scrubber on (before exhaust).

 

[trem0lo]

If you're using pc fans and want max airflow, go with a blower (the ones that vent through the PCI slots) or a 120mm fan with good pressure. Noctua's NF F12 and P12 are both fine choices and nearly silent.

The only drawback I can see with this design is the slight differences in carbon width around the hollow cylinder resulting in differing air pressure, i.e. air being pulled in faster through some areas than others. That and air pockets from the carbon not being compacted enough.

 

[trem0lo]

If you're using pc fans and want max airflow, go with a blower (the ones that vent through the PCI slots) or a 120mm fan with good pressure. Noctua's NF F12 and P12 are both fine choices and nearly silent.

The only drawback I can see with this design is the slight differences in carbon width around the hollow cylinder resulting in differing air pressure, i.e. air being pulled in faster through some areas than others. That and air pockets from the carbon not being compacted enough. This is a comparison to the pro filters though. This one should work well for awhile unless dealing with a real stinker.

 

[Robotrumble]

If you're using pc fans and want max airflow, go with a blower (the ones that vent through the PCI slots) or a 120mm fan with good pressure. Noctua's NF F12 and P12 are both fine choices and nearly silent.

The only drawback I can see with this design is the slight differences in carbon width around the hollow cylinder resulting in differing air pressure, i.e. air being pulled in faster through some areas than others. That and air pockets from the carbon not being compacted enough.

Will one of those PC fans be sufficient enough or am I gonna need extra ducting to make it more efficient?

 

[e_24]

I have mine directly before my exhaust.