DIY pro style carbon filter

[0p0rat0r]

Finally, here is someone that is sucessfully using a smaller, quieter, cheaper, muffin fan to cool a 250 watt hps via a carbon scrubber. They're using two 75 CFM muffin fans to get the job done and have achieved temperatures only 2 degrees above room temps. I'd imagine something similar could be done for a 400 watter. Check it out: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31172

 

[BullDoWza]

Well after reading through the Vaportek thread here on icmag I decided to scrap the whole idea of getting a blower and carbon scrubber. As stated my cabinet grow isn't that big so I ordered a Vaportek 4000 instead after hearing quite a few people were having really good results with smaller grows. Should be here in a day or two so we shall see.

Definately not growing in my parents house, would never do something as stupid as that. Reason for not wanting the noise is I currently live in a house up at college with 5 other roomies. As you can imagine their are people over all the time, with quite a few of them who come in my room from time to time. Kinda hard to explain away my closet if their was some kind of loud noise coming out of it. As it currently is their is no reason for concern due to it bieng silent unless you put your ear up against the door to the cabinet.

Shall see how the vaportek works out in the next few days here...

 

[bounty29]

Alright, what if I were to modify the design a bit, and instead of having a place to fill with the activated carbon "pellet" things, I just make get the one 4" duct, make a 12" screen extension of the 4" duct, and put a cap on that. You can buy rolls of activated carbon air filtering at www.filters-now.com and cut pieces out of that to fit your filter, and just wrap it around and zip tie it in place. It seems like, since that was designed for air to flow through it, that it might not require a centrifugal blower, and could work with some higher power 120mm PC fans.

I was thinking about building a 12" long carbon scrubber, and if I bought one roll for $39.99, I could get 20 sheets that could wrap around my filter. If I had to double wrap it, I could get 10 changes of the filter for $40.00, which seems pretty economical to me.

Any thoughts?

 

[Camo Thumb]

Great thread I just orderded my parts to put this badass DIY together!
This is a great site for the ducting http://www.blowerwheel.com/duct-connectors
Also a good mod with the filter paper Bounty29, seems WAY less messy!
CT

 

[0p0rat0r]

Just finished building my scrubber, thanks RM. I'm going to hook it up tomorrow and see how it works.

Here it is...



I hooked it up to my fan today and it doesn't seem to restrict air flow much at all. Can't wait to finish my cabinet and get something growing in there now.


bounty29, that sounds like a great idea. It's relatively inexpensive, and simple. If you go through with it I'd be very interested to hear how well it works.

BullDoWza, let us know how the vaportek works out for you. I was thinking about getting one.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

just glad that i could help.

grow safe!

 

[HydroManiac]

Wow 0p0rat0r that is a huge scrubber good job it looks like.


HM

 

[krustytheclown]

This scrubber is inexpensive and easy to build. And, most importantly, it is EFFECTIVE!

This thing has worked flawlessly for me for the last several years without a hitch.

If you need a scrubber, use this!

 

[NightFire]

This thread was created right after OG went down, and is all FAQs

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=20924&page=1&pp=15

I copy nad pasted SiS's original article on page 8 there a while back, none of his pics though.

This is a great scrubber, I made one about 2 years ago, and it's still going strong. If you look in High Times and Cannabis Culture you will see ads selling this exact scrubber. They also have ads selling the quick drying tub that uses this scrubber, which is an other DiY thing from OG (which I also made when I made my scrubber, and it works pretty well)

 

[Guest]

I am running a 600w cool tube in a C13 with a 450cfm fan sucking air out of my cabinet through the cool tube and blasting it into my attic. Where should I attatch my scrubber? Does the fan need to be blowing the air it is extracting from my cabinet through the scrubber or do I need to be sucking through it? In otehr words blow the excess air from my cabinet though the can or suck through the can? Thanks

Moneyshot

 

[NightFire]

It'll work both ways, and there are many arguments supporting both. I initially had mine set up to blow out of, my next run with it I will suck through it and then through my cooltube and out of the grow area.

 

[Ganico]

I've run into a problem: carbon dust.

Even when just touching the outside of the filter area you get carbon dust on your hands.

Plan was to pull through the scrubber, into an air cooled hood, then the exhaust fan. But now this fucks up everything, can't see the dust not getting all over the bulb and glass.


Any solutions?

I guess this is one thing that I shouldn't have DIY'ed, looks good though.

 

[NightFire]

the pantyhose should have stopped most of the carbon dust.... at least it did for me....

 

[geezeressa]

I thought I'd seen something similar, maybe on Overgrow.

Guys, you want opaque panty hose. I am guessing that regular sheer is too thin. Opaque panty hose used to be called tights, it's what us women wear when we want our legs to be warm. Look in the hosiery aisle, or ask your wife.

 

[NiteTiger]

I've run into a problem: carbon dust.

Even when just touching the outside of the filter area you get carbon dust on your hands.

Plan was to pull through the scrubber, into an air cooled hood, then the exhaust fan. But now this fucks up everything, can't see the dust not getting all over the bulb and glass.


Any solutions?

I guess this is one thing that I shouldn't have DIY'ed, looks good though.

Put the scrubber on the other end of the system, and push through it instead of pulling.

 

[Ganico]

NiteTiger- I had thought of that but I can't run it like that though. I need the scrubber to be internal. But I doubt the fan will work adequately pushing through the carbon anyway, as I don't think it's powerful enough.

I need to come up with a solution ASAP, either that or scrap the cab I guess.


Thanks for the input, folks.

 

[NiteTiger]

If it can't push through, it can't pull through, it's the same dynamics :wink:

Staying internal though, that'll be a problem. You could try making it an inline scrubber, depending on how much room you have in the cab. Basically, just make a duct or plenum box around the scrubber, and connect that to your exhaust. It'll take up more room though, so I don't know if you'll have the space. May have to rework the design of the scrubber some, make sure it's no bigger than necessary.

 

[minds_I]

Hello all,

I deal with carbon dust by washing my carbon....after it dries, put t directly into the filter and pack it tight. No dust issues here.


I was told to do this by the manfacturer (55lb bulk 4X6 virgin coconut carbon) and is perfectly ok.

I use a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled at the bottom and apiece of window screen. Works like a charm.

DO it outside as wet carbon depletes available oxygen in a closed room.

minds_I

PS prior to washing I used a shopvac and rag to stuff up the hole and sucked the dust out. I seemed to help some.

 

[NiteTiger]

That's my process you're describing there Minds!

I wash my carbon as well, and used a 5 gallon bucket with holes to make my scrubber

Matter of fact, I think we've talked about this before :wink:

 

[Ganico]

Alright cool, so I just need to de-construct my scrubber and rinse and dry the carbon then?

NiteTiger- my cab is 13"d x 22''w x 48"h, the filter itself is 12.5" in total length. I'd just barely have enough room for the scrubber, the hood, and the exhaust fan as it is.

DIY is very frustrating sometimes, especially for short-nerved broke bastards like me. Gotta live with what you got though.

I still got to build the reflector hood, and worst of all wire that damn ballast, can't figure it out for the life of me for some stupid reason.

I've been working on this cab for 3 months and it's still not done, haha. I'm trying to finish it by Wed though


Thanks for the help
-ganico