My $3 Carbon Filter
- Thread starter panhead
- Start date
WWgrower
Well-Known Member
It doesn't look like anyone is answering this thread anymore, but I have a question for this diy project. I hate to be the dumbass asking lame questions but I feel the need for clarity. I could not find the sotch brite towels. I instead bought Handi wipes reusable cloths.They are 19.25 X12 inches. Made 2 out of one cloth. Anyway sewed it up, put the carbon in and keep getting carbon dust coming out of the bags. Do you get this from the scotch brite towels? Or do I need to go get the scotch brite cloths? Just feel if I put this in the intake of my exhaust the dust could f-up my fan. Help would be greatly appreciated.
panhead
Well-Known Member
To date ive answered every question posed to me in this thread.
As long as the handi wipe cloth's are made so the filter will have good air flow i see no problem using them instead of scotch brite cloth.
The carbon i used is not dusty at all,it comes in pellets about the size of a tic tac & has given me no dust problems,i cant say one way or another if carbon dust will fuk the fan up but i would think that carbon dust could possibly cause premature motor failure if it's allowed to build up or the bearings are seeing high levels of the dust.
If in doubt try a different form of carbon or a diffferent filter method,i'd rather switch filter methods than burn a expensive fan out.
WWgrower
Well-Known Member
Sorry did not mean to put your integrity in question. Just looked like the post might be drying up.I think you are one of the most helpfull members on these boards. Well right now took one of the bags and held it over a white paper towel and after moving and shaking it around no noticable carbon came out. I then took it and folded it up and gently slid it into my intake on my exhaust fan. Tried to position it to where there was no air passing but through filter. The RPM went down considerably. I had intended to put one on exhaust end of fan but seeing how much reduction I got am going to wait to see how it works. I just have a Dayton 265, do you think I need something bigger?
panhead
Well-Known Member
The whole folding in half thing would concern me if it was my grow op,number one the sheer mass of the filter would decrease flow to the point that much less air would be passing through the carbon & possibly defeat the negative pressure aspect of a filtered room.
My next concern would be that folding them in half would create too much resistance on the fan & make the fan work much harder than it should.
It's hard for me to say weather you need a stronger fan or not,there are so many variables like carbon amounts & installation methods ect that will effect cfm's & filtration,my plan for the filters was for them to go on the outside of either the fan or exhaust duct & to have a 1/2 inch thick layer of carbon for dirty air to be pulled through.
My next concern would be that folding them in half would create too much resistance on the fan & make the fan work much harder than it should.
It's hard for me to say weather you need a stronger fan or not,there are so many variables like carbon amounts & installation methods ect that will effect cfm's & filtration,my plan for the filters was for them to go on the outside of either the fan or exhaust duct & to have a 1/2 inch thick layer of carbon for dirty air to be pulled through.
WWgrower
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the quick reply! I folded it in half because in your instructions you said fill case half way up with carbon, which I did. If I try to lay or put case up against the vent the carbon falls down to bottom of case and half doesn't filter. I have my vent coming through the floor going 6 feet up in corner of room and 3/4 way up my wall I make a 90 degree angle to pick up heat and smell in grow. Obviously I don't have a grasp on how to mount this to vent. I use a 4" diameter hose. So you put this over the opening and excess of the case is anchored by a dryer hose clamp? Is this how it is supposed to be done. Sorry about being such a pain in the ass! I really want this to work.Thanks
panhead
Well-Known Member
You've got it,thats exactly how im using mine,i filled my bags up roughly half way,maybe a little more,i had a tough moment figuring out how to mount mine to the exhuast without the carbon getting in areas off the bag that were to be clamped around the pipe.
What i did was to take a pipe extension & center it over the filter,then i pushed the carbon out of the areas that were to be clamped then secured the filter with the clamp & attached it to the exhaust pipe,worked a charm,the entire exhaust intake area is covered with carbon & none is in the clamping area.
What i did was to take a pipe extension & center it over the filter,then i pushed the carbon out of the areas that were to be clamped then secured the filter with the clamp & attached it to the exhaust pipe,worked a charm,the entire exhaust intake area is covered with carbon & none is in the clamping area.
soulflyx2k
Well-Known Member
Awesome thread, but im still confused...
More pics of complete setups with filter im place would be great
reprep
More pics of complete setups with filter im place would be great
reprep
soulflyx2k
Well-Known Member
thats a very small bag.. so probly wont need more than one
I was thinking... what i I had a rubbermaid grow... 32gal
(this isnt mine... stolen from some DIY thread)
-make a tube out of chicken wire.. about 6inches-12inches tall
-place on top of rubbermaid, around top of fan
-duck tape a few of your bags of activated carbon to inside OR outside of chicken wire
What do u guys think
I was thinking... what i I had a rubbermaid grow... 32gal
(this isnt mine... stolen from some DIY thread)
-make a tube out of chicken wire.. about 6inches-12inches tall
-place on top of rubbermaid, around top of fan
-duck tape a few of your bags of activated carbon to inside OR outside of chicken wire
What do u guys think
Azadeh
Active Member
I checked the exhaust air and the air gets sucked through, no problem, and no smell yet, but I think I have to get out the air right from where the plants are, this exhaust is my bathrooms exhaust, and it still smells in there. I think I need a extractor filter as tommy said next to the plants.
It looks like it's fold in two, but it's not really fold in two, I sew it in four parts, so the middle parts are just one layer kind of and I can feel how the air gets sucked in.
Do you think that's OK? should I make a new one?
thanks panpan
cheers
It looks like it's fold in two, but it's not really fold in two, I sew it in four parts, so the middle parts are just one layer kind of and I can feel how the air gets sucked in.
Do you think that's OK? should I make a new one?
thanks panpan
cheers
panhead
Well-Known Member
As long as the filter one layer it will be fine.
The only way your grow op wont stink inside the room is to run ozone generators or serious in room filtration,the trick is to keep the stink within the room,if your room is reasonably sealed & has an intake & exhust your on the right track,the exhaust should keep negative pressure within the room & not allow smell to escape.
It is still a good idea to clean the stinky air within the room,do a search on ebay for ozone generators,they work like a charm.
OB Cron Kenobi
Well-Known Member
i like those filters, cheap and easy- and havent tried but i am sure they do the trick for just minimizing smells- maybe not removing it- but i like the smell damnit! i just dont want my neighbors to smell it-
thnx for the creative diy solution!
thnx for the creative diy solution!
LeRoy JaBluntski
Well-Known Member
question i just installed a 70 cm bathroom fan to pull the air out of my 4x4 1/2x9 ft. closet. is that powerful enough or should i of went bigger?
FrostickZero
Well-Known Member
I would think that's big enough of a fan for your grow box
LeRoy JaBluntski
Well-Known Member
how do you calculate how much air it would pull through. It seems like its not doing as well as i expected. the temps are actually higher now that i put it in there and removed one of my oscilating fans.
panhead
Well-Known Member
Ok you've lost me here,are you saying that installing a carbon filter over your exhaust made your area hotter ?
LeRoy JaBluntski
Well-Known Member
no no i havn't put in a carbon filter yet just an exhaust fan. previous to the exhaust fan i had two oscillating fans. one on my 400w light and the other on my plants. now that the exhaust fan is there i removed one fan thinking is would clear the room of hot air but its about 5-10 degrees hotter. the duct is hooked up right and there is a return blocker so i'm assuming its b/c the fan isn't strong enough.
jayrollinhippy
Active Member
What is activated charcoal and why is it used in filters?
Charcoal is carbon. (See this Question of the Day for details on how charcoal is made.) Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. According to Encylopedia Britannica:
The use of special manufacturing techniques results in highly porous charcoals that have surface areas of 300-2,000 square metres per gram. These so-called active, or activated, charcoals are widely used to adsorb odorous or coloured substances from gases or liquids.
The word adsorb is important here. When a material adsorbs something, it attaches to it by chemical attraction. The huge surface area of activated charcoal gives it countless bonding sites. When certain chemicals pass next to the carbon surface, they attach to the surface and are trapped.
Activated charcoal is good at trapping other carbon-based impurities ("organic" chemicals), as well as things like chlorine. Many other chemicals are not attracted to carbon at all -- sodium, nitrates, etc. -- so they pass right through. This means that an activated charcoal filter will remove certain impurities while ignoring others. It also means that, once all of the bonding sites are filled, an activated charcoal filter stops working. At that point you must replace the filter.
from Howstuff works .com
lol with this info looks like all activated charcoal is vapor based
Charcoal is carbon. (See this Question of the Day for details on how charcoal is made.) Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. According to Encylopedia Britannica:
The use of special manufacturing techniques results in highly porous charcoals that have surface areas of 300-2,000 square metres per gram. These so-called active, or activated, charcoals are widely used to adsorb odorous or coloured substances from gases or liquids.
The word adsorb is important here. When a material adsorbs something, it attaches to it by chemical attraction. The huge surface area of activated charcoal gives it countless bonding sites. When certain chemicals pass next to the carbon surface, they attach to the surface and are trapped.
Activated charcoal is good at trapping other carbon-based impurities ("organic" chemicals), as well as things like chlorine. Many other chemicals are not attracted to carbon at all -- sodium, nitrates, etc. -- so they pass right through. This means that an activated charcoal filter will remove certain impurities while ignoring others. It also means that, once all of the bonding sites are filled, an activated charcoal filter stops working. At that point you must replace the filter.
from Howstuff works .com
lol with this info looks like all activated charcoal is vapor based
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