$50 DIY Activated Charcoal Filter - Works Great!

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Thanks mr. Potpimp
...good ideal...im thinking of trying this on a smaller scale, like maybe a maxwell house square 3 lb coffee container, with a computer fan taped in the bottom, with a piece of window screen holding in the charcoal....but while i gottcha here can I ask your opinion on lights? I noticed you said you where using floral tubes and was wondering what you thought about hdrofarms 2' x 8 t5 tube system, in a small confined cabinet 25'' x 25 ''x 4'. ( will these, with quatum 2900 bloming tubs do a good job on 4 plants). I cant make much heat in this little space under the stairs.
Also back to the diy filter, does plants really put out so much odor that ill need to make these filters? I have a couple peope in the house I would like to keep this secret from, do you think this is possible? thanks
T5's are super! The more the merrier. As far as the filter, bigger is better if you really want to keep it under control. Thanks Frig for the great addition!!
 

joncro55

Member
Instead of finding the wire mesh elsewhere and having to piece everything together, buying some works as well..

Try Mcmaster Industrial Supply or Belleville Wire Cloth http://www.bwire.com/

Usually the best prices I find on the net....
 
My plants are about a month old now and for the last week or so it's been getting scary stinky in my house. I could not put it off any longer so last night I went to Wal-Marx and picked up some items to do a DIY carbon filter for my grow tent.

My grow tent is also a DIY, 30" x 54" x 76" framed with 1x2's and panda film stapled to it. These are mother plants and I want them short and bushy so I'm running T8 "Hi Bay" industrial lights, 6 x 4', 3500K.

Shopping list:
1 bucket with lid $1.31 (sign said $4.44 but my receipt says $1.31)
1 pack of activated charcoal (in the aquarium section) $6.68
1 spatter screen (in the kitchen gadgets section) $3.97
1 Honeywell "Turbo Force Power" fan $25. (Wal-Marx was out so I got it at Fred Meyers)
You'll also need a little duct tape.

Cut the bottom out of the bucket, all around the edges. I used a pocket knife and it only took a couple of minutes and no mess.

Turn fan on low and place it, face down, in the bottom of the bucket, letting the cord hang out the bottom.

Cut the handle off the splatter screen and snip it so that you have a little "give".

Lay the splatter screen in the bucket to see how it fits. You'll be putting some duct tape inside where the splatter screen touches the sides of the bucket (for friction).

Remove the screen and put in duct tape around where the screen fits (6-8" pieces work best).

Lay the screen in place, getting fairly level, then tape it in place with more duct tape.

Pour about half of the activated carbon onto the screen and spread it out evenly.

Hang up the your new rig by the handle, plug it in and prepare to be amazed at how fast the odor disappears.

You don't have to have a lid; the lid is only to keep the charcoal from getting out if you move it or store it, otherwise you won't use it.

Oh, and don't bust my balls about the plants; I know they have Mg deficiency but I didn't have any epsom salts until I got some last night. :weed:

I'll move this thread to the DIY section after it gets buried but I'll leave a permanent linkback to it.
Dude i know this thread is old as shit but damn this thing worked great for me!! mucho thanks!!
 

Ammastor

Active Member
This DIY is awesome. The point that it can be refilled is also pretty cool. I am all for DIY setups as I think it add a special touch to your grow.

I will be making one of these. Try it out.

The applications could be endless with this if it was fine tuned. A more powerful fan and more carbon with a tested pull push with the flowing air and even a larger grow room could be filtered threw this. My first setup I made a DIY filter. And it worked great even in the later stages. Some of the prices I see out there for some of these scrubbers are outrageous. And personally I would rather vent outside then spend the extra cash.

I seen one scrubber made from a paint can and a 6" blower. It was small and you smelt nothing when you waled in the room.

There should be an equation that is made up for these DIY filters. So we can figure out what size fan and how much carbon is needed to filter the room that it being used in. That way you know that what you need is what you get.

I am going to play with this idea for sure. Love the DIY.

Never thought of using a bucket. Just great man. Thank you.
 

Ammastor

Active Member
Oh and one more thing. I use to use the aquarium carbon from walmart. It ground fine. I switched to the pellet style carbon. You find these in some fish tank filters. They allow for more air to pass thew them and they work better in my opinion. Plus they have a better surface area. rather then the small surface areas you get with the ground carbon.
 
Just made this today. I already had the 5 gallon bucket and duct tape - so all I needed to purchase was the carbon and splatter screen. I just used a big knife to cut out the bottom and my new carbon filter is in action. This is perfect for my closet, I don't have a tent. It hangs in the corner next to my plants. No smell at all.
 

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