My $3 Carbon Filter

awesome idea. I like the thinking and creativity. deffinately worth posting the link on a thread in the newbie section (hope you don't mind that I posted a link to your thread). and for the people that don't agree with panhead, assemble your ideas, post pics and show us what you got. by saying that "I am not going to share the idea now" is like saying that you have the biggest cock but wont show it to prove it. I understand if you don't like his idea or don't think that it will work, but if you have a better solution prove it. Panhead you just made McGyver look like a kid with down syndrome. now we all need to see what you can do with a toothpick, a tampon and an empty rockstar can. lol right on keep up the awsome ideas

panhead said:

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.

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Why does the carbon have to be on the pull side of the fan? I would think that putting the filter on the opposite side, so that the fan is 'pushing' air into it, and filtering the air that is being sucked in from the fan, would keep any of the carbon particles from entering into the fans system.

My lights are cooled by a fan and on the end of the fan, I have a carbon filter. at the end of one of my lights, the "intake" I have a knee-high ladies stocking over it, to filter out any of the larger particles, and it does not seem to inhibit the airflow at all.

This is a great thread, I love to see economical DIYs that really work.

Thanks Panhead.

So does this actually work? I am testing it right now to try to get around replacing the real deal, and I'm not having any luck yet. I am not doing a commercial grow or anything just a couple small plants, but it is stinkin' like Lincoln! So when I realized my scrubber had died I tried this method and so far.....it isn't working. I'm hoping maybe it is just going to take another day or two.

Hey panhead, is it necessary to smash up the carbon or soak it or anything? I don't recall you mentioning anything about that except to smash up the carbon when the stench started coming back.

Thanks for sharing your idea, I wish I could get it to work better.

PP

UPDATE: after about 16 hours the smell has died down significantly. This really does work! I almost can't believe it myself. There is still the slightest hint of odor but I'm thinking that might still go away.

Thanks a bunch panhead, I bet there are a bunch of people that think that something so cheap and easy wouldn't work (I was one of them). I tried it though, and it seems to be doing the task.

Oh yeah, I stapled the handi-wipes together. Pete don't sew! lol

PP

lol. my carbon filter was "free". thank you Zellers pet aisle. its just one of those aquarium filter refills they sell for like 7 bucks. not a whole lot in there to start so i bagged a few more packs of carbon to go. it basically looks like a pouch of cotton filler, stuffed with the carbon now ofcourse

hey Panhead, Once you make the filters do u just sit them in different locations in the room or do you place them by a fan . And if so, would placing a couple of them in dif places around the room help? Thanks for your help man!

i have 2 34.5 cfm pc fans.. would it suffice with one fan? or what if i but the carbon in the middle of a duct tube and put the fans on both sides.
Just like this sweet pic i drew...

plz no sig requests...

HydroChron said:

hey Panhead, Once you make the filters do u just sit them in different locations in the room or do you place them by a fan . And if so, would placing a couple of them in dif places around the room help? Thanks for your help man!

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As I understand it you would want to take the whole thing & clamp it over the exhaust of your ventilation fan. that way the air going thru the ducting is forced to go thru the filter as it exits the room. Just lying them around in your room will not do anything.

So to get rid of the smell you FIRST need to have a SEALED grow room. You want it air tight or as close as you can to air tight. Then the ventilation that goes thru the room... Air comes in, gets stinky from the plants & then on it's way out you want to filter it. On it's way out being thru the duct work you have put in with an exhaust fan. Let's say 6" duct work, well you take one of these homemade filters & strap it over the end of the ductwork & throw a hose clamp or a good rubber band, that way the air is forced to go THRU the filter. If you just lay it inside the ductwork then it's just going to travel around it & it will filter nothing.

Hope that helps ya

YaK said:

Why does the carbon have to be on the pull side of the fan? I would think that putting the filter on the opposite side, so that the fan is 'pushing' air into it, and filtering the air that is being sucked in from the fan, would keep any of the carbon particles from entering into the fans system.

My lights are cooled by a fan and on the end of the fan, I have a carbon filter. at the end of one of my lights, the "intake" I have a knee-high ladies stocking over it, to filter out any of the larger particles, and it does not seem to inhibit the airflow at all.

This is a great thread, I love to see economical DIYs that really work.

Thanks Panhead.

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im pretty sure it would have to do with the type of fan being used for your exhaust system. inline fans pull air a lot more efficiently than they can push it. in this case having the filter on the intake end would be ideal because its pulls the air in thru the filter..whereas if you had a squirrel cage blower, having it on the exhaust end would probably work better because it pushes large volumes of air out thru the filter...

okay i've been reading every post in here and i need a little help i got a regular fan to vent my room how would i use this carbon filter for that?

i'm only going to grow three plants maybe like three more so six total but the room i want to use i'm only using a fan for ventlation.

how about the premade coffee filters. I see those bit ones in a cafe I go too. The fabrics is perfect it just the right size to fit in a vent line

Keep in mind that pan head probably isnt growing in a budget grow room.. i mean who the hell is gonna have an inline exhaust fan system in their closet

Great idea Panhead - How about the "Filtrete" carbon filters instead of the Scotchbrite? It has much better flow and the added benefit of more carbon. Filtrete is sold at all mojor home improvement stores and is like 22"x20' allowing for more folding if needed for sizing. it does cost more but is worth it i think.

Good luck - love any DIY~

I love this idea, I am gonna have to try this one.

How long has it been since panhead's posted on RIU? It's been a while it seems, doesn't it?

The last time he posted on here is July 25th 08. A little odd since he used to get real upset if people posted wondering why he wasn't answering and say he monitored the thread all the time? Hmmmmmmm. Maybe the filter doen't work that well! LOL. He's prob. just taking a long overdue break. Or working on a spectacular DIY project to revolutionize growing as we know it.

WWgrower said:

The last time he posted on here is July 25th 08. A little odd since he used to get real upset if people posted wondering why he wasn't answering and say he monitored the thread all the time? Hmmmmmmm. Maybe the filter doen't work that well! LOL. He's prob. just taking a long overdue break. Or working on a spectacular DIY project to revolutionize growing as we know it.

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Howdy,my job requires me to travel sometimes,when i travel i dont use company computers for surfing personal sites so ive been out of touch for a few months.

Im home now so im back online,as for my comments twords not responding to questions asked,when im home i do monitor the thread but alas, some folk would rather ask questions allready answered in previous posts rather than read the thread.

I'm just glad all is well. I had a bit of concern over such an absence.

Seamaiden said:

I'm just glad all is well. I had a bit of concern over such an absence.

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Howdy Mrs maiden,all is well in my neck of the woods,had a few weeks where my wife's health was an issue but for the most part it was a work related abscense & all is well.