PC Case Fan (3inch) DYI Carbon Filter

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
Hey all,

Having not liked the designs of (or my implementation thereof) activated carbon scrubbers, I decided to try a dif approach. The loose granulated activated carbon can be VERY dusty. I found at walmart replacement filters for odor eliminating units ($9 for four pieces 5" x 9" give or take), i've seen them used here before as well. I used some left over quarter inch poster board for the frame, built the frame around a 3 inch pc fan and let it stick up and about a half inch, then just taped the filter material over it...i may double up the filter sheets if it's not effective enough. my cab exhausts to my attic, and two days ago i went up to the attic and the smell was pretty strong...so i threw this together yesterday, put it on, and in the attic this morning there was no smell...so it seems to be working for now. here's some pics:
peace:leaf:
 

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wrecka

Member
anyway you can give step by step instructions, i agree the activated carbon gets everywhere and has even stained my carpet =[... i really like this invention and id like to use it :)
 

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
hey wrecka, thanks for stopping by. yeah actually, i have to do another one on monday morning, I'll document and photograph the process and post it here...peace:leaf:
 

grow1620

Well-Known Member
I love the nice simple design. one thing about those filters though, be careful not to bend them or the carbon stuff spills out a lil bit and can make a mess.
 

Hilltop112

Well-Known Member
I always hated my huge filter with my rubbermaid grow, ill have to head out tomorrow and get some supplies, Thanks for posting this

Peace
 

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
nice design there boney...

these filters are the kind that dont have the loose carbon in it...it's just like a black fibrous filter...the ones i bought are from Holmes (a box of four sheets), they make fans and air filters, they were at walmart in the area where ac filters and air odor eliminators are...

it's working so far, but i only hv one small flowering plant and two small pre flower plants, so i dont know how well it would scale up for larger grows. but it took the edge of the scent for me, along with some of those RV odor gel containers and bounce dryer sheets (the dryers vent into my attic so it would be absolutely natural for bounce smell to be around) and no one can smell my shit peace:leaf:
 

boneyshapeye

Well-Known Member
ya i have some better pics of this 1 but this 1 works reli nice 4 small id say 3-4 it also has reli nice breze threw it i tested with bag o dank and couldent smell a dam thing at the filter side and had to literly stick my nose on the bud on the open side before i attached it to smell anyting i feel if anything i can always add another 1 of if need b later and scince it is made with c/b the noise level is on a scale of being in a quiet room no noise and not being able 2 hear anything unless u stick your head in the openside and hear the suction on your ear lol
 

boneyshapeye

Well-Known Member
best def you deserve +rep man its an ez and effective design and i know it works on small scale + i would have eventualy posted it im probbly gunna put one on my intake as well later on it also dubs as perfect light eliminater :P
 

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
hey peace boney... +rep right back at ya...i just went up into ay attic again today and absolutely no smell at all...if I open the cabinet in my closet, i can clearly smell the bud...so it is working very well...i'll be using the same approach on my PC Case grow in my living room...it's starting to get stinky out there too...this approach is so much easier and cleaner than the mesh cup within a mesh cup with panty hose and activated carbon granuales.... the only thing I will prolly have to do is change the filter piece every three - four weeks...we'll see how long that one piece lasts...but changing the filter piece is the easy part...
 

boneyshapeye

Well-Known Member
ya i tried the zen approach not realy the greatest imo 2 fine of carbon no air flow to big of chunks odor leaks by this 1 is air tight and works great and is extremly ez 2 make im thinkin of making my intake as one also what do ya think i guess it could doubble as light blocker
 

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
decided to harvest my lollipop girl...she's on 43 days flowering but is ready, 60-40 amber trychs...and I needed another filter-fan box and a some sort of a dryer arrangement, this is what I came up with...also short instructions on the filter box construction with picture.

quarter inch foam poster board is what i use, you can get it at craft stores. it's sturdier than cardboard and is easy to work with. My fans measure 3 1/8 inches square, so cut two pieces 3 1/8" and about 1.75 inches high. u want a tight fit, so I put the pieces on opposite sides of the fan, then measure the outside to outside distance and cut two pieces to that size, for mine it was a hair over 3.5 inches. Then one corner at a time you tape them together til you have a box. test fit it on the fan, make sure it's tight. Then cut a piece of the Holmes filter to fit the outside width of your box, then cut it long enough to hang over opposing side by about three quarters of an inch. tape it down on both ends, the tape down the other sides. Voila!!

The dryer box works great. the fan is a silent model PC case fan, I cant even hear it whirl. I used one of those instant on soldering irons to melt a grid of holes (the holes are about an 1/8th inch in diameter) to make a vent in the end opposite the fan to help draw air across the bud. It's small but my girls dont yield that much (by design, by design)...besides for about $5 US and about an hour of my time I can build another one...so no biggie

peace:leaf:
 

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boneyshapeye

Well-Known Member
nice set up man i havent built my dryer yet but diffently a good idea thier ill post sum pics after mine are done but im only 6 days in this run im goin for a small lollipop myself just prayin 4 a fem till than lol looks like you forced 12/12 2700's around week 2-3 ish if im correct or about your third node am i close lol ill defently be picking up a craft foam board sum time this week that probbly deeadens the sound slightly better than cardboard also even thow its not much it would probbly help
 

arcticvapors

Well-Known Member
actua;;y she was 12-12 from start, but she was a freak of a girl, at 17 days she only had two nodes developed and barely even any growth at that, then she recovered but grew a single...i didn't do much to hone it....it just happened...thanks for reading tho!
 
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