Simple Easy Cheap DIY Carbon Filter

Cascadian

Well-Known Member
The motivation for building this is I needed something fast, easy to build and cheap that would work. I have several plants in veg that are really starting to stink especially the purple kush and purple diesel. The ONA was just masking it and a discerning nose would know what it was instantly.

I built this with 3 items (if you include the duct tape) and it took about 20 minutes to make with just a utility knife and some scissors.

1. Cardboard box anywhere from 10" square up to 12" and anything in between (I used a 10"x12") should be free
2. Honeywell activated carbon prefilter (universal replacement pre-filter) 48" x 16" (got the idea for using this filter from another diy filter thread) $17.96 at HD. It is near the hepa filters etc usually near the lighting section.
3. Duct tape

The filter comes with a crease down the middle so I just cut it along that line to get 2 48" x 8" sections. Next I layed the filter across the box and marked off the 8" width with a pen. I cut about 1/4" inside this line to give the filter something to seat to. Then just cut about 3/4" out from each corner of the box to make a square opening on each side. 2 sides have folding flaps and will have to be cut separately with scissors. Not shown in the picture is that I reinforced the "pillars" with some duct tape.

Then lay the filter over the opening and start duct taping it to the box, I overlapped the filter by about 1/2" - 3/4". Continue winding it around the box taping it all the way around. With my box I wound it around over 2 times making a double thick filter with a lot of surface area.

Make sure all the seems are extra secure / airtight and cut a hole for the fan you will be using at the top. I used a 100cfm duct booster fan and it works great.

The smell is completely gone and it is just sitting in the room as a scrubber, you have to open the door to smell anything at all. Some may take issue with the use of cardboard but it works and is more sturdy than I thought it would be. I think the large surface area really helps this filter work better.

HD also sells a 4" duct booster fan that looked identical to mine for $20.

Also, not pictured I wrapped a towel around the fan and made about a 4" cone of towel above the opening of the fan to act as a silencer using some duct tape. It is very quiet, the box also does a good job muffling the sound.
Sorry I didn't take more pics but it is pretty self explanatory.
Carbon Filter 1.jpgCarbon Filter 2.jpgCarbon Filter3.jpgCarbon Filter4.jpg

Hope this helps someone, just trying to give back a bit. I have received a lot of help from this site


Cascadian
 
Thank you for posting this, It is really neat and could save a lot of us from getting busted or just smelling the whole town up.
 
Thanks, keep in mind this should only be relied upon for small grows and for veg rooms IMO. FYI the filter life is listed as 3 months. A good solution for someone needing odor control quickly. It is still working really well for me with "several" mature plants in veg...

I posted a link to this in the odor control sticky.

Peace,
Cascadian
 
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