Carbon Scrubber Layered On a PC Fan (73cfm) - feasible?

[dokholidae]

Hello forumers,

I have a question regarding a computer fan (73cfm, so it's bigger than your regular computer fan) and carbon scrubbers. With my new rubbermaid build, I've set up a fan on top near the LED lighting - and it's pretty much inside the box, not outside or grafted into it.

You know those PC fan's that have a square design? My fan is like that, with 4 holes for screws. On my grow box, what I did was cut out the circle for the fan itself, and 4 holes so the screw can go in. I'm thinking, with these screws, I'll have a bolt on the other end that locks the fan in. It, in essence, works. What you see on the outside is just a circle with a fan oscillating inside.

Now, my question is, how can I get the carbon scrubber in play here? I mean, I'm thinking of

1) DIY Carbon Scrubber found on this page: http://www.gardenscure.com/420/secur...on-filter.html
2) Put a layer over the fan and tape it up, continuing the process when things get a bit smelly.

I have a room that the box is going in, and I don't mind it if there's a very low smell inside that room, so long as the outside rooms that connect to this room has no odor. This particular room is a walk-in closet too, maybe 5 feet by 5 feet. So I don't think the size will be a problem so long as I keep the box at the furthest corner - but still, I'm interested in the idea of a scrubber.

Should I go and rig up something like the above link shows, or attempt to experiment with layered carbon scrubber filters over tape on the box? I think 73cfm should be able to move the air through these filters. The intake itself is passive, too so all the air that's going out in the PC exhaust fan is basically heat so it's not trapped inside to suffocate the plant.

Oh, and I plan to try out one plant too, not two or three because honestly, I've never grown before but I'm aiming for that perfect result once I get started. So, this might be important in considering odor.

[Enuff4All2Share]

That filter looks great. Nice find!

E4A2S


As for just placing it over the fan, try it out. If it doesn't work, you already have half of the supplies to finish it. If it does work, let us know. Personally I think it would be more effective if the moved air has some room before being forced through the actual filter, hence the canister shape of most scrubbers, but thats just a feeling I have... not a fact.

[dokholidae]

Originally Posted by Enuff4All2Share

That filter looks great. Nice find!

E4A2S


As for just placing it over the fan, try it out. If it doesn't work, you already have half of the supplies to finish it. If it does work, let us know. Personally I think it would be more effective if the moved air has some room before being forced through the actual filter, hence the canister shape of most scrubbers, but thats just a feeling I have... not a fact.

I agree, the DIY filter looks awesome, and easy to rig up so I am not worried if I am going this route. It'll be quick to assemble - but honestly, I just wonder if I could save myself the effort if I just tape it over the fan. If it works, then great! If not, I'll hook up the above scrubber quick.

So I plan on trying it out and I'll report my findings - but I'll like to save myself the effort if anyone else has already tried it and it didn't work out well.

[sphinx13]

May look nice, but in my experience filters using that carbon wrap don't work nearly as well as granulated carbon. Here are two awesome micro crabon scrubbers:
http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=86726
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=48949

[dokholidae]

Originally Posted by sphinx13

May look nice, but in my experience filters using that carbon wrap don't work nearly as well as granulated carbon. Here are two awesome micro crabon scrubbers:
http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=86726
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=48949

I'm gonna check those out, it looks a lot better than what I've posted actually. In terms of work, and effectiveness, I think this is the most realistic solution. Hmm... thanks for the heads up.

[Enuff4All2Share]

Every time I see something great, I see something greater... thanx, sphinx!

E4A2S

[dokholidae]

So, I've thought about what to do and went ahead and bought an exact replica of my PC fan. What I did was:

1) Take the PC fan and core it out (i.e. remove the fan, but keep the square)
2) Mine has a hole on all four corners, so I am able to insert a bolt inside it. However, we want to be sure the pantyhose is covering it up and sealed as well... so tape it up around the sides, try to keep the airways open for the fan to blow through inside the circle.
3) Before sealing up the pantycloth with duct tape on the 2nd side, fill it up with activated carbon.
4) Insert a nail through the tape build-up where the hole is on all four corners, you want this hole free.

You now have a PC fan that you can just attach to another PC fan. In my case, I'm going to put one PC fan with the fan, inside and there's a layer (the box itself), then this newly built PC fan on the outside. That way, air blowing out just passes through the filter.

I haven't tested this out completely with airtight seals, but I put the fan against the blowing PC fan and felt a faint freeze through it, some air was getting pushed back inside too so I found that interesting, and of course it leaked a bit.

Bolts should do the trick - and if not, duct tape will. Going to try this out when I start and let you know if this works. I mean, the proof of concept is there really from what I read from your thread... the only difference is that pocket of air before it goes through the filter, which mine doesn't have.

So it's consistent with the "layered" idea. ;-)

[dokholidae]

So folks, here is a photo as I mentioned I would post before.

-- carbon scrubber

This is my carbon scrubber, and I am hoping it will work. First of all, what I did was have a fan inside the rubbermaid box, and there're 4 holes (one on each corner). I put in another fan on the outside of the box, and got 4 screws that could fit in both fans. I found that it didn't move as much air, so I got bigger screws and put the carbon scrubber fan a bit further so the inside fan can still push air inside the pocket that the duct tape creates.

The duct tape is wrapped around the 4 screws, and umm... the outside fan is hollowed out to allow content inside (the activated carbon).


-- sideview of carbon scrubber

For now, though... I am letting the hot air out through these gutted holes, but once the smell starts to hit, I'm going to duct tape it again and test the scrubber out. I've already tested it before with the tape intact, and there was little air coming out of the scrubber. The inside of the rubbermaid box maintained a temperate of 90 fahrenheits. Right now it's 85F.

[dp101]

bump...I know this threads kinda old but just wondering how that design turned out. If so it might work great for my situation

[dokholidae]

I have not taken it all the way through flowering, but the air does move through the filter with no problems. It's kind of inconclusive overall, but give it a try or improvise if you like. :-)

However, I had to cut the tape to prevent overheating, so I recommend looking into two exhaust fans if you're going in this direction. Also, I believe you can get computer fans that have more than 73cfm as mentioned in this thread.

[dp101]

Originally Posted by dokholidae

I have not taken it all the way through flowering, but the air does move through the filter with no problems. It's kind of inconclusive overall, but give it a try or improvise if you like. :-)

However, I had to cut the tape to prevent overheating, so I recommend looking into two exhaust fans if you're going in this direction. Also, I believe you can get computer fans that have more than 73cfm as mentioned in this thread.

I do have extra fans. I have 4 that are 80cfm. I was thinking two wrapped in the carbon filter if I go that route. 1 intake and 1 blowing in the cab. I think that will eliminate the heat issues, plus im using cfls and from what Ive read they dont get real hot.

If it works that would be the simplest scrubber yet.

[dokholidae]

Originally Posted by dp101

I do have extra fans. I have 4 that are 80cfm. I was thinking two wrapped in the carbon filter if I go that route. 1 intake and 1 blowing in the cab. I think that will eliminate the heat issues, plus im using cfls and from what Ive read they dont get real hot.

If it works that would be the simplest scrubber yet.

Sounds good, although I don't recommend the scrubber for intake, just only for exhaust. You'e only bringing in fresh air inside via the intake, not pushing it out so the scrubber would not be necessary. The only caveat would be if there was a leak from inside the box, coming out from the intake which I don't think is possible.

Also, I believe there's a general rule of thumb where when you have one single intake, you need to have 2x the size of the intake. So, 1 fan intake, two fans exhaust.

[Mr.Bubb|es]

Interesting, I just built one on Sunday, check out my signature ...

[dp101]

Originally Posted by dokholidae

Sounds good, although I don't recommend the scrubber for intake, just only for exhaust. You'e only bringing in fresh air inside via the intake, not pushing it out so the scrubber would not be necessary. The only caveat would be if there was a leak from inside the box, coming out from the intake which I don't think is possible.

Also, I believe there's a general rule of thumb where when you have one single intake, you need to have 2x the size of the intake. so, 1 fan intake, two fans exhaust.

Yeah i was only going to use the scrubber for exhaust. In my post I mentioned I have 4 total 2 wrapped in a carbon fiber sheet, 1 for intake, and 1 inside the box for a breeze on the stems.

I figured i needed a bigger exhaust then intake but I didn't know if it really mattered so that confirmation is good.

Also I might just end up cutting 2 circles for exhaust in my box screwing the fans to it and putting a 10in-8inch reducer over the fans and have carbon in the 8in section. Both setups are easy.