How to: Cheap, Easy, Efficient - DIY Carbon Scrubber

[nugglord_420]

Originally Posted by mike827

Great tutorial, have you seen the one on these boards that pulls air from the sides rather than forcing it through? which do you think would be more effective?


Also, perhaps putting the fan at the end of the filter would be more efficient?

(easier to pull air than to pull)

good work though!

To answer your first question, yes - I've seen them. I'd be willing to say that the side filters might work a little better. This was sort of an experiment - but it worked out quite well and will give other filters a run for their money.

Second question - I'm sure you could, but I put my fan there for convenience. Still pushes out air, so...

Originally Posted by Let'smoke

The other design I've seen is also quite good, and seemed to have a bit more surface area which could arguably make it more "effective."
Carbon for carbon, the one with more surface area would also probably run out faster. It would however, allow for a little more airflow, I believe.

Everything's tit for tat in the growing game. I gave nugglord +rep for this design because of how easy it would be to change out the carbon. I could imagine someone really getting into trouble because they realize too late in their grow they need to change their carbon and are too busy. Plus I'd freak for every second there wasn't a filter on my grow.
That's why if I went with the other design I'd build 2, that way I could swap it out in a snap and refill the first at my leisure.

These are all just my opinions of course.

Yup, thanks for the +rep, and yes it's a snap to change the carbon.

Originally Posted by kush<>~

Whats the volume of your grow space if you dont mind me asking?

This is a picture with the specs.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...3/ppuser/25289

20" Tall x 15" Wide x 24" Long
168 Watts Warm White CFL
4" inline duct fan with DIY carbon filter

It's the flower box for my Micro SOG. I can pump out 3/4 oz on average every two weeks. Perfect for my personal stash.

Originally Posted by MountainGrow

you can also make one of these by building a fire and burning logs until they are black, pulling them out of the fire and scraping off the black activated charcoal from the logs. THen grind the charcoal up and then its the same set up.

You probably could, but that seems a bit labor intensive. Just buy the container at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks, and you'll be set for a few changes. If anyone asks - it's for your aquarium.

Originally Posted by jchesmore722

I think this is a great idea and all, but why have the aluminem screen inside the pinaple container? It doesnt seem to serve a purpose. The charcoal is still being filtered through the pantihose.

Idk maybe i just dont understand what you mean,

Either way this is a great idea.

Oh the screen is there to prevent the panty hose from sagging. The weight of the carbon will cause the panty hose to stretch - this leaves the air escaping from the sides and not through the carbon. Panty hose are a finer mesh to keep dust and smaller carbon pieces from falling through.

[nugglord_420]

bump.

[d00sokal7]

Nugglord, +rep for sure! I'll be making one of these for my system without a doubt.. lol. Thanks again for posting!


d00sokal7

[GotKush805JBM]

The Screen Prevents the Carbon from dropping the nylon down. Gives it support. I built the same Scrubber. Hope It works when My Plant Matures!!!

[Stylez1877]

Great thread. Thanks Going to try these out..

[ben_ja_mon]

Where can a guy get a desent in line fan? All I seem to be able to find are heater fans.

[Azureblue]

Originally Posted by ben_ja_mon

Where can a guy get a desent in line fan? All I seem to be able to find are heater fans.

Computer "case" fans work great. You do have to do a little wire splicing to get them wired up to an A/C adapter but it's really simple. You can get "ball-bearing" computer fans (a.k.a. the nice ones) that will last forever and be almost silent. Tigerdirect.com has a great selection of computer case fans that are dual ball-bearing.

I did a writeup on how to wire them up to an A/C adapter in another thread

[Azureblue]

Is this still working out for you? Does it continue to control your smell issues?

[nugglord_420]

Originally Posted by Azureblue

Is this still working out for you? Does it continue to control your smell issues?

Yeah it's still going pretty strong, I'd probably give it another 2 weeks before the smell starts to creep out...

This of course depends on how much carbon you put into the filter. For instance I filled it about 2-3" deep, which is about a quarter of my original container. ($5.00 at Wal Mart). Keep the rest of your carbon on hand if things start to smell a little bit, and you should be good.

[Azureblue]

Originally Posted by nugglord_420

Yeah it's still going pretty strong, I'd probably give it another 2 weeks before the smell starts to creep out...

This of course depends on how much carbon you put into the filter. For instance I filled it about 2-3" deep, which is about a quarter of my original container. ($5.00 at Wal Mart). Keep the rest of your carbon on hand if things start to smell a little bit, and you should be good.

Cool, thanks for responding so quickly!

I love your drying/curing sticky in the Harvest section BTW

Odor control issues plagued my first grow (which was harvested this past Friday). Before I ever grow again I'm going to need to come up with something reliable. I love DIY stuff and grow on a small scale, so I really don't want to have to bite the bullet and spend gobbs of money on professional equipment.

Anyway, thanks again

[nugglord_420]

Originally Posted by Azureblue

Cool, thanks for responding so quickly!

That's why I subscribe to these threads.

I love your drying/curing sticky in the Harvest section BTW

Thanks man, it's always nice to know that I can help someone out around here.

Odor control issues plagued my first grow (which was harvested this past Friday). Before I ever grow again I'm going to need to come up with something reliable. I love DIY stuff and grow on a small scale, so I really don't want to have to bite the bullet and spend gobbs of money on professional equipment.

IMHO, DIY is the way to go. That's what I've done... I designed and built a very small, yet efficient, Sea of Green garden using materials that I had around the house or could easily obtain at my local hardware store. I usually have a lot of free time on my hands, so I'm constantly tinkering and experimenting with my setup.

Anyway, thanks again

Yeah man, no problem at all! Stay safe and stay green!

[guff1988]

Originally Posted by jchesmore722

I think this is a great idea and all, but why have the aluminem screen inside the pinaple container? It doesnt seem to serve a purpose. The charcoal is still being filtered through the pantihose.

Idk maybe i just dont understand what you mean,

Either way this is a great idea.

Its just for extra protection. To make sure you dont lose any charcoal

[groob4000]

very nice tutorial! but for my situation, where i dont have any sort of ventilation going into my room, would it be possibly to attach one of these things to a fan so it would blow are through the filter thus have air get filtered. if thats not an option im thinking about purchasing this thing.

http://www.theatlasstore.com/p/44530...ifier-new.html

opinions?

[Vader21]

Great tutorial
Just constructed one for myself +rep

[Version 2]

Originally Posted by groob4000

very nice tutorial! but for my situation, where i dont have any sort of ventilation going into my room, would it be possibly to attach one of these things to a fan so it would blow are through the filter thus have air get filtered. if thats not an option im thinking about purchasing this thing.

http://www.theatlasstore.com/p/44530...ifier-new.html

opinions?

You can try putting that on a fan, but it's not going to get all of the odor out. The ionic air purifier will take some of the smell away, but a lot of people say that it damages trichomes. I would look at setting up a ventilation system, at the very minimum you'll need a fan and 2 holes in your cabinet. If you're growing in a closet... well that's going to be more tricky.