*DIY* Carbon Scrubber with 6" Flange

Discussion in 'Do It Yourself' started by whatuthinkin, Dec 24, 2009.

  1. #1 whatuthinkin, Dec 24, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 30, 2009
    This is my first DIY here at the city and I hope that at least one person will get some use out of this.

    I had been needing a good carbon scrubber to kill the smell that I will be having in my grows. I had been looking around at various sites and DIY threads. I didn't want to pay the price they were charging for the filters but I never saw a DIY that was exactly what I needed. So today I am at Lowes and got to thinking about it. The design of the expensive filters are fairly simple. Well I suddenly knew what parts I needed. I purchased the parts and headed home to see what I could come up with.

    Lets start off with what materials we will need.

    1 - 6" flange with adhesive on the back. $5.99
    1 - Hardware Cloth 24"x5' with 1/2" holes. $6.88
    1 - Package of Cheese Cloth 4sq yards. (Bought this at Home Depot, it was by the 5gallon buckets and things of that sort. $3.50
    1 - Package of the largest panty hose available. (optional) $2

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    Ok now that the shopping is done for the filter housing we can get to building.

    We are going to need to cut 2 pieces out of the screen. The size of the screen depends on how long you want your filter. It all depends on where you cut it. I made mine this length so that I could use the filter that I bought to wrap it. Any longer and it wouldn't have fit. But it turned out that the filter was still too small so I will not be using it. Also I am using cheese cloth for the outer wrapping and it does a great job of keeping the carbon contained.

    When you are unwrapping the Hardware Cloth screen try not to cut the wire that is holding it together. We will want to use this later on. Simply follow it and try to untie it. You can cut off a little if it helps get it undone as there will be plenty left over.

    Piece one: I made mine 16" x 28.5" where 16" is the length of the filter. This can be changed to up to 24".

    Piece two: 14.5" x 17.5" where 14.5" is the length. This should be anywhere from 1-1.5" shorter than the one above.

    Now when making your cuts measure out what you want and then cut so that you leave 2 adjacent sides with wires hanging. Hard to describe but I will show in pictures in a moment. Do not include these in your measurments.

    Now we are going to assymble the screens. Take the larger one and form it into a circle making sure that the 16" side is the length. Then overlap the screen by one row of the 1/2" squares and bend over the wires that you left hanging to securely hold the screen together. There is another picture later on that will show how the wires are bent over to hold everything in place. I will note it on that picture. In the picture below you can see the wires on the top of the cylinders. I just cut them even with the next 1/2" square after my measurement.

    Do the same proccess with the smaller screen. When you are done they should look like this:

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    Now that those are built we can start putting it all together. We will start off by taking the smaller cylinder and inserting it inside the 6" flange. There is a small lip on the inside of the flange. Bend the hanging wires over the lip and it will hold it in place very well. You may need to trim a hair off the end of the hanging wires to get them to fold over all the way.

    I also suggest putting an end cap on this smaller cylinder just like I do on the larger one below. I didn't think of doing it untill it was too late. It isn't needed but it would deffinatelly help when you fill the carbon so it doesn't stretch the panty hose into the center chamber with carbon. Hard to explain this but if you don't use the end cap you will certainly see what I am talking about.

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    Now take one leg of the panty hose and slide it down over the end of the filter and then pull it over the flange. This will keep the activated carbon in place and not allow it to get loose. When you have it all the way on there may be some hanging at the end of the filter still so I just tied it into a knot so that the carbon wouldn't pile up in it. (This step can be done using the Cheese Cloth instead of the panty hose. I started with the panty hose and it was too small to go on the large cylinder so I found the other material. Just didn't feel like taking it all apart if it isn't needed.)

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    Now take the other cylinder and slide the 6" flang inside it on the side with the hanging wires. This will be a very very tight fit but it will go with enough patients. Only set the flange down to where the hanging wires start. Should be 1/2". Then fold over the wires to hold it in place.

    You may notice the flange starts to warp depending on how tight you made it. Go ahead and straighten it out and go around the cylinder and cut at a few places 1/2" below the flange to make hanging wires. Then fold these under the flange to securely hold it in place and prevent warping. Look at the pictures and you will be able to understand it better.

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    In this last picture you can see how I secured the cylinders together by folding over the hanging wires. Look on the right side of the picture to see this.

    Now we want to install an end cap of the screen to help support the frame and provide support for the material we will be putting on to hold the carbon in. To make the end cap I turned the scrubber on its end and cut the screen around the outside of the scrubber leaving hanging wires like we have done previously. It overlapped the sides and I was able to put it in the first 1/2" hole and bent the hanging wires to secure it in place. Try to make sure to bend the wires so that they wont snag the panty hose when putting it on.

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    Now we are going to wrap the outside in cheese cloth. When you buy it it folds out and is about 15-16" wide and you can still unfold it further. Do not fold it out any for this first part. Just use it how it is wound around. It should be about 7-8" wide or so. This will be enough to stop the carbon from escaping. Start at the end of the scrubber, take the cheese cloth and go over the end of the scrubber(you want to do this like you are going to just cover the end with the cheese cloth but when you have it covered you want to turn it and start wrapping) leaving the start of the cheese cloth about 4" down the scrubber and then start wrapping it. You want to make sure that your are wrapping it tightly and that you go over the 4" overlap. This is hard to explain and I do not have pictures of it but I will try to get an illustration of it.

    When you start the wrap it will leave some hanging off the end, make sure there is enough to overlap itself to form a seal. I will show this in a moment. Then just wrap the cheese cloth around the outside of the filter overlapping 1-1.5 inches each time you go around. The cheese cloth is porous enough that this will not limit the air flow.

    Here you can see how it is wrapped around and how much I overlapped
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    When you get to the flange make sure the screen is completely covered and cut the cheese cloth. Now run your hand along the cheese cloth to make sure it is tight and that the over-lapping cheese cloth is pushed together. It will have extra hanging off at the flange, just take this and pull it tight around the flange then use some aluminum tape, or whatever kind of tape you have, to tape around the flang. This will hold the cheese cloth in place. Now you will still have some of the end of the cheese cloth where it could leak. Just take some tape and tape it down and it should hold just fine.

    Here you can see the end of the scrubber and how I secured the cheese cloth with the aluminum tape.
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    Now we want to take the left over cheese cloth(if you have enough, if you don't you will need to buy some more) and unfold it once so that it is 16" wide and go around the outside of the scrubber with it. You will only need to go around once. If you make the scrubber longer start at the end and make it flush with the end and then wrap again to cover what you didnt get the first time. When you wrap it around make sure that you can unfold it again once it is wrapped around the scrubber. Then take some zip-ties and chain them together so they will wrap around the scrubber. Make 3 sets of these. Put one set on the flange end and pull tight. Next go about 1/2 way down the scrubber and you will see where you can unfold it again. Unfold the 1/2 on the end of the scrubber so that it hangs off the end of the scrubber. We will use this to help seal the end after filling with carbon. Now put the 2nd set of zip-ties around the middle of the scrubber and pull it tight. Do not put the 3rd set on the end yet. This will help hold the overlaps from the wrapping in place.

    Now remember how I said save the small wire that was used to hold the Hardware Cloth screen in the package? Take it and cut 2 pieces that will wrap around the filter and have 3-4" of extra. take the first piece and put it inbetween 2 of the zip ties and pull tight. To secure it just twist the wires around each other while pulling them tight. Then repeat this step with the other piece of wire.

    Here you can see how I twised the wires to secure them.
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    Now you should be able to fill the carbon up from the end of the scrubber. Once you have the scrubber full take the inside layer of cheesecloth and fold it so that it covers the entire end of the scrubber. Then take the layer that we unfolded from the finall layer of cheese cloth and fold it over the end of the scrubber. It should be able to cover the end and have about 2-3" that will go over on all sides. Now take the 3rd set of zip-ties and put it on the end making sure to go over all the over lapping cheese cloth.

    Now I took some of the left over wire that we used to help secure the cheese cloth and tied one end to the 3rd set of zip-ties about 1/3 of the way across the end and then pulled it tight over the end and tied to the other side of the zip-ties. I did this twice on the end and you can see them in the picture below.

    This is what the finished end of the scrubber should look like.
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    It took me about 10-12lbs of carbon to fill this thing up. I ordered some carbon from ebay and it turned out to be a lot more fine that I thought it would be so it took more than I thought. I had to go buy more carbon from petsmart on top of the 2 containers I had from walmart. I put the razor blade in there for a size comparison. It is just a standard razor.

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    I would suggest putting something under the inlet to catch the carbon dust that will fall. Most of the carbon dust came out of the carpet with a vaccume but you can still see a dark spot where it was. It is going to take a carpet cleaner to get it all out.
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    Here you can see how I have the filter mounted.
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    After I installed the filter I flipped my fan on and turned it on high. Watch out the first time as it could push out some carbon dust in your face if you are too close. It does restrict the airflow some but I think it will be just fine with a good 6" or 8" fan. Currently the temperature in my box is 75* with the fan on full speed. This gives me a little flex room as I want to keep my box around 80*.

    This is the second design of the scrubber. The first one I used Weed Block material to cover the outside of the filter but it restriced the air flow a lot more and was more difficult to secure around the scrubber. I also think that the airflow would be a lot better if I was able to afford the carbon actually made for air purification. It allows the air to flow a little better.

    Here is a video of the scrubber installed in my system with the fan on. I discuss some details about it and the air flow in the video as well.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1FYhQ2zZsA"]YouTube- MOV02279.MPG[/ame]

    Feel free to post any comments/questions/suggestions/criticism that you might have. I am open to all of it.
     
  2. Cool guide man thanks for the info i have been considering building one of these to save some dough on my grow.
     
  3. It will deffinatelly do that. Comparable models of filter to the one I made run from $100-$150. And you cannot refill those. Once it stops working you have to buy a new one.
     
  4. Would you have to start from scratch again and how long should it last?
     
  5. Oh no you will not have to start from scratch again. Just untie the knot that you tied on the end of the scrubber to hold the carbon in and drain it out through that hole. Then just refill, tie the knot, and you're good to go.

    As for how long it lasts, that all depends on the type of carbon that you get. If you get active carbon designed for air purification it will work better and last longer than active carbon designed for water use. The water use will work but it wont be as effective and will not last as long.

    Now for this filter I am going to be using carbon designed for water because I cannot afford the good stuff right now. With the carbon layer being over an inch all around I am hoping that it should last at least 1 grow if not 2. By then I will be able to afford the better carbon and then it will last even longer.
     
  6. That's awesome i have a friend with a 75 Gallon Salt Water tank and he asked if I wanted some of his Active Carbon since I couldn't afford the C02 setup and controler I'm also running the DWC with SCROG i started with a clone I got from a friend that is a brewer as well here in NC! But he won't tell me what it is! He said I'll know when I grow it! I have some pics to post and a few questions as well!
     
  7. #7 johnnyblaze0420, Dec 24, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 24, 2009
    Just Fimmed Yesterday and Noticed Black Tips Today ????

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    The Black Tips Where I Fimmed It And Why are the Stems so Purple???
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    There is my Clone Don't know the Strain yet but I'm running DWC with SCROG on CFL's!
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    What are these Spots on my leaf?

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    OK GC Here is The Craftsman Bubble Thermos LoL do Trust when I say this isn't really that bad I rooted my clone in it with RO water! I'm running Dutch Master Grow A and B now and will soon be transplanting into a 5 Gallon then take my Clones and start them in the DIY Clone Bucket! I Even Fit a Beanie around it to keep it warm Lol! Only temporary Promise! I'm about to Kick it off Right this New Years and The Plentiful Sea Of Green!

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  8. I am looking for something besides the panty hose but haven't had time to look around a lot. I will look at that easy gardener stuff. It needs to be able to allow as much air to pass as possible but still keep the carbon contained. I would need to see the stuff in person to tell if it would work. You really only need it for the outside as the panty hose works perfectly for the inside cylender.
     
  9. I did the landscaping in front of my house and used this stuff. You can hold it up to the light a see through it. Click on the link and read the description. I really think you would like to try it out.
     
  10. Yea I read the description. It seems like it would work so I will go to home depot as soon as I can get out of my drive way. This blizard is insane. 3' snow drifts easy. Seen some that could have been 4'. Just walked a mile to the store to get some munchies and drinks. Can't feel my toes.... I knew I should have put on an extra pair of socks hahaha.
     
  11. This has the makings for a great DIY thread. I feel most "pot-heads" respond well to tons of pictures (hard to read stoned):).

    I would go back and edit your first post and put in all the missing steps and fixes, then delete the updated posts..
    Nice job.
     
  12. Thanks man. I feel it can be easier to explain how to do something if you can see what it is you need to do. I will most certainly update my first post once I have completed it. I ordered the carbon so it shouldn't be too long now.
     
  13. #14 whatuthinkin, Dec 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 28, 2009
    Ok well I have updated the first post with the end cap and I was able to find a good material to cover the screen to hold the carbon in. Check the first post for the updates.

    I just received the tracking number for my carbon so I will be able to get it fully built and start using it in a few days.

    I may not use a filter on the outside of the scrubber now that I have this Weed Block material. I am still deciding on this. I think I will wait to see how it runs as is. The extra filter would help protect the Weed Block material from tearing but that is the only benifeit that I see at this time.
     
  14. Ok the scrubber is now completed and the updated instructions are on the first post. I have a video of the scrubber running with my system that is being uploaded as I am typing this. I will put it on the first post as soon as it finishes uploading.

    What do you guys/gals think? How did it turn out?
     
  15. And I have uploaded the video and posted it in my first post. You can see the filter in action.
     
  16. Ok the filter has changed drastically and for the better. I think this is the final version of the filter as it seems to be working great right now. Now we just need to see how well it kills the smell.

    Check the first post for updated information. This guide just keeps getting longer and longer. As I said I think I am satisfied with it now. :cool:

    Any comments?
     

  17. Looks like a very good DIY now. I'll be doing this soon- thanks for the tips!
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  18. ^^ hell yeah +1

    sticky this thread, this is perfect!!

    +rep, I needed a thread like this, thanks a lot.
     

  19. So, what is the "good" carbon? I can see we want ta larger particle size. . . Got a link to the ideal stuff?
     

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