DIY Carbon air and odor filter - Page 3

frogfreak · #21 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason

Does it involve sticky icky and a bong?

It's been awhile, but one never knows.

james67 · #22 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 01:38 AM

ok, now there are many folks who swear by these diy carbon filters, however........ what most dont understand is that the "real" store bought filter and fan combos move A LOT of air. we're talking fans that generally start at about 150 cfm (for a 4" in system) and with good high pressure.

the actual filters are another issue as the "real" ones are compacted with a LARGE amount of pressure creating gaps for air in the very low micron range. the result is clean fresh air, even clean enough to be used for some very smelly illegal plants. newer systems incorporate negative ion generation as well but get very costly (not an issue when talking about produce more valuable than gold, but for the poor frog keeper probably out of range)

if you look around you can find good prices on fans and filters, (which should be changed about once every 6-8 months, julio) that are only slightly more expensive than the DIY systems. for fans i suggest S&P td series inline fans as they are very quiet in comparrison to fans with similar CFM ratings. as for filters look around but a 4" X 12" filter should cost about $100

you have to watch out for some of the "great" stoner ideas out there on growing forums, as the hobby growers tend to try and fashion all sorts of crap from household objects, and swear by their results since they havent seen what the "real" equipment can do, due to their inability or unwillingness to buy the correct equipment.

james

Jason · #23 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 02:57 AM

I agree with a lot of this, but from my research too much air (direct out flow of air) will result in not enough time for the filter (carbon) to absorb the odor. I think a rheostat may be a good idea to figure out what you need if this was your main objective. Using this filter to "polish" the air regardless of fan size will help to remove odor in the room.

I also think that the quality of carbon is the key ingredient. No matter how good the filter looks or sounds cool, if you are using crap carbon you will get crap results.

james67 · #24 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 03:14 AM

the thing is that the "real" filters are very restrictive, because as i said earlier (at least the good ones) are compacted. the rating of 150 CFM could drop as significantly as 50% with the filter alone. adding sharp bends, restrictive tubing, reducers, etc. will also decrease the airflow so its important to have a fan with a decent amount of flow.

im not doubting that this system will have some effect, but i doubt its ability to stand up to a nice fan / filter combo.
however i seriously doubt a CPU fan will be able to do anything as they are very weak. the best fan i can find (as far as power is concerned) is delta's model FFB0412SHN which produces an amazing 24 cfm at 13.8V , these are very expensive (about $17 ea) and i still cant see how they could push the air through any filter.
james

Jason · #25 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 03:16 AM

Gotcha, would you suggest large or small carbon size then?

15 Pounds - 5 Gallons Bulk Lignite Aquarium Carbon - English

james67 · #26 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 03:28 AM

couldnt tell ya. i havent made a DIY filter personally, but have had some friends that tried them. i would imagine that the finer grains would provide a tighter fit and more surface area available. you could try some DIY compaction but with the store bought filters they claim that its not only the pressing of the charcoal into the filter but the extremely even compaction of the material that creates the optimal filtering abilities.

james

RarePlantBroker · #27 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james67

however i seriously doubt a CPU fan will be able to do anything as they are very weak. the best fan i can find (as far as power is concerned) is delta's model FFB0412SHN which produces an amazing 24 cfm at 13.8V , these are very expensive (about $17 ea) and i still cant see how they could push the air through any filter.
james

James, I buy CPU fans from www.newegg.com. I usually by Masscool 80mm fans, they're rated at 31.7 CFM at 12V, and run $1.99 ea. Just in case you need some fans for vent projects....

james67 · #28 (**permalink**) 03-23-2010, 03:54 AM

oops! i forgot to mention 40mm. (they are the highest rated 40mm) i only use the 40mm fans since they are easier for me to plumb into tanks because they are much smaller.

thank you for noticing. sorry for the error
james

i should also mention that i get these fans in lots of 10 for drastically reduced price (via ebay)