DIY Carbon air filter, yay or nay?

[NoobieDoobieDoo]

Hey all,

I am a first time grower with a very basic home made grow box. I have been looking for a carbon filter for the flowering stage but have seen several DIY filter methods online. Does anyone know if a DIY filter would work anywhere near as well as a mass manufactured filter?

 

[ANC]

Depends on the quality of carbon you use.

 

[NoobieDoobieDoo]

Depends on the quality of carbon you use.

Is that the only variable? I have seen some tutorials using basically just PVC, filter foam and aquarium carbon pellets.

 

[iHearAll]

And strain would be a big deal, in my mind. There is activated carbon filter rolls for DIY scrubber filter replacing. Its pretty cheap stuff and I can say it works well in solvent filtration so I would imagine it filters air as good as it was advertised for. Look on ebay and amazon. You would want enough to become a few layers thick. It appears to be ironed to a tight felt but it worked well as a rolled up solid cylinder.

 

[ANC]

Is that the only variable? I have seen some tutorials using basically just PVC, filter foam and aquarium carbon pellets.

All carbon is not made the same, the number of pockets that can grab on to smelly molecules differ drastically by grade. The best would be medical grade flakes, you guessed it, it also weighs the least, as it is so full of holes. Of course, your skill at construction would also come into it. I.e. will there be leaks? are you putting on a prefilter skin? etc,

 

[heckler73]

All carbon is not made the same, the number of pockets that can grab on to smelly molecules differ drastically by grade. The best would be medical grade flakes, you guessed it, it also weighs the least, as it is so full of holes. Of course, your skill at construction would also come into it. I.e. will there be leaks? are you putting on a prefilter skin? etc,

It sounds like you've done this before.

 

[giantsfan24]

I tried the aquarium carbon, wire and pantyhose option... unequivocal failure. I got a phresh filter and blower... Success!

By the time I added up the cost and time of f'n around with dyi I could've bought two. Costs have really come down since then thanks to legalization.