Carbon Filters. Who uses what? DIY, Brand Name, Generics

I'm buying all the equipment and getting ready for my first grow.
But I'm wondering about Carbon Filters as I know they are one of the most important pieces in a grow.
And yes I've read the Odor Control Thread, but looking for more specific answers.

I've been told to just buy a carbon filter because DIY one's aren't as effective.
I've looked at a bunch of DIY Carbon filters, but alot of them look like they'd restrict alot of airflow (except for a High Flow Bucket one that involved drilling hundreds of holds in a bucket), Do they?
How do you know what size of filter you need? Does it depend on your fan, your room size, how many plants you're growing.

Does anyone use the cheaper/generic Filters found on Ebay and Amazon?
What kind of Filter do you use and how big is it; does it work good enough for you?
How many plants and what size of room do you use it in?
Also if you DIY how much Carbon do you use? How much was the total cost of making?
If you bought a Brand Name or Generic what was the cost?

I've been using the filters from Foothill Filters on eBay for about 6 years now. Some pictures of them in the Air-Pot thread linked in my sig.

bump, cuz I want to know also. good to know about the ebay filter.

I can't find a Seller or Store by the name of Foothill Filters.

Slow2Grow said:

I can't find a Seller or Store by the name of Foothill Filters.

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maybe theyre now closed..... after 6 years

TechnoMage said:

I've been using the filters from Foothill Filters on eBay for about 6 years now. Some pictures of them in the Air-Pot thread linked in my sig.

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I have one going now. It has a computer fan hooked up to it and it came that way. I think its the 410 model? Anyways it drawls 9 watts of power and i have it outside of my tent in my house and I at one point had my tent venting into my house living area. This was with the plants in veg stage but they still stunk before I hooked up this filter. Now all the smell it gone. I am getting a phresh filter tomorrow to put in the tent and vent the air outside the house but I will still have the foothill filter for inside the house. I had really bad gas yesterday( the room clearing kind) and I straddled this filter and let a huge fart into it and I could not smell anything. I should have got one of these things years ago!

They are still in business, I just ordered two more filters from them. http://myworld.ebay.com/foothill-carbon-filters/

Not exactly cheap tho....

I use the Growbright HTG brand from Ebay. Got their 6 inch Growbright and Tallboy filter for my 9x7 grow room (about $250), and it's WAY more than I need. Make sure you keep the humidity under 70% or they wear out quick...

Cool Thanks for the replies so far. Those foothill filters look pretty nice. Love how alot of the Filters sold get you on the shipping.
Another couple of questions.
Are all Pre-made filters able to be refilled? I've noticed a couple that say refillable, but not all of them say that.
Also
What type of carbon do they use? Is there a better type of carbon for cleaning odors? Or is all activated carbon the same?

I use a Phresh filter 400 cfm I think. Flowering just started and not a single smell coming from the exhaust. I also have ozone but haven't had to use it yet... True odor protection.

on my foothill filter it said you can refill it. I heard that austrailian activated charcol is the best.

Cool thanks for info.
Sucks alot of places that sell the Filters on Ebay or Amazon don't state what kind of Carbon it is.

I use a Phresh filter in my tent. Got it here: http://www.greners.com/i/fans-ventilation-filters/filters-odor/carbon-filters/phresh-filters.html

Most carbon filters are refillable. It's just a hassle to refill them. Reputable manufacturers use a platform that shakes the filter while it's being filled with carbon, vibrating it till it's compact. I hear that you're typically better off buying a new filter than refilling an old one. However, you could head to a pet store, get some carbon in the aquarium section, and give it a shot.

I have no doubt that vibration packing gets more carbon in there but I've refilled mine twice now and it's still going strong.

Thanks for the info, good thread I was wondering the same thing as I've been looking into fan and filter combos!

Those foothills look like a basement project imo, could be much nicer for the price..

For a 2x3x7 closet would something like this be sufficient to cool a 400 watt hps and clear the room of all odors? I'm just scepticle that this fan will be enough but I am working in a smaller area than most and for the money you cant beat it.. ??http://www.ebay.com/itm/270794401897?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I use an 8" Rhino Carbon Filter in conjunction with an 8" Systemair in-line fan, 6 " ducting and a 6" Sun Systems : Super Sun 2 Reflector ..... and have to say it works great!! Low noise .. No smell at all !! And cools 730W without pulling air in from outside .... so all this equipment is highly recommended hope that helps - STELTHY

THENUMBER1022 said:

Those foothills look like a basement project imo, could be much nicer for the price..

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I'll grant you that they are a little industrial looking but they get the job done. I also like their customer service. After I placed one of my orders with them I received an email from them saying that the shipping calculator had over charged me by $3 and they were refunding the difference. I would have never noticed and to be honest, I'm not sure I could have ever realized that there had been a mistake. If a company cares this much about how they treat their customers, I expect they'll take the same care in their products.