DIY Scrubber vs bought Scrubber

[sub]

Hello,
so I'm debating on which way to go for the carbon scrubber. This will be a very important part of my build and I don't want to skimp at all.
Are DIY carbon scrubbers anywhere near as good as built ones?
I'm very good with my hands and have confidence I can make a quality scrubber, but I'm not going to try if a purchased scrubber will function way better.

If so.. what's a good brand to get? I probably couldn't find one in 5" duct eh? I could go 6", though, no problem

Anyway thanks. I would imagine a DIY scrubber wouldn't be too much worse than a manufactured one, they're pretty simple. But I don't get how real scrubbers cost so much money..

 

[sneaky101]

It cost me about 45-55 bucks to make my diy scrubber. That was about the initial cost...carbon, screen, wire, reducer, cap, etc...It worked fine and lasted close to a year. It was 6" x 10" apprx. dimensions using 4" duct. I rebuilt it a couple of times just replacing the carbon (seems like it was about $30 each time, just purchased from the pet store), pre-filter (about $10 at wally-world) and tape to get it all back together. After a couple of years of doing this (everytime scraping my hands and poking them with the wire) I decided just to buy one. My hydro store has a fairly small one (but bigger than the one I built) with the flange and pre-filter for 65 bucks. The only drawback is it was obvious the carbon had not been cleaned when I hooked it up. Carbon dust was flying around without the pre-filter on. But for only a $10 difference, for me it was a no-brainer.

If your good with your hands and have the tools to do it...go for it. It was for me in the beginning too, but now seems more of a hassle to have to deal with it...chasing down supplies and scraped knuckles. Much easier just running downtown to the dro store. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[snooplbc]

just buy one is what i say

 

[OrganicOzarks]

I have built a couple before, and i would say just buy one. You will not have to worry about it failing and your house stinking to all high hell. What is $100 a year to keep safe?

 

[FreezerBoy]

While I love my DIY, I'm growing in a freezer where space is extraordinarily limited. Without a pressing need for a custom fit, I'd go with a pre assembled unit.

 

[InducedSerenity]

I'm with you guys. I built two scrubbers, and they're working great!

That being said, buy the damn things. They suck to make, and if you don't do it perfectly you have serious issues. You really don't save all that much, either.

 

[sub]

are there any good brands that make 5" carbon filters?
I might get a 6" to 5" reducer and a Phat 6" x 12" Carbon Filter, but if there is a good brand that makes 5" scrubbers I will check those out.

 

[whodair]

Vortex makes a five in fan. Not sure about filter sorry ...

 

[sub]

yeah I have a 5" Soler & Palau TD-125, finding 5" ducting and stuff has been a pain, had to order 5" insulated ducting online, can't find 5" scrubbers..
the Phat 6" scrubber wouldn't be that huge a deal, so I may just go for that with the 5" to 6" fitting.. room will be tight, though, not 100% sure it would all fit how I need it. Maybe I will have to make a scrubber afterall..

 

[Haps]

Take a look at my scrubber design in the diy sticky, the filter costs 20-30 bucks to build, takes an hour, a pair of scissors, will clean 12 pounds of grow, or one year. My design is better than you can buy, more effective with less carbon. 5 inch no prob.
H

 

[sub]

Thanks Haps! I may just make my own.. still looking at measurements and other things. In what ways is it better than a commercial scrubber?

I am pretty handy, though, and I like making things so I may as well just make one rather than dealing with high priced filters that I need duct reducers for..

 

[bobblehead]

Yeah, I've made them and they work, but it's worth it to buy one... I'll be purchasing them from now on.

 

[Haps]

My design rejects the common tube with lots of carbon, these waste carbon, and the tube is a flawed design for diy, almost impossible to get it built even, and harder for it to stay even once running, vibration makes them settle, all of them, mine too. That is why you see chaps typing to buy one, they tried it and had less results than they wanted. Because they tried to exicute a flawed design, because it is the standard.

I looked at scrubbers from across other industries, then tried building a few to learn what did and did not work. The unit in my thread uses 3 liters of carbon, runs for one year, starts loosing effectiveness about 13 months, so I rebuild it once a year. Using that design as a model, you can go larger or smaller to meet your needs, I have a small one on a 9 inch house fan at my Dad's house in the cigar room, works for that too.

Less carbon, easy to build, no tools, and you can buy all the stuff at wallyworld or the dollar store, and it bloody works like a charm, that is why my design is better, more efficient.
H

 

[sub]

thanks, Haps. I think I will most likely go with your tutorial as well. Seems pretty solid and a well thought out design. I like tinkering and experimenting as well, but with a carbon scrubber that's not really something I can do so easily, so I'm glad to have you who already did that

The box design will be perfect for my design, too, I think. I will probably go a little smaller, just because my box is only 2' x 1.5' x 3' - so I probably won't need quite as much (10" may be a tiny bit too big for me, too [that's what she said])

 

[enter sandman]

plantlightinghydroponics has about the best prices on phat filters right now (and just on about everything else).

 

[Cojito]

Less carbon, easy to build, no tools, and you can buy all the stuff at wallyworld or the dollar store, and it bloody works like a charm, that is why my design is better, more efficient.
H

i just wanted to offer my wholehearted endorsement for Haps DIY filter. i've used it. it's super easy and cheap to build. and it works great.

 

[StealthDragon]

I've made diy filters in all shapes and sizes. I agree with Freezerboy, unless you need it to be a specific size, just buy one..piece of mind is priceless.

I built a nice sized one in an hour or 2 and it turned out great, works great, is refillable...costed about 40$ before the carbon, couldn't find a deal on the carbon and had to pay as much for the carbon as the price of the parts. I wish I would have just bought one now...but of course now I have more $ now to spend on stuff like that.

 

[Haps]

Sub, smaller works fine, the 9 inch one I built for Dad has about a half an inch of carbon, that small one only uses a half a liter. A friend has a similar one in her grow closet, and has worked for several cycles. Having the air flow through the carbon is the key point.

 

[FreezerBoy]

While I did the tube design, I also went with a 1/2" bed. Works great in small grows.