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Heady's DIY Cadillac Carbon Filter

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
so it's been done a million times. but i already documented it, and i'm really happy with how it came out, so i'm gonna post it up.

the great thing about this design is that it is easy to refill, easy to scale up or down, and it looks clean and sexy.

materials
1/4" mesh screen
8">6" reducing duct
6" duct end cap
8" duct end cap
6" hose clamp
8" hose clamp
sheer leggings
activated carbon
gorilla glue

tools
snips or clips
screw driver
broom handle (for packing the carbon)

first of all, i used probably 70% petco brand carbon, which comes in pretty large pellet size, and only later (after running out half way through) realized that the brand name stuff is a much more suitable grain.

now my reason for the sizing was based on my 8" in-line can fan. you could easy scale this up or down for whatever size application you have. for the purpose of this tutorial i'll talk about my materials.

okay start with your 6" end cap.



to figure out how much mesh to cut for your inner screen, wrap it around the 6" end cap, allow for at least a 4" overlap, and mark where to cut with a piece of tape.



i didn't want a 24" long filter, so i also cut it down length wise to 12". the collars on the reducer and the end cap will take a few inches off that, but i'll still have at least 8" of exposed screen in the end.

you'll want to fold over the pointy edge from where you cut in any places that will be exposed to the leggings to avoid snagging.



lightly wet the inside of the collar on the 6" end cap. apply a thin layer of gorilla glue, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.



insert the mesh, and let it dry thoroughly.



when it's dry flip it over and carefully stretch the leggings over the canister. the toe should be right in the center of the end cap. drop a 6" hose clamp over it to prepare for the next step.



slip the open end of the mesh over the 6" end of the reducer. fasten the hose clamp securely. next, carefully pull the waist band of the leggings over the hose clamp and all the way up to the top of the canister.

to measure the length needed for the outer screen, simply place the roll next to your inner screen, and mark an inch above the top (to allow you to fold over the pointed edge). the width is measured by wrapping the screen around the larger end of the reducer, leaving four inches of overlap.



after it's cut and the top edge is folded down, fasten the bottom edge around the reducer with the 8" hose clamp.



at this point i added a layer of tape around the top edge to futher protect the leggings from snagging.



flip the waistband of the leggings over the rim. the extra leg can just be left hanging over the side.



now get your carbon and your broom handle. the broom handle is just for packing the carbon. anything long and slender that won't snag the leggings will do.



when it's stuffed nicely from the bottom to the brim, flip the leggings back up over the rim to secure the carbon.



now fit your end cap on. mine fit really snug and i didn't feel the need to use tape or anything, but feel free to secure it however you feel comfortable with.



there ya go! attach it to your fan and you're ready to rock! here's mine mounted on my sunleaves 8" can fan. the other end has another 8">6" reducer into an adjustable 90 degree elbow piece. that mounts under my cab, and the cool tube plugs right in! if i ever need to refill it, i can just pull it out, pop off the end cap, and replace the carbon!



i got it installed and running. i'll get a picture up tomorrow. the thing is purring silently. smooth like a caddy. :dance013:
 

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
so here it is installed:



i also wanted to give props to RM whose DIY pro style carbon filter thread was the major influence on my design. i'm kinda glad i lost the link until now tho, because in my (humble) opinion, it came out a little cleaner, and it's easier to refill. all the air passes through 2" of carbon and it works like a charm.

hope i helped someone out there!
 

007.

Member
Damn man. Killer write up you've got here. I didn't notice this when I was looking for a DIY cab scrubber tek before. I followed one pretty similar to yours, though it wasn't nearly so clear.

One quick question though. What kind of store did you get the wire mesh at? Because I couldn't find it at the hardware store, and I don't like asking the employees unless I have a good clear idea of why I would be looking for it.

Speaking of which, why would one need wire mesh, if they're not the type to need to reinforce any concrete?

I went with some screen stuff that is more like a car's grill. But it's proving impossible to cut or bend very easily. Even with pliers and big ass tin snips.

So for now I've got my reducer strapped onto my elbow, but I can't do much else. So I just stuffed some carbon into a nylon bag and its sitting on my exhaust vent for now, haha.
 

Sam the Caveman

Good'n Greasy
Veteran
How long does your pelletized carbon last?

I have always gotten the granular stuff, but it is kind of dusty and would prefer the granular instead if it lasts long.
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
One quick question though. What kind of store did you get the wire mesh at? Because I couldn't find it at the hardware store, and I don't like asking the employees unless I have a good clear idea of why I would be looking for it.

It's called Machine Cloth or Hardware Cloth and my Home Depot has it in the fencing section next to the chicken wire.

As to the filter, consider swapping the panty hose for nylon mesh or plastic screening. Panty hose allows carbon to escape the machine cloth, leaving thin spots if not outright holes in the core. Mesh on the outside of the inner core and the inside of the outer core prevents such leakage.


 

camo

New member
A double layer of pantyhose on the outside will fix most carbon hole/leaking issues. The blue pe*tco carbon will work but is about 4$ a pound. Its possiable to run sour d on these home made filters they work great. I recomend tamping down the carbon every 8" that's poured in to compact it just a bit. A guy on overgrow Sunisshining started the rage on these years ago..
 

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
hey yall,

thanks for the support, advice, and history!

007 you could use the mesh for building compost bins, or sifting soil. also, i'm an artist, and i find that to be the best excuse for any strange shit at the hardware store "it's for an art project"

CP got it at petco. i had an awkward convo on the way out with the cashier who i guess is an avid aquarium enthusiast.

sam the pellets are way easier to handle and create almost no dust. so far so good on the smell, but the real test will be when i'm deep into flower. my gut tells me i'll be fine with the 2" of pellets.

freezerboy damn that shit is clean as hell. i'll definitely keep an eye out for that cloth. zi'm a bit hazy right now but i'm pretty sure i have my hose on the outside of the inner core and the inside of the outer, as you said.

camo alway like to know my history. thanks for the info. i was tamping down pretty much constantly.
 
R

RedRain

nice job.

looks baller. this is the beauty of the net...good ideas !!! DIY FTW
 

007.

Member
I just wanted to chime in again and mention that my filter's working perfectly. Thanks for the advice. My girls are flowering and there's zero smell. Although to anyone planning on doing this: wear gloves. I cut up my hands a fair bit during the project.
 

Rouge

Member
Sorry to burst your bubble bro, but air passes thru only 1" of carbon in your design. Still good though. I wonder if it was actually 2" of carbon that your filter would last for 6 to 8 grows (or about 2 years)?
 

headiez247

shut the fuck up Donny
Veteran
I had to post and say wat up because you have a similar name to mine. I saw "heady's DIY..." and did a double take. that is all.
 

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
RR- thanks! open source diy ftw indeed!

007- glad to hear it. sorry about the hands. guess mine are a bit calloused.

Sorry to burst your bubble bro, but air passes thru only 1" of carbon in your design. Still good though. I wonder if it was actually 2" of carbon that your filter would last for 6 to 8 grows (or about 2 years)?

oh you're right. 1" of carbon. i think it's actually a bit thicker than an 1" due to being packed tightly, but not much. thanks for calling that out.

still seems to work excellently though.

headiez- great minds think a like, am i right?
 

PotentGreen

Member
Nice DIY thread :)
I've got a similar carbon filter. Not nearly as clean but SUPER effective
thanks for posting to help others out man!
PG
 
S

sm0k4

Very good design. I may have to give this one a try. Most commercial scrubbers are too long for my space.
 

007.

Member
Sorry to burst your bubble bro, but air passes thru only 1" of carbon in your design. Still good though. I wonder if it was actually 2" of carbon that your filter would last for 6 to 8 grows (or about 2 years)?

I just wanted to mention that I used 2 inches of carbon (a 4 inch difference in diameter for the two machine cloth cylinders), and found that my 85 CFM fan couldn't push through the carbon nearly fast enough.

As I added light in late flowering, I was chasing temps and humidity constantly even with an outside temp of -30 C. I ended up feeding a 3 inch "accordion hose" (not the car part, I just don't know how else to describe it) to my PC fan intake and having to draw in -30 C air to keep temps acceptable.

I may remake it, but I'd need to buy more mesh, more nylon, a 6 inch cap to replace my 4 inch, and a 6-8 inch reducer to replace my 4-8.

I'll probably just buy one and save myself the trouble.
 
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