How do you dispose of old carbon filters?

[boroboro]

Sorry but no, maybe you're buying the value brand carbon scrubbers where that may actually be the case, but the quality brand name scrubbers are filled to the tits.
manufacturers use industrial shakers, a car ride does not equal an industrial shaker.
My scrubber, I can roll around, flip it end to end, the carbon within does not move.
IF you were right, and the carbon settles during shipping there would be airspace within the canister after the shipping process. Rolling the scrubber would reveal such.

+1 to that. My first carbon scrubber was an Ebay special. It worked OK for a while, but you could definitely hear the carbon shifting around inside. The latest filter I bought has zero noise of carbon moving around while shaking it, must be packed really tight in there.

 

[Noobian]

Go throw it in a lake or river close to your house or off a bridge, good habitat for critters and carbon is non-toxic plus it gets rid of all the fingerprints on it for you tin-foil hat wearing growers in non-medical states

Dude can't believe you just suggested people go throw their trash in lakes and rivers, I thought you were better than that!

 

[dixie wrecked]

Sorry but no, maybe you're buying the value brand carbon scrubbers where that may actually be the case, but the quality brand name scrubbers are filled to the tits.
manufacturers use industrial shakers, a car ride does not equal an industrial shaker.
My scrubber, I can roll around, flip it end to end, the carbon within does not move.
IF you were right, and the carbon settles during shipping there would be airspace within the canister after the shipping process. Rolling the scrubber would reveal such.

i can hear carbon moving in CAN filters.

i know how to make carbon settle, i work around these type of machines everyday. the process can easily be duplicated by anybody, no flux capacitor required.

 

[bigtopsfinn]

I just opened up and refilled mine, worked fine afterwards. But wtf do I know

 

[Lazyman]

I just emptied two big CAN150 filters last night, each one filled a wheelbarrow with carbon, which I spread on my lawn. The perforated sheetmetal stomped flat (with ends removed) very easily, folded it up and went into the recycling bin.

 

[HIGHGROOVE]

how long are you using say a can 100 for before getting rid of it

 

[Lazyman]

About 6 months and their effectiveness drops quickly, if in a humid environment they will clog with water particles and lose effectiveness VERY quickly. Keep them dry, above 60% RH and you will kill your filters FAST.

 

[ZackMorris]

anyone out their put old filters on the front end of their exhaust as added insurance? Pulling air from the new one then pushing out the old one. Could be a good idea if you pull through hoods to protect against leaks. But yeah, im just going drop a black plastic bag over mine and drop it in a random dumpster. The regular weed trash gets put into compactor at the nice apartment complex down the street though. Aint no one crawling into that.

 

[mrdizzle]

buy yourself a mountain air so you only have to worry about it once every 3yrs

 

[kingdome]

wash it and let it dry, don't waste it! simply washing it out with a hose and letting it dry makes it like new!

dont throw it away!!!

 

[Lazyman]

I've had several mountain air filters, they never lasted any longer than CAN or Phresh filters. They're just more expensive.

Kingdome, whoever told you that is on crack. Activated carbon is created by heating it to VERY high temps, once you get it wet it is ruined and you cannot reactivate it at home.

From wiki:

Production

Activated carbon is carbon produced from carbonaceous source materials like nutshells, peat, wood, coir, lignite, coal and petroleum pitch. It can be produced by one of the following processes:

1. Physical reactivation: The precursor is developed into activated carbons using gases. This is generally done by using one or a combination of the following processes:
* Carbonization: Material with carbon content is pyrolyzed at temperatures in the range 600–900 °C, in absence of air (usually in inert atmosphere with gases like argon or nitrogen)
* Activation/Oxidation: Raw material or carbonised material is exposed to oxidizing atmospheres (carbon dioxide, oxygen, or steam) at temperatures above 250 °C, usually in the temperature range of 600–1200 °C.
2. Chemical activation: Prior to carbonization, the raw material is impregnated with certain chemicals. The chemical is typically an acid, strong base, or a salt (phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, zinc chloride, respectively). Then, the raw material is carbonized at lower temperatures (450–900 °C). It is believed that the carbonization / activation step proceeds simultaneously with the chemical activation. Chemical activation is preferred over physical activation owing to the lower temperatures and shorter time needed for activating material.

 

[coconaut]

i can hear carbon moving in CAN filters.

i know how to make carbon settle, i work around these type of machines everyday. the process can easily be duplicated by anybody, no flux capacitor required.

Working part time at Lowes near the paint shakers doesn't count.
My CAN filter doesn't have carbon moving around inside.
Maybe your hydro store is refilling them with your method and reselling them back to you.
what kind of machines do you work with? I'm a Millwright, I know machinery.

 

[kingdome]

I've had several mountain air filters, they never lasted any longer than CAN or Phresh filters. They're just more expensive.

Kingdome, whoever told you that is on crack. Activated carbon is created by heating it to VERY high temps, once you get it wet it is ruined and you cannot reactivate it at home.

From wiki:

Production

Activated carbon is carbon produced from carbonaceous source materials like nutshells, peat, wood, coir, lignite, coal and petroleum pitch. It can be produced by one of the following processes:

1. Physical reactivation: The precursor is developed into activated carbons using gases. This is generally done by using one or a combination of the following processes:
* Carbonization: Material with carbon content is pyrolyzed at temperatures in the range 600–900 °C, in absence of air (usually in inert atmosphere with gases like argon or nitrogen)
* Activation/Oxidation: Raw material or carbonised material is exposed to oxidizing atmospheres (carbon dioxide, oxygen, or steam) at temperatures above 250 °C, usually in the temperature range of 600–1200 °C.
2. Chemical activation: Prior to carbonization, the raw material is impregnated with certain chemicals. The chemical is typically an acid, strong base, or a salt (phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, zinc chloride, respectively). Then, the raw material is carbonized at lower temperatures (450–900 °C). It is believed that the carbonization / activation step proceeds simultaneously with the chemical activation. Chemical activation is preferred over physical activation owing to the lower temperatures and shorter time needed for activating material.

Ive never had the need as I move around alot and buy new equipment frequently but some of the best growers and friends I have do this and have perfect success... filters that were extracting smell, washed out with a hose and let to dry and bam, no more smell on exhaust. brand new filter. have you tried this or you just assuming you know everything?

 

[coconaut]

When you know everything, you need not assume you know everything, because you know you know everything.

 

[Iron_Lion]

Here is a video showing how high quality packed bed carbon filters are made, notice the industrial vibrating table as the can is being filled. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Q30NKF9Hg

I call bullshit on getting the same results from the trunk of your car.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Concrete vibrators work fine. I would never consider throwing a filter away.
If it has been riveted, simply drill the rivets out and either re-rivet it, or tap some screws in.
Simple.

"Don't throw filters into rivers and lakes providing aquatic life with something that actually benefits their lives"... says the guy as he throws out his empty cigarette pack and pulls in for a fill-up.

 

[Lazyman]

Ive never had the need as I move around alot and buy new equipment frequently but some of the best growers and friends I have do this and have perfect success... filters that were extracting smell, washed out with a hose and let to dry and bam, no more smell on exhaust. brand new filter. have you tried this or you just assuming you know everything?

First, an analogy: If you soak a t-shirt in paint, dry it, then hose it off, it will be clean." Technically yes, it will be dry and devoid of dirt, but the fibers are now impregnated and it's not wearable.

Another would be, what does gravity look like? You can't see it, but it exists. This is simple physics, much like activated carbon.

Activated carbon must be heated to high temps and devoid of water in order to absorb airborne particles and capture them. The interior structure of an activated carbon pellet is actually like a vast net, with an astonishing internal surface area.

Once that surface has a water molecule attached to it, it can no longer absorb larger molecules like terpenes as the surface area is now saturated with smaller water molecules. Unless you are using one of the methods in the article above (and I'm sure you're not) you're turning activated carbon into straight charcoal, that may appear to be dry on the outside, but is internally clogged and will be dramatically lessened in it's absorption abilities.

How do you dry out 150 pounds of carbon in the filter? Do you weigh it before and after?

That said, smells are subjective, and growers are a poor judge of smelling weed odors or not. It's nearly impossible to quantify the effectiveness of a filter with a nose, unless it blatantly doesn't work at all.

I hope that made sense and explains activated carbon a bit, there is lots more data on the web if desired.

 

[Lazyman]

Concrete vibrators work fine. I would never consider throwing a filter away.
If it has been riveted, simply drill the rivets out and either re-rivet it, or tap some screws in.
Simple.

"Don't throw filters into rivers and lakes providing aquatic life with something that actually benefits their lives"... says the guy as he throws out his empty cigarette pack and pulls in for a fill-up.

Yeah, the catch is that it's not a ton cheaper to refill a filter, only slightly so:

CAN150 new $220

Vs

New prefilter $25
150# of new activated carbon $150 (plus shipping$$)
Renting a vibrating pad for the day $25
Plus your labor and time to run around and collect everything.

Basically you're paying around $20 for the convenience of picking up a new one and not having to dispose of the old one. To me its worth it to just buy new.

 

[tokinafaty420]

Concrete vibrators work fine. I would never consider throwing a filter away.
If it has been riveted, simply drill the rivets out and either re-rivet it, or tap some screws in.
Simple.

"Don't throw filters into rivers and lakes providing aquatic life with something that actually benefits their lives"... says the guy as he throws out his empty cigarette pack and pulls in for a fill-up.

What that suppose to mean?

 

[Guest 150314]

Turn it into a gravity bong