DIY: MicroGro Carbon Scrubber Ideas

Growroom Design
#1

Hey everyone, first post. I’ve been browsing and searching to see if i could find anything related or similar but nothing.

I am attempting to build my own microgro scrubber.

I’ve got a stainless steel kitchen utensil holder I found at Walmart that has tons of holes for air to pass thru. Thought it would be perfect for a filter.

To simplify things,i was debating on using the activated carbon scrubber cloth material and rolling it up and stuffing it inside to avoid dealing with the mess and dust of the granular or powder.

This is only to conceal the smell of 1, small flowering plant.

Is anyone else here using any of this stuff that can give me some input on how well it works?

Thanks heaps!

-Dr.Funkenstein

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#2

Hey doc Welcome to Overgrow!!

I’ve seen a few DIY filter builds (and rebuilds) out there. Haven’t executed any myself.
There are design tradeoffs to consider but basically you are trying for low air resistance vs lots of contact with the activated carbon.

Personally I’d just go buy one. A new one I’d look at is the AC Infinity filter. Everything I’ve seen reviewed from these folks is good. I have experience with their fans/controller and their tents (both excellent).

Cheers
G

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#3

Hey Gpaw, thanks for the input.

Well, i guess I shouldve given you more info. My space is almost 14x14x30 so that is the challenge in using prefabbed gear.

AC infinity has 4" scrubber for 50$ thats 13" in length. I would have to hang it vertically which is going to eat up my space.

I was told that managing micro grow smell is much easier than more conventional spaces which is why I thought I’d be able to get away with something lighter.

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#4

Hey bro

Look, I saw this video some time ago that I was thinking about making a small filter. Maybe he can help you, it’s made with cheap materials. The video is in Portuguese. If you want to do it and have any doubts I can help you.

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#5

How stealth do you need to be?

I built a very small one with aquarium carbon and it worked well.

In hindsight it’s easier to just buy a small one. Even a jar of just the carbon is pretty expensive.

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#6

Hey Foreigner, thanks for stopping by.

Yes, DIY a lot of the time does eventually add up and is usually lacking to some degree in comparison to professionally manufactured store bought items. But, the space is what it is and so I am having to design a filter. I am also planning to run dual flowering chambers of the same size (14x14x30) which, even if these professionally manufactured items could fit in such a small space without sacrificing too much grow-estate, I would have to shell out quite a bit more which I am just not able to do at the moment.

The stainless steel kitchen utensil holder I am using is about 5" in diameter and about 7" in lenghth which makes it much more flexible when designing my space.DIY Carbon Scrubber Vessel by Mainstays at Walmart

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#7

I made mine with fine mesh fabric, 2 6” net pots, aquarium carbon, and a squirrel fan for a computer.

I think the chamber size was about the same as yours. 18x18 maybe.

It was a long time ago though.

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#8

Hey Tio, that is a pretty clean build.

For me, I am trying to do something similar. I would like to make removing the filter from the fan an easy process without having to dismantle/take apart the actual build when replacing the carbon.

So I am looking to rig up some type of “jar and lid” type screw on connection between the fan and filter.

I dig how this guy had made a carbon “puck” of sorts that seemed to easily keep on hand and just swap out which I did not think about.

DIY Carbon Scrubber Vessel by Mainstays @ Walmart

Here is a link to the item I am using in case anyone else wants to get in on all the fun!

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#9

There he uses a part found in old CPUs, which is a duct with a cooler at the end. The closest I could find was this:

It has several different diameters and for several sizes of cooler too. maybe it would serve to be fixed there in your tent/closet as a support for the piece you are thinking of using to place the activated carbon.
Where in the hole of this piece would you fit Mainstays Vented Utensil Holder

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#10

Hey Tio, yeah that is sort of what I was looking for… sorta.

I stopped by the hardware shop and grabbed:

PVC Flex Coupling

ABS Stainless Steel Threaded Shower Drain

Everbilt Dual Flush Tank Gasket

The PVC Flex Coupling fits like a glove and gives the unit a professional look. Yet, it is a bit heavy and may return it for an aluminum reducer of sorts. Although I think the rubber would help reduce the noise from the squirrel fan.

The ABS shower drain fits inside the end of the Flex Coupling but is going to need a gasket of sorts to provide a seal. It comes with a threaded end and threaded coupling that I will glue to the intake of the squirrel fan so that I can easily unscrew the cannister/utensil holder for refilling while the fan stays attached in the box.

The Toilet Gasket is used on the threaded end of the shower drain to provide a tight seal and a stop for the threaded coupling that will be glued to the intake of the fan to prevent it from coming loose during operation.

Now, what I need to do is come up with something smaller, like a hockey puck size, that I can pack with carbon pellets and drop in the canister/utensil holder just behind the connection point to the fan and fill the rest of the space with carbon fabric. If that makes sense?

As soon as I can get some type of prototype together, I will try to post some pics.

So far, the cost to build this has been about $35.

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#11

take a look at my older grow journals, whether space bucket, pc cases on my besta ikea cabs, you’ll get some ideas, are the mini scrubbers as effective as legit ones no, also that carbon fabric doesn’t work anywhere near as good as aquarium carbon.

Also if you have the ability to mount a premade filter externally imo its the better option and thats coming from someone whos ran diy filters for many many years.

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#12

Hey Mr. Sparkle, thanks for the heads up!

I didnt get to see your scrubbers exactly but your green thumb is on point. I do need to stick with the original plan tho, as much as I want to just simplify things and go with pro manufactured gear, tried and true, I have to finish what I started and there must be no obvious indicator of a grow. Which, of course, smell is one of them.

My filter is already almost max size for my space, which ironically, is only about 1-2" shorter than an AC infinity filter. The two are identical in diameter tho. I figured I could get fairly close with my model if I load it with carbon pellets.

and for back up…

I was already planning to grab a few air purifiers to scatter through out my pad that would be also over kill for my square footage.

Not sure any of this makes a difference, but I could also run a second filter and fan outside in a stealthy way within the lung room of the grow to assist in pulling that air and rinsing it out.

What do you think?

#13

i have and still do run air purifiers even with my commercial filters though usually is only during the last couple of weeks and well for house dust, in the past they definitely helped on top of the diy filter where it was needed more so, other thing to consider is just to avoid the super rank strains .

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#14

That’s easier said than done. One reason why I am doing this is that I can never find any Sour Diesel at any of the shops. Its essential to my grow. So I have that going for me, I guess.

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#15

Could you maybe stuff a 4" commercial CF inside a wee wooden box with duct spigots at each end to turn it into an external inline that doesn’t take up space inside the grow chamber?

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#16

Hola Albannach, thanks for checking in.

My space is very limited. The goal is to remain stealth, no visual indicators so I do not want to have anything external hanging around.

But, what I was thinking of trying is maybe when I drill out the port for my squirrel fan exhaust, rather than position the fan so both the fan and makeshift scrubber sit horozontally near the top of the space, but position both fan and filter vertically which would allow for me to potentially attach a Pro-CF inside the cab, to the detriment of grow space.

Both a Pro-CF and the filter I made are identical in diameter, but with flange and squirrel fan, the Pro-CF exceeds the length of my space by maybe 2" which is what is presenting the issue.

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#17

What if I was to build some type of dummy housing that sat on top of my cabinet that would hold an inline fan and scrubber?

My space is dual chamber, which i intend to use for dual flowering. This idea would require that I use a splitter of some sort so one inline fan would maintain both spaces. With both spaces being used for flowering, the only issue i can foresee is one plant being deeper into flower than the other, and needing more humidity control than the other which may lead to one plant being neglected over the other. As one fan and controller would be managing both spaces.

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#18

Many years of growing weed teaches us there is only one constant = Compromise! (with a capital C)

For what it’s worth your latest compromise sounds pretty good to me bro :+1:

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#19

TRUTH

30 years of mech. design taught me the same…

Cheers
G

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#20

I once hid a ballast behind a cardboard box.

I once had a cabinet maker friend of mine build me a lectern with a false top and bottom for airflow and a removable dummy panel attached with magnets for access.

The thing weighed a ton and it was too small but man it was sweet.

But yeah, compromise. Everything is a trade off.

I once built a tunnel to light proof an intake which impacted my sq footage. I built custom pots out of cardboard and duct tape with a “step” so it fit.

The sky is the limit. Stealth is relative to interest. If you can dream it you can build it.

I just had a furnace guy 10 feet away from my tent a few days ago and I don’t even have my filter hooked up and I don’t care.

Man have times changed.

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