dexterdraco
Active Member
I am a bit of a DIY addict and I am wondering if anyone knows a good DIY carbon filter. Is it better to just buy new?
Carbon filters
- Thread starter dexterdraco
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Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
I got two large can filters and then when they wore out, I learned how to take them apart, dump out the activated charcoal, cleanse and reactivate it, and then reassemble the filter with just a fraction of new carbon to make up for what had been lost in the process. For one purchase you get the engineering of the can and the sturdiness of the design... and with DIY effort, you can make it last essentially forever.
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dexterdraco
Active Member
I have one filter right now but need another for my 2x2x5
My first filter was just a standard carbon prefilter ($16 for a two pack) taped to some ducting and an inline fan. Cost about $45 all in. In hindsight, just buying a decent filter/fan combo seems like a pretty good value. It worked though.
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dexterdraco
Active Member
This is an interesting hobby for me. I have bought a water distiller and made it operational again. I built a grow light (which is doing a good job). I harvested one crop albeit a meager harvest. Most importantly I have had lots of fun.
I just found your post.
I was thinking that I read somewhere a year or two ago that the best way to "recharge" (purify, I suppose?) activated carbon was to heat it to at least 750°F (and possibly even higher, as the memory(?) is "a bit" vague
) in a near vacuum. I cannot replicate those conditions, and my oven must be burning gas more or less constantly to maintain 425°F - the higher settings are probably useless on it. What temperature did you use to reactivate your carbon, and what did you use in order to reach it? Fancy oven with one of those "self-cleaning" cycles in which the door locks and the oven heats to its maximum possible temperature in order to carbonize lazy owners' food spills, or...? If I remember correctly, that type of oven is designed (and insulated) to heat up to 932°F.
I was thinking that I read somewhere a year or two ago that the best way to "recharge" (purify, I suppose?) activated carbon was to heat it to at least 750°F (and possibly even higher, as the memory(?) is "a bit" vague
) in a near vacuum. I cannot replicate those conditions, and my oven must be burning gas more or less constantly to maintain 425°F - the higher settings are probably useless on it. What temperature did you use to reactivate your carbon, and what did you use in order to reach it? Fancy oven with one of those "self-cleaning" cycles in which the door locks and the oven heats to its maximum possible temperature in order to carbonize lazy owners' food spills, or...? If I remember correctly, that type of oven is designed (and insulated) to heat up to 932°F.
