Home Laboratory: DIY Exhausting Fan Models and Filters

[MuricanSpirit]

You probably don't want to breath the byproducts of your process. This post describes some ways how to get rid of it.

Items:

Spoiler: Carbon filter end

Spoiler: Industrial (silent) fan

Spoiler: Carbon filter tube

Those tubes are usually meant to blow/suck through. They don't suck/blow air from the sides as the "carbon filter ends" do.

Spoiler: Tube

Spoiler: Water filter

I wasn't able to find any photos of usage but imagine it like this:

Air gets blown from one direction into the bottle through water (afterwards the air can be sucked out or not).

Combintations

You can use the sucking tube - where the air goes in - as exhausting. You can move the tube as close as possible to your reaction/evaporation.

Spoiler: Only fan and tubes. Most simple (cheapest, no filter)

Spoiler: Exhaust through filter (standard way)

The only bad thing here is that a carbon filter end is used hence you need to move the whole filter close to the reaction. You could probably do it the opposite way: To blow into the carbon filter end so you will have a sucking tube at your working side (the byproducts would be blow through the fan into the carbon filter instead of sucked into).

Spoiler: Ridiculous combination to make a point (you can combine the items however you want to - if it makes sense to you)

This would be my dream setup:
1. You have a "easy to work" tube at your end
2. The chems have to go through the carbon filter before they touch the fan (some chems aren't nice to tech).
3. There would be an additional water filter (you could basically add any liquid in there).

Noise reduction tips:

Spoiler: Use isoalted tubes

All fans are louder without any tubes. Aluminium tubes make the most noises next to plastic. There are however isolated tubes as well, they recude the noise a little bit (same effect as stripping clothes around the tubes):

Spoiler: Isolate the fan

You can use a plastic box and put your fan into it. Stuff it with clothes. This will reduce the noise significantly.

Spoiler: Buy a silent fan

Those fans are basically just a fan with their own "isolation jacket". They are significantly more silent than usual fans (when the tubes are added).

Spoiler: Power adapter

Most fans spin as fast as they get power. If they get less power they rotate less fast hence reducing noises.

Price reduction tips:

1. Don't buy the items in overpriced cannabis grow shops (you end up paying up to 10x more). You can use any DIY shop (construction markets).
2. Use carbon filters which allow you to replace the carbon (most of them allow you to replace the carbon anyway but those sold in cannabis grow shops are usually sealed).
3. Dont buy "noise reduction tubes" or "silent fans", they work but if you have anyway clothes you don't need, it ends up cheaper just building your own "isolation box" for the fan and its cheaper to use tape the tubes with clothes to isolate the noises.

 

[MrTortoise]

You may consider using potassium permanganate activated alumina as well.

 

[HerrHaber]

wouldn't that be quickly spent?

 

[MrTortoise]

I guess it depends on how heavily it's used. It works for me on a small scale, especially when I have to take care of the air that comes out. It has a surface area of ≥250m2/g which seems to be large enough.

 

[HerrHaber]

let's just hope no beginner ends up clogging that up when is most needed

 

[Osmosis Vanderwaal]

Thanks. I came to this particular forum to post a " let's talk about fune hoods" thread. I'm still going to, but you've given me a few things to think about. So, tell me what the benefits of a carbon filter are? I know they knock down the smell but don't we really need to be venting this air to the outside anyways? I see all of your pictures depict centrifugal inline fans. Is that the standard for any particular reason? I have a lot of other questions but I'll put them in the Post. I asked these on your post because they Are specific to what you showed . Your giant bong is a novel idea, but it seems like it would be terribly inefficient. Mostly these types of inline fans lose half of thier output by the time the resistance reaches 2" water gauge. Which is nothing compared to the resistance of your bong.

 

[ruen]

If you went it outside without filter, the smell could (and most likely will) attract unwanted attention.
Radial fans (centrifugal) make high pressure air, while axial (noncentrifugal) fans make low pressure. This males radial fans more effective, especially when useing a long duct for exhaust (which is often the case).
People say, each bent in your exhaust duct decreases the effectity of an axial fan by up to 20%. This is not the case with radial fans, or at least the effectivity loss is smaller.
If youd like to know more, just google “radial vs axial fan”.