DIY "Activated Carbon" Air Purifier! The "5 Gal. Bucket" All-Odor Air Cleaner! ~ smoke, smog, fumes
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2019
- video shows how to make a Large Area Activated Carbon "odor-extracting" Air Filter! its unique bucket-in-bucket design allows the unit to evenly hold almost 4 lbs of activated carbon for powerful and fast results. it Cleans and Purifies air of almost all unpleasant odors including removing all types of smokes, smogs, paint fumes, industrial smells, farm animal/horse corral odor, car exhaust smell, solder fumes, musty basement smell and the list goes on and on. easy to make. unit can be made to run on AC or DC (solar/battery/off-grid). video shows the unit with a standard speed 12v DC fan and a high speed 12v DC fan. notable stats: unit uses almost 4 pounds of activated carbon. buy it on amazon for the cheapest price (total cost should be about $13.50 for the 60oz that is needed (two 40oz containers cost me $9 each). window screen used is the non-metal kind. small fan was $10. large fan $15. *note that there is a full list shown near end of the video. tip: want even more filtration? you can tie on a flexible cut-to-fit filter around the outside of the bucket. lowe's homestore has a 3M cut-to-fit blue filter-pad for only $5. and walmart has an activated carbon infused one for $9-$10. i'll show both in a future video. if you like the vid. please rate, sub and share (if you know anyone living in a smog filled city - it could be a lifesaver). update: 9/4/2019 i just posted a short video showing how to add PRE-FILTERS to this unit (for 2 and even 3 stage filtering!). here's the link • DIY activated carbon a...
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Works like an absolute charm! Couldn’t believe it
Thank you!
Radiator fans are great for so many projects😎
I have a really expensive unit but had to stop by and watch. Love the project! Great job on the video.
Apart from smog / fumes etc. and other VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) one of the big benefits is that this should also capture Radon (a bit contributor in some locations to lung cancer even if you don't smoke, it is literally everywhere in various levels as it is radioactive decay from radium in rocks etc). If you pre-filter out the tiny dust with HEPA the activated carbon should last 6-12 months between replacement as a rough schedule, and it is relatively cheap to just buy loose.
There is no reason to rinse the activated carbon btw, just shake it through netting / sieve to eliminate the small dust sized carbon particles, and dispose of those in the garden etc. which prevents mess with larger intact particles. By rinsing it you're filling the pores with water and that will take a fairly long time to dry out again.
That's exactly what I need.
Great job.
Thanks for this video. I never thought of rinsing the carbon. Big thumbs up! sorry i could only like once :)
Great idea! You “red necked” the hell out of that. Looks store bought! Great job!
hi there and thanks! i tried to make this one look as slick as possible (good as a 5 gallon bucket can look anyway)
😂😂😂😂
That's badass man! Yhanks for the diy vid!
No problem 👍
Amazing! Great job. 👍
You're amazing my man
Love it my man . I'm off grid and just built root cellar/ bunker. This is great 👍 gonna make a few. Thank you
nice!
Dang! You're amazing! Thank you! ❤👍
hi thanks! 🙂
Great video! About to fashion one of these together real quick.
Lol, I kind of face palmed when you cut the screen into 3rds, because I would have totally tried to put it in there with one piece and made it all wonky (done similar projects in the past). I probably would have never even thought to do that. Sometimes it's the smallest, seemingly most-obvious, things that you just don't think about.
Helped my dad put together a storage locker awhile back (he's built things his whole life, I'm only a few years in, he knows much more than me)... and he explains to me the problem he is currently facing and can't figure out a solution for.
I look for a second and say "Just lay it down, instead of having it stood up. That way you can access those screws easier."
He looked at me and burst out laughing, because he realized how obvious that solution was.
Just think it's funny how that happens from time to time, especially in DIY/building. Sometimes it's just good to have another set of eyes.
So true and you only know that if you know 👌👌👀😉😉
Thank you. This will work perfect for us. Not useing tent or closet this will work well for a whole room
Have had plans for a similar filter, for a painting hood, for small, hobby spray painting, indoors. Found them around 15 -20 years ago. Been wanting to build it since, but never pulled the trigger. This bucket design is far better than what I found back then. Will be using premade carbon filters, from Home Depot, 200 filter pieces, each one 6.5 in. x 10 in. x 1 in., for $22.36/set of 200! No washing required, no dust. Will use a standard, fiberglass furnace filter, to capture the paint particulates, first, then push the fumes through this bucket with the carbon filters. Will just line the bucket with these -- no mesh screen required. Should be fast and easy to replace the filters, too. Will need to experiment as it may require more than a single layer of carbon filter to capture all of the chemical fumes, but at this price, I won't care! Thanks for the video. Cheers!
Be prepared for that to be a 20pk & not 200 as HD's listing incorrectly states.
I'm Gunna try this for my garage when spraypainting
nice!
Another twist you might like to try would be using natural hardwood charcoal bits. Either store bought *no igniters* just hunks of totally charred wood OR watch some videos on making biochar ( but mainly focus on the char part for this)
Awesome video!! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this important information
sure thing 👍
Great idea!
Borders on genius!!!
Excellent video
thanks 😎
i use that same fan to cool my engine at car shows in a pair configuration in my hood. Very powerful they are
indeed. 😎
I'm very fascinated with this frugal air purifier. Good job! A few questions:
Is there any advantage of having the air blow out the top (and suck air from the holes) vs. suck air from the top (and out the holes)?
How often should the charcoal be changed out?
How effective is it vs. a whole house fan or a window fan that exhausts the air? I assume your solution would be better in the winter/summer, because it's just filtering the air. Exhaust fans cause negative pressure and outside air would come into the house and need to be treated by the HVAC.
Well done!
thanks! 🙂
i love the idea of making an activated charcoal filter to filter the smoke of making activated charcoal, fuelled by "spent" or "soiled" activated charcoal as well as heat recovery/recycling from the process itself.
Really good idea, simple and made with readily available materials. You can even make your own activated charcoal out of the ashes from your wood stove. One improvement would be adding a seal going from the top of the inner bucket to the side of the outer one so the air will be drawn into the center of the inner bucket.
Ashes aren't carbon. They may contain carbon, but you need chunks of burned wood, aka "charcoal" to make activated carbon Ashes are mostly dust.
Respect brother!
good video mate.
Now if you can combine that with HEPA filter, your golden
great job. Isay tank you. from. northern ont Canada
hi and thank you!
I like it. Did you seal the gap between the smaller bucket and the lid/fan? Or dont you need to?
Smoke test would show the draw strength through all the holes. Would less holes on the top half of the outer bucket and the lower half of the inner bucket force air through a thicker layer of the carbon medium? The trade off may be less area to pull air in. This looks fantastic for air cleaning. Just wondering if the air can be more directly channeled within the space between the buckets. Well done man!
comes down to flow rate . no matter what size you use . not enough air , youll be smelling it . too much air youll also smell it as the air moves too fast through the canister for the carbon to catch the particles . remember . smell is particles , whatever goes past the carbon comes out as smell . so you need to just get enough air flow to utilise the carbon . smoke is a good test as you can see and smell if its working right .
I agree
They sell these for pot growers and they are way overpriced, your idea is awesome. Good diy skills. If you need more power you could find some larger/longer tubing and do the same thing, and use an inline fan built for ducting for more cfm. I am making my own for my next grow room that will be like 7 feet tall and have like 50lb carbon in it. The only suggestion i have is use a cotton or some other breathable fabric material around the unit to keep it clean, then you can just vaccum/ wash the material or replace it after it picks up too much dust/dirt if you run it in a dirtier environment.
Cool video, but one issue I am having and it's the cost of good granulated carbon. A 4" filter for a 2x4 / 3x3 grow room uses around 4lbs of carbon. It doesn't cost much more to just buy a whole new filter. I can get carbon pellets for pretty cheap, but it's a huge hassle breaking them up into smaller pieces.
Thanks so much for this! I've tried loads of filters with tiny amounts of carbon but they weren't much use. This looks like the answer to a prayer. I do have a question, though if you have time to answer: I thought of putting layers of cardboard in the base instead of gravel - would this be a fire hazard or something? Sorry if it's a stupid question - I'm 70 and not used to DIY!
Kick ass ! Thank you !
you're welcome! 😎
impressive. i was looking for a simple one like this on the market, where you can supply your own carbon instead of buying proprietary filters, but this seems a much better option
hi and thanks! companies love to sell you the filters so they can make 'residuals'. i think they make more on selling the filters than they do on the unit itself. bulk activated carbon is dirt cheap these days. DIY is the way to go
@desertsun02 even cheaper if you have a wood stove ;)
@@beyondtheillusion333 even the ones you buy in store come from wood, they can also be made activated with some lemons and a bit of time.
Can you show us how you mount the fan with the motor part facing downwards and the cut-out considerations?
Excellent.
Many thanks!
Looking to filter out fumes from a 3D printer. The printer will be in an enclosure and I'll pull air out and run it through, I'm thinking, a 6" pvc pipe filled with the carbon. Really nice info. Thanks!
Yeah. Great idea. :)
How about making the holes that are lower down larger and the holes above smaller so that the air will pull through all the carbon eavenly.I am thinking it will pull hardest from the holes closest to the fan.Not sure if my sense is correct or will even make a difference.
I now have the materials I need to build the air purifier. It'll be used in conjunction with my radon mitigation that's been installed but the radon levels still go as high as 24.0 on my radon monitor in the basement during the winter months, I have a radon monitor in the basement and one upstairs. The readings upstairs are usually within the safe radon level.
I was wondering if the holes in the outer bucket needs to be aligned with the holes in the inner bucket and if the inner bucket needs to be sealed to the underside of the bucket lid?
This design is a lot less expensive than the $1000 air purifier units that uses carbon pellets for controlling radon.
Thanks for the video, hope you have some follow-ups on this air purifier!
Hey great video very helpful. Just want to know how often need to change the activaed carbon?
hi there and thanks. it all depends on how much you use it and how dirty the air is. from a couple of months to several years if you don't use it that much.
Genius.
Nice 👍🖖
Very clever. Have you done a test with visible smoke? I’m interested in doing something like this next to an outdoor wood fired oven, to cut down on amount of smoke that spews out when first getting it going. Thoughts?
I'm here doing about the same thing. I have a wood stove I want to filter.
You can use a step drill bit from Harbor Freight, drills clean, burr-less holes in plastic & metal.
Dang!!! I used a blade bit and it was a slight PITA, I have 2 step bits and I never thought of using them!!!!!
Nice one, cheers!
Many thanks!
Thanks for shareing
nice job ,can carbon escape the fan
sos un genio gracias amigo.
hi and thank you for the kind words
Turn the water off when not using it Also do you think you could put a Hepa filter in/on there somewhere?
Thanks much for your video how do you know when the carbon is no longer useful or when you have to change carbon
Activated carbon can last for more than a year, sometimes up to two years. It fails when exposes to 60% RH, or when the carbon gets too old. You will notice the odor returning at that point.
Do you seal smaller pail to the fan, so all the air is filtered thru the screen. It seems it would make it slightly more affective, but maybe not worth the difference in build difficulty?!?!?
How do you make gravel and sand stay in place? Do you glue gravel to the bottom with hot glue gun? I can buy 5lbs of aquarium gravel from Petco for $5. If you tip it to one side then wouldn't it fall over and spill all over the place?. How would you guys do it?
Is gluing stone to plastic possible?
Help!!. Thanks
thanks you!
You're welcome 👍
Will this work for VOC's?
This is a few years later. To smooth out the holes, get a large cotter pin, slip a long strip of sand paper in between the legs, chuck the cotter pin on the drill and it will take less effort and time to deburr the holes.
hey there. is an interesting idea. i've used sanding attachments on a rotary tool with some luck recently.
Im building one of these as soon as i get my fan in the mail. Does the fan push the air too quick? Ive read that slower air flow is more effective at cleaning, THX
You can always install a fine HEPA filter around the bucket, to slow down the air flow and extend it's life-span.
can i use a 12v car cig fan and convert directly to an outlet plug?
Great idea! I have a question. Would it work if you reversed the fan so it sucks air in from the top and blows through the holes?
hi. i can't say for sure (since i've never tried it) but i always have better luck when i 'pull air' versus pushing it through something.
Put carbon on a flat screen, then put another screen on top. Staple the carbon in numerous rows. Put the screened carbon behind a box fan. Not as efficient as 2 pails, but faster, and simpler. Put strings of different lengths on the exhaust side of the box fan. Watch when the fan is without the carbon, then with the carbon, and then with half the intake blocked with cardboard. You'll be able to tell at a glance if the filter is clogged. I'll bet the carbon can be washed, dried, and reused. A furnace pre filter would extend the oder absorber's life.
I hate smelling coffee or the cooking in my parent's kitchen. I blocked off the supply and return vents in my bedroom and built a two way cylinder version of this (two water bottles glued together) and hooked it up to my window. It had to be purified air because my mom smokes cigarettes like a chimney. I'm definitely gonna do this with my own room when I move out with roommates because I like my bedroom to smell and sound peaceful.
This really works! Do you need to change the charcoal ? How long does this work?
Good question! I'm sure you would have to change it, eventually. Just like in the military, our carbon canisters would need to be changed periodically. Not sure how often, though. Only used my mask in the gas chambers a few times. Never had to change them.
What is the width of the smaller fan? Thanks
Brilliant idea. How well does it work? can you smell smoke on the exhaust?
hi. it works good. no smoke smell on the exhaust.
@@desertsun02 brilliant, going to try it this week :)
How often do you have to change the activated carbon?
Amazing project by the way! I have been trying to be creative and make my own, but probably will copy your idea :) ty!
hi there. that varies quite a bit - depends a lot on how much you use the unit (and how dirty the air is). a few months (maybe 5) with heavy usage to a few years (if you don't use it much).
@@desertsun02
Thank you for the reply, I didn't see it til now.
I wanna build one or 2 like yours for weed smell in my room and also to purify the air. I wonder where you bought your fans?
Haha just my cup of tea
Great video, thank you! I just got done putting this together and working to try and pull a STRONG mothball smell from a car that I bought (purchased long distance without seeing in person first).
Question: How often should the activated carbon be switched out of the bucket? Not sure how long the 3+ lbs I put in will need to be replaced.
Suffering mothball issue myself. Had it helped with your car?
@@michaelbrown590 Yes, although I had to wait until a couple of warm days and ran the bucket fan for probably 20 hours total so far and it's made a big difference. It's cold here in KC now so as soon as we get some more sunny & warm days I'll let it run for another 10 to 20 hours and hopefully that does it. This has been the best thing I've found so far in helping and I've tried all sorts of things! Heat seems to be a major factor in helping.
@@mikes.6635 I can't thank you enough for your reply. So happy to hear that it is working and I look forward to the same results! Mike
this will work great but google ozone generator, it will do a similar thing to what the carbon does to the air passing through it but it will get right into the fabrics too. They're really cheap on ebay.
@@Naaaaaat risk deteriorating plastic seals before their time when using ozone anywhere
Thanks for the video.. Why do you rinse the charcoal so thoroughly? Have you tried this setup with a quick soaking? I just don't get why you would use up so much of the adsorption affect on the water
@Brian Z when you buy it it has a lot of charcoal dust in it. that's a very fine dust that you need to rinse off. ideally you will rise it with clean water so it won't affect the life of the charcoal very much. i wish they sold it rinsed but they don't seem to.
@@desertsun02 Cool thanks a lot for the response and the video
What about formaldehyde, if you know?, thanks
Great idea. If hepa filter were added( cylinder type used in Vacuum cleaner) then it will be easily worth $200 dollars. Have you experience any carbon dust? And I am hoping to use centrifugal fan( those used in blower so air vent os on the side). And hoping I can control air power settings( high, medium, low). Anyone knows how to do that, please let me know.
Just use something like a dimmer,(look for rheostat or potentiometer) more resistance between the 12v and the fan will slow it down.
Do you need any sort of specific way to modulate the AC to DC to control fan speed? Is whatever speed the fan will spin at acceptable, if I plug it right into an AC to 12V DC adapter off Amazon?
hi. you can install a motor speed controller if you want (but it's not necessary). they sell motor speed controllers on amazon for about 12 dollars.
cool
Some measurements would be helpful - I mean, will it actually remove the VOCs?
Didn't show a smoke test so I'm assuming no. He would have had to tamp down the activated carbon to pack it fuller to be more effective at filtering smoke, but would decrease the airflow he was achieving. Good idea in theory though.
I think if you had a smoke filled room and let it circulate a long while it would clear it. Weigh the amount of carbon placed and the bucket before, then run it in the smoke room and weigh it after and you can get an idea of how much it's filtering. Do it on a tile floor and you'll see how much settles as well. Again, great idea in theory for a DIY.
Will this work for weed dry herb vape and smoke?
Having trouble finding a fan that would suit in the uk. Would an Inline hydroponics extractor fan work? Thanks
The radiator fan is easy to get hut what is the minimum amount of power this will run on. 80 Watts is quite a lot. Want to run it all the time
Hey could you please send a link of the fan you used for this? This is so sweet btw, I have searched for a long time for a good carbon scrubber but they are so expensive at hundreds of dollars or poor quality and end up breaking. This seems so cost effective and durable its not even funny.
hi and thanks. the links for those fans change often so i can't find the exact link, but if you search for 7 inch car radiator fans on amazon you should see a lot of them.
Hey, so why didn’t you just buy a standard sheet of activate carbon prefilter and line the inside of one bucket with that? Is using whole carbon somehow more effective bc of the thickness?
It's probably a lot more effective but I'd like to know the answer too
That's a good deal! How many hours does the activated coal last? Does it absorb viruses?
Your asking the wrong question. A plethora of specific conditions affecting the carbon filter is what will dictate how long the filter will last before it becomes saturated and ineffective at removing the unwanted particles from the air you are scrubbing
What power supply is used to drive the fan? Looking for a cheap and/or widely available option. Thanks.
hi. i use one made by roypow. it puts out 12v 15a. that is more than enough and it's held up for years. you can find it on amazon. (just search roypow 12v 15a)
I built this, and it’s awesome!! But the fan I have is a 6” AC fan clip on style… and it doesn’t circulate the air through well. can someone provide a link to a n effective AC fan for this build? Thank you
for some reason the AC clip fans are usually much weaker than the DC ones. i'm not sure which AC fan might be best (i'll leave that for other commenters) but one thing you could do is use a DC clip fan (like i did) but power it with AC (using an ac/dc transformer). amazon has tons of those transformers. some are as cheap as 5 to 8 bucks.
@@desertsun02 I took a second bucket lid and 12V DC radiator fan off Amazon. Used a 12V, 12.5A LED Driver to power it, however it is very noisy, kind of like having a vacuum on. Is there a way to run the fan at 3/4 the speed its at now?
OK so I'm crafty and love a good DIY but I don't have any understanding of anything electrical.... so I'll probably sound stupid asking this question but why hook this up to a battery? Could I make one and just plug it in to a electrical outlet? Or your purpose was to make this portable?
hi. you can use either an ac or dc fan. i like making things that work off grid so i use dc powered items a lot.
Where did you get your fans and have you thought of adding a HEPA filter ? If so where would you put it?
hi. i get those fans on amazon. (they sell the smaller one at walmart too). i haven't thought on adding a HEPA filter (but there are several ways to add extra filtering)
@@desertsun02 How would you add a HEPA ? Thanks
❤❤❤❤
Would I be able to low temp in an oven to heat it if it's winter ? Can't exactly sun heat without the window blowing it around
?
You have to put a post filter after loose carbon..
And you are better off using a squirrel cage (centrifugal) fan - they generate more pressure.
Think this would be good with cannabis smoke? Now that legalization is slowing happening and I’m sure not everyone is a fan of the smell.
Great job but I have a bunch of questions I hope you can help with. Im building the same thing on "steriods"...LOL First, what kind of scree n did you use that will contain the charcoal and not let it get sucked thru and into the air stream. I don't want to turn this thing on and blast charcoal powder all over the place. Second, where did you get the bag charcoal and what particle size is it. If the particles are smaller than the screen you going to get blow thru...that means charcoal in the air....which will make more of a mess than it actually cleans over time. I have an axial loaded blower, I plan to use a pre-filter like you did then run it thru the charcoal bank and then into a Merv 13 final filter. If the charcoal leaks thru the screen into the air flow the Merv 13 filter will be plugged up in a matter of minutes.... Hope you can help.
@@jollyrogerexperience where do you put the pillow fill?
Can i use charcoal
My upstairs neighbor smokes and it seeps into my apartment and gives me horrible headaches. I can't afford an expensive air filtration system. Do you think this would help with my problem?
just start smoking yourself.. problem solved
Can you use ant type of activated carbon? like the ones used for fish tanks?
hi. Yes, absolutely
You should put a piece of cloth in the sink to filter the carbon dust to save for a homemade gas mask.
Cool, can you link us the fans used?
hi there. here's a similar one www.amazon.com/DNA-Motoring-Performace-Electric-Radiator/dp/B01NB0LK0D/ref=sr_1_4?crid=AGXS7PF486LB&keywords=7%22%2Bcar%2Bradiator%2Bfan&qid=1654452930&sprefix=7%2Bcar%2Bradiator%2Bfan%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-4&th=1
the smaller one can be found at walmart in their auto dept.
Does anyone know if you can use regular carbon ? Purified carbon is hard to get where I live but not charcoal from fires. I guess I would have to wash it and then crush it. But not sure if it will work
Has to be activated carbon - pet shops have it
How often do you change the charcoal ? Do you notice odors being eliminated ?
hi there. how often you change the charcoal will depend a lot on how much you use it and how thick or saturated the 'smell in the air is'. i expect to have to change it every few months... but so far i'm still on the original stuff and it's working great. it's a clear and noticeable change in the air as the odor is being eliminated.
@@desertsun02 Thanks . I'm going to make one ......Good video !
Using glue to get the screen on is probably the hardest part of this project. Once i got there I have stopped. Anymore suggestions to getting the screen to stay besides school glue?
Use a wood burner or soldering iron and burn the screen into the plastic in a few areas
Hot glue
A hot glue gun or a plastic welder should work to tack the screen to the inner walls of the bucket.
E6000 adhesive or shoe goo would probably work better at sticking to the plastic bucket.
Ok, I am going to build one of these for smoking cigars in my garage this winter. If I can eliminate the need to suck air out through a window when it's -20 Fahrenheit, I'll be a happy camper.
2 questions:
1). Is it really necessary to wash out the carbon dust? I would think every little bit of activated charcoal would help.
2). I'd be very curious how this would compare to the $600.00 "Rabbit Air MinusA2", which sounds like it does an excellent job at getting rid of the smoke smell. You used a lot more charcoal than their filter holds.
I may wrap a pre-filter material around the whole thing. I know my garage is dusty and a pre-filter may keep the charcoal a bit "cleaner", along with eliminating dust as well.
Excellent instructional video, I can't wait to try it out!!
The dust would blow right through your screen and fan. I'm thinking about making one in a one inch thick, 20 x 20 square, then putting a micro filtration furnace filter on it, and putting it on the back side of a box fan. That might eliminate the need for washing and drying.
I just finished mine. The fan on high blows pretty good when not on the 5 gallon pail, but really blows less once the cover is on. I caulked the fan to the cover so all air flow is going through the carbon (no air bypassing the carbon). Hopefully there is enough draw. I’ll light up a cigar soon and test it out.
Epic fail. I used an 8” Turbo fan. Doesn’t have enough air flow to draw smoke through the carbon. I put my cigar right next to the holes and the smoke flows straight up beside the pail. Going to have to try a more powerful fan.
@@D-Allen Hey if you already built it you should look into a inline fan with a fan controller. They are a little noisey but they will suck through the filter no problem. You can also get inline carbon filters already made. Saw a video of a guy that bought a 4inch inline carbon filter plus a inline 4 inch fan then took a 4 inch hepa filter for those shop vacs and they work well for weed smoke tobbaco smoke and for people around the wild fires. Also they sell mufflers to make those fans quieter aswell.
Tony Chambers Funny you mention this. I have a 6” inline blower fan coming that I ordered yesterday. Hope it works!!
My question is how to get affordable activated carbon that’s also good quality so it will work well; Amazon seems to be loaded with crap that doesn’t work, and it seems that some stuff that works in aquarium filters doesn’t work well for odor removal. Any suggestions, anyone?