How to build your own inexpensive odour neutraliser

[postmandave]

Bad smells, stink and hefty weed odours is something every indoor
cultivator needs like another hole in the head. Because the problem
arises as a result of growing activities, it is logical to take
preventative measures. Many weed growers use carbon filters to
get rid of weed smells and that can often be expensive, depending on
the size of your space, of course.
For those starter growers and other interested parties, investing in ventilation and
filters can be a big step and itâ??s great if there are cheaper methods that are still
effective. One of these methods is to build an odour neutraliser. These work
excellently and are easy to build and cheap to run and you can easily make and use
more than one. Plus it has the advantage of being useful anywhere, even in the toilet
and is efficient enough to drive off the smell left by a babyâ??s bad nappy. Anything
that smells bad can be exorcised by this gizmo.
What you will need to construct the odour neutraliser is:
Either a computer driven ventilation fan or a normal rotating fan â?¬30.00
Air freshener product such as Ona or Febreeze â?¬10.00
Hydrogel (polymer crystals) â?¬10.00
10-20L plastic bucket with lid â?¬ 4.50
You can use either a computer generated ventilation fan or a regular one. On the first
photo you can see all the things you require for this project so letâ??s make a start. For
practical purposes I use a large bucket but you can use either a smaller or larger one
with no problem. Cut a hole in the lid large enough to fit your ventilation fan and
then secure it to the lid. There are many ways to achieve this so choose one that is
suitable for your lid and your fan. If you look at the photos you will clearly see how I
mounted my fan. Once that is done, you need to cut large holes into the sides of the
plastic bucket. That is all the heavy work done and now you can fill up the bucket
with the other ingredients. To nine cups of water, you add one cup of smell
neutraliser product such as Febreeze or Ona and add a half-cup of polymer crystals.
Place the lid on, turn on the ventilator and within 5 minutes the whole place should
be smelling good and clean and freshâ?¦..
The workings of this method are simplicity itself. The foul air is sucked into the
bucket where it comes into contact with the air freshener and so becomes clean as it
is once more blown through. The neutralised product absorbs all the bad smells and
the polymer crystals serve to suck up the moisture which ensures that the air
freshener lasts longer so that you only need to add a little more occasionally. The
crystals themselves work well for many years and can swell up to fifty times their
original size.
The only maintenance necessary for this odour neutraliser is to top up the water and
air freshener now and then. Normally it needs no extra attention for about four weeks
at a time. There are about five different kinds of smell neutraliser that you can use, be
aware that other similar products will not work. Other smell absorbers will also work,
even the soluble variety and these come in different colours and perfumes. So dare to
change your Cannabis fumes into a vanilla flavoured fragrance.
All in all this is a very efficient and inexpensive alternative to carbon filtered
exhausts. A combination of the two is the best way to be absolutely sure that you are
not pervading the atmosphere with a bad pong. A smaller version of this odour
neutraliser can be used in the bathroom or living room where it can efficiently
eradicate even cigarette stink. Its a good idea to keep one in your communal space
just in case any whiffs from your grow space invade while you have visitors. Often
one does not notice the smell of oneâ??s own hole and in this way you can be sure that
you stay sweet. Prevention is always better than the cure and youâ??ll be amazed at
how much the smell in your grow room can be changed.
The only problem here is that you might end up with such a nice smelling place, that
all your friends would want to be there all the time.
Have good clean fun! the postman.

[DoctorFeelGood]

Nice one Postman!!!
DFG

[BlueDragonSmoke]

hell of an idea......im on it ...thanks

[Moose101]

Either a computer driven ventilation fan or a normal rotating fan â?¬30.00

I'm pretty sure there are computer shops that sell defaults for dirt cheap (5 bucks or less). Or maybe that is just the CPU fans. That fan is like a primary one me thinks. With all the fancy stuff being sold for computer case ventilation I'm certain they are removing the primary fans. I was thinking about buying one for the cuttings.

[Zandor]

Thanks for the DIY :thumbsup:

[Gen]

I'm on it.

[FLORIDA MON]

As Van the man would say, "fantabulous".

I'm on it, thnx.

[postmandave]

The Fazered Speed Controllerâ?¢
thought i would post all the other D.I.Y stuff i have came across in case its any use to anyone, i would also like to add that the wiring coulors are uk but im sure people in the us and other countries will get my drift, and be cerefull with electricity it can be dangerous.

Found this beauty.


The Fazered Speed Controllerâ?¢ (Known to some as the 'FazFanâ?¢' not known to anybody as the 'Fazered Fan-tastic Futuristic Fingy' lol.

The FazFanâ?¢ allows you to automatically control your fan and temperature while reducing noise and saving electricity. The controller has 2 main parts, a compatible thermostat and a fan dimmer. It is essential that you get a compatible thermostat and ensure that the dimmer is designed for use with a fan. I have included links to UK suppliers for tested models.

Parts required
Fan (duh! most of you will already have this)
Thermostat
Fan dimmer
Surface box for dimmer
Junction box
13amp plug
3 core flexible cable (standard electrical cable)

The controller works very simply. During normal usage you adjust the fan dimmer to your ideal ambient speed, when the room temp reaches your chosen temperature the thermostat runs the fan at full speed until it has dropped below this temp, then the fan returns to the ambient speed. Once you have set the ambient speed and temperature the controller needs no adjustment unless the ambient temperature changes dramatically.

Fan
Most of you will already have one of these. Make sure that your fan supports speed control. Most centrifugal fans (S&P, Ruck & RVK are recommended) should be suitable.

Thermostat - Honeywell T6360B
This thermostat has been designed for use with cooling systems and has proven itself very reliable by a number of FanFanâ?¢ users. You may use an alternative thermostat that has been designed for use with cooling .

Junction box 20 Amp 4 Terminal Junction Box White
This is optional but strongly recommended. There are many options on junction boxes and connectors. The junction box must have 4 connectors and be able to take multiple cables.

Instructions

I suggest that you put all of the components in their final place before wiring. I have only connected the controller away from the growroom for the purposes of this guide. However you may find it useful to first connect the controller up away from the grow room to get used to the process if you are unsure.

1. Wire the plug normally with a length of the electrical cable. Make sure all lengths of cable suit the positions you intend to place the controller in. I have mine placed very close together right next to a power socket. Always leave more length than you think necessary if you are unsure, you can always cut it shorter later.
2. Use a stanley knife or chisel to make a small notch in the casing of the fan dimmer so the cable can pass. You can alternatively do this in the surface box.
3. Wire a length of cable to the dimmer. Brown wire to Live1 (L1) and Blue to Live2 (L2). The earth wire is not required.
4. Wire a length of cable to the thermostat. Earth (green/yellow) to the earth connector. Brown to connector 4. Blue to connector 5. If you have chosen your own thermostat check the fittings instructions, connect Brown to LiveIN and blue to LiveOUT.
5. Wire your fan with enough cable to reach your controller position. Make sure you connect the Brown wire to Live and the Blue to Neutral and if required by your fan (not all models have earth) connect the Gree/Yellow wire to the Earth.
6. The junction box should be used as follows;
connector 1 - Live
connector 2 - Neutral
connector 3 - Earth
connector 4 - Live2
I will refer to the connectors as CON1, CON2, CON3 or CON4.
7. Wire the thermostat to the junction box. Connect the Brown wire to CON1 (Live) the Blue to CON4 (Live2) and the Earth to CON3 (Earth).
8. Wire the dimmer to the junction box. Connect the Brown wire from the dimmer to CON1 (Live) Connect the Blue wire to CON4 (Live2)
9. Wire the plug to the junction box. Connect the Brown to CON1 (LIVE), Blue to CON2 (Neutral) and the Green to CON3 (Earth)
10. You are now ready to connect your fan. If you have not already put the components into their final position you will want to do that now.
11. Wire the fan to the junction box. Connect the Brown wire to CON4 (Live2) the Blue to CON2 (Neutral) and if your fan has an earth connect the Green wire to CON3 (Earth)

You are now ready to plug the controller in. However I would first do a sanity check of all of your work. Check that you have made all of the connections properly, that the right colours were used, that the cables are connected properly, that you did not damage any of the components or cable and make sure there is not any exposed wire away from the connectors. ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS please be careful. This should be no more dangerous than wiring a plug if done properly however I CANNOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and you use the instructions AT YOUR OWN RISK.

12. Plug in the controller!
13. To check it is functioning properly set the dial on the thermostat to the highest temperature (your ambient temp should not be above this, if it is youâ??re in trouble!) Now use the fan dimmer which should change the speed of your fan. Then, turn the dimmer down low and turn the thermostat down. When it hits your room temp the fan should come on full speed. If so, your all set.

To use the controller you will need to set an acceptable ambient with the dimmer making sure that there is still enough air exchange for your plants. Then choose a desired room temperature normally 21 - 27 Celsius (70-80 Fahrenheit) and set your thermostat. If the fan is speeding up and slowing down to regularly than you may want to increase the ambient speed to avoid noise. Otherwise once you have your controller set you will hardly need to adjust it.

Hope that made sense and that you have not electrocuted yourself.
the postman.


- Keep it red eye

[Zandor]

You should start a new thread with each one that way people can ask questions and not need to surf through 50 posts to get an answer.

Just a thought

[busteruk7]

just brilliant im gonna make one soon as cheers postmandave

[Gen]

brilliant

[Sk8orDie]

great DIY postmandave!

I have 8 plants about 2-3 weeks from harvest and they're starting to smell. I'm trying to put together your odor neutralizer and have everything together except I'm having trouble finding hydrogel in the US (upstate NY). I was hoping someone could lead me in the right direction. Maybe there's a brand name I should be looking for instead of just hydrogel? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[postmandave]

have a look for selden products they have a product called reosan that workd just as good ona gel is also as good.the postman

[Sk8orDie]

thanks for the reply postmandave. i'm gonna go out today and see what i can find :smokin:

[orangeman]

What did you use to cut holes in the bucket? I have a bucket and just ordered fan and some polymer crystals because I plan on using this and hopefully it works because the minute I open the room now those plants smell, and they aren't even flowering yet lol. One or two weeks away from it though.

[postmandave]

craft knife/ stanley blade/ drill peice.A pickle jar lid is ideal to draw round then cut it out with craft or stanley blade.be safe the postman.

[Clu33er Lang]

Hey had a quick question about the odor neutralizer. Its kinda a stupid question but here it goes. Do you point the fan so that air blows into the bucket our out? I'm guessing out.

i would think u want the air blowing into the bucket so it gets cleaned inside it and then blows clean air out the holes

postmandave what a great idea im gonna build one of these also just dont know where i could pick up the hydrogel stuff, and ona?? ive never heard of it i live in the uk so shall i go to b&q or some hardware store

[...gas...]

Hey had a quick question about the odor neutralizer. Its kinda a stupid question but here it goes. Do you point the fan so that air blows into the bucket our out? I'm guessing out.

just read that diy , well done every grower needs 1 , read the thread again m8 , it s easy don t b lazy :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[jman80]

Hey all. Just joined this morning. Awesome idea... I'm starting a small grow in a spare room closet, and that is just what i'm looking for.

-Jman

[the image reaper]

set your fan to blow thru the filter ... sucking the air thru, can bring dust, etc. into your fan motor, not the best thing to do ... in general, a fan works much better 'pushing' air, there is more resistance working against it, when 'pulling' ... :smokin:

[weedcollecter123]

im definantly gonna start on it asap :thumbsup:

[hybridlove420]

what about those timered ones that hang on the wqall in public washrooms and spray every 5-10 minutes?

[hanayama]

are there any retail stores in the US that sell polymer crystals?
i dont really want to order anything online.
if not, any sort of substitute for it?

[mushaboom]

i got some polymer crystals at walgreens before. i forgot the brand name, something like no dry.

[pass_the_dubbie]

bravo!

Great thread, I shall most definitely be making the odour neutraliser. :thumbsup:

also...my evil side says the neutraliser could be used for a little fun.....:stoned:

[ManOHman]

Does anyone have the brand name of the crystals you can buy in the U.S.?

Also, how do you get power to the fan? I see that it has two wires...can you just cut open an extension cord and connect the two wires?

[ManOHman]

How about thes? Water Absorbing Polymer Crystals, Aqua Crystal Earth - eBay (item 130194579363 end time Feb-06-08 15:43:12 PST) (http://cgi.ebay.com/Water-Absorbing-Polymer-Crystals-Aqua-Crystal-Earth_W0QQitemZ130194579363QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4355 5QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Would those work as the polymer crystals you said you need?

[ManOHman]

Hello?

Bueller?

Bueller?

[Euphoric7]

Does anyone have the brand name of the crystals you can buy in the U.S.?

Also, how do you get power to the fan? I see that it has two wires...can you just cut open an extension cord and connect the two wires?

I was wondering about this as well. :thumbsup:

[fenderninja]

^^ i took an old 12v phone charger, taped pos - pos and neg - neg. Tada!

[peapod1971]

:thumbsup:hi mate well i could nt get them seeds were i am, so im going to order on monday big bang yeh, so be ready mate c u soon

[GeddaLiddleHI]

just thought i'd post a little help to this, since i'm planning to start consturction on mine soon. if you can't find any polymer crystals anywhere you can just go buy a pack of diapers, cut 'em open, and use the polymer crystals in there. yep, learned about that back in 7th grade science. cool huh? depending on the diapers the crystals themselves may already absorb odors, increasing this thing's potential to eliminate your growdors

[all4me]

Hey how do you power that computer fan? Im trying to set this up and I noticed the 12v issue. Do you need an AC adapter?