FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

hi all,

i really want to build myself a larminar flow hood. i was wondering has anybody been able to get decent results from using the HEPA filters sold at walmart or home depot? i dont really want to spend 500 bucks on a consumable item. any input would be great, thanks

thats a good question i would like to know as well

"This is a thread on an adult forum sorry it's a copy paste and edit job anyways if you want a forum that has many threads on this topic of homemade laminar flow hoods PM me" It won't work. Not only won't it achieve laminar flow it will let all sorts of nasty stuff get through. If we could use a fifty dollar walmart filter, we sure wouldn't spend $500 and up on laminar flow hoods browsed Home Depot & found EasyGardener polyspun bonded (polyester) landscape clothe (material like a filter disk) that they generally stock in 3 X 50 ft rolls for $20. This fabric would serve as a course pre/filter material.

Home Depot also generally has Honeywell TrueHepa (0.03 micron) replacement filters, stock # 21500 for $50 (+ or - a buck or 2). This will serve as a (round) hepa filter.

I also checked several auto parts stores & matched the Honeywell hepa filter with a Purolator Premium Plus automotive air filter (stock # A53384) that cost $7.

There you have it.

1. Course pre/filter material (cut to size) @ $20. (A ton more than you need)

2. Fine pre/filter (automotive round) @ $7. Use 2 & double stack = $14)

3. Honeywell true Hepa (round) @ $50.

With course pre/filter, then a space & then the fine pre/filter in front of -- or on top of another space & then the hepa filter, it will last a decade, or more.

That is all the filtration pieces you will ever need for around $85.

Browse Home Depot & eyeball all the 4 X 8 sheets of differing sheeting they have & you can find the sheeting & structural support material you need to build a pro grade laminar flow hood for cheap. If you are handy with hand tools.

Check out your local furnace repair & air/con repair shops. You can often find great used squirrel cage fans, perfect for this application, for under $25.

With a little ingenuity with these filters, you can build a KILLER flow hood for around $150 bucks in materials. Round filters are easy & simple to convert to this application.

damn frog do you have a TC lab?

NO No I have no need for a lab. It's not my stuff or my info it's from other forums.

heya frog,

is this what you use? how about K & N filters? or the foam type UNI filters? i am not exactly sure how to use a round filter for this application. i ll PM you! thanks for the input.

Buns

Well, everything is possible guys.
I have seen constructions with these cheap hepa filters and the blower from a old vacuum cleaner.
Though I think it might not give great results but it is quick and cheap.

Better is to build a flow hood with a commercial hepa filter and squirrel cage.

nepaholic wrote:Well, everything is possible guys.
I have seen constructions with these cheap hepa filters and the blower from a old vacuum cleaner.
Though I think it might not give great results but it is quick and cheap.

Better is to build a flow hood with a commercial hepa filter and squirrel cage.

i totally agree with that now. i am thinking a poorly built hood would hurt even more cuz your pulling more contaminats into the work area. so where is best place to get the hepa filter for the cheapest, and how often do i need to change it? i want the workspace to be 1x2 feet at least and expect to have it on about once a week.

Hm don't no where to get it in the states.
I have my flowhood since 4-5years if I remember right and never changed the filter.
I'm a heavy user and I worked sometimes every day in it.

nice set up by the way...i just requested a qoute for a prebuilt flow hood.
i bet it will cost an arm and a leg cuz the price is not listed.
maybe i should build a large glove box and run a small hepa filter unit inside it!