Activated Charcoal

Jonesey

Anyone know where to buy activated charcoal in bulk? Built a charcoal trap to help with the fumes on remodels, but can't seem to find the quantity of the stuff I need unless I want to bust open a case of respirator filters which is cost prohibitive. Anybody know of any sources?

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Steve Jones
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bill r

I've been down that road... the only solution I've found is high-end aquarium supplies. Salt-water aquaria require lots of it, and they are way more sensitive than the human body, so it must be fairly pure. For whatever its worth, I've been breathing thru it for awhile.
Regards, (cough) Bill Russell

LennyV-NHSNOLA

Look up "granular activated carbon", rather than charcoal. I have aquariums and it's not called "charcoal"... that's for barbecuing!

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Lenny V. - Come down and visit us in New Orleans and the 'burbs!

needham

check with a golf course in your area. OR a chemical dealer in your town. Anyone who sells chemicals(for golf courses/agri use) should carry this as well. but that does not mean HD or Lowes. Check with a golf course in your town and they should tell you where to get it.

Workaholic

http://www.activated-charcoal-carbon.com/
If thats not the right place for you, then
google

how many pounds are you considering bulk?

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Sean

jmthouston

excuse me for butting in

what do any of you use this activated carbon for and how

needham

well on a golf course you would use it to absord a oil/hydraulic spill or a chemical spill. I would say in a painting area you would use it to absorb the fumes and gasses given off by paints and laquers.

Workaholic

Are you looking for fine powder of activated charcoal?

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Sean

jmthouston

thanks for the input

if you spill it you mean or

do you mean leaving the activated carbon in the middle of the room while painting and it will absorb the fumes

jmthouston

Jonesey

Jim, have you ever used a respirator? Activated carbon, or activated charcoal is what's in the filters of a respirator. The carbon absorbs the VOCs, the oil and laquer vapors from the air that you pull in making it safe to breathe. Without them, there'd be many a stoned sprayman. (yeah, like there aren't now)

What you do is you make a charcoal trap and pull or force air through it , pulling the VOCs (volitile organic compounds) out of the air, and refreshing the air in the house so the homeowners can breathe that night.

Problem is, most commercially available charcoal traps only boast a 10 cfm flow rate. That's 10 cubic foot per minute. Well, turns out 10 cubic feet is about what most small bathrooms hold, which is why most bath fans run at about 10 cfm.

What I've built is basically a roof vent with a nonexplosive motor (motor out of my old Graco 395, the housing cracked) that'll move around 1500 cfm through a trap filled with activated charcoal (carbon). Problem is, this stuff is way too expensive, and just to set something up would be in the thousands of dollars on the consumer market, and would require a full carbon change at least once a month.

I think I know why you gave up on this idea Bill. Oh well, it was a good idea, just not economically feasable for what I can get by opening windows. 10 cfm aint crap, no offense meant to those who manufacture the emergency air supply canisters.

Workaholic, what I'm really looking for is granular, and cheap too, that's designed for vapor absorption. I've looked around, and it's available in 50 and 100 lbs. bags, but it's just not in my price range. I was hoping to hear about a decently (cheap) priced source if one was available.

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Steve Jones
steve@jonespaintingonline.com
Jones Painting Feel the difference service makes

bill r

I don't know how involved you wanted to get, but you can always make your own supply. If you put any kind of junk wood scraps in a 55-gal drum with a lid and bake it over a bonfire for 24 hours or so, you'll get half a drum of 'activated carbon'. BE SURE to leave a vent hole in the drum!