Smoke Smell Suppression?

[ButtWhiskers]

I think those units in bars/taverns/casinos are electrostatically charged to pull smoke particles out of the air.  That reminded me of the ozone generator that left w/ the ex.  They can drastically reduce smoke and odor, but I think it has to be an enclosed environment, and they don't work that fast.

What do these curmudgeons have to say when you're grilling one of your world-famous steaks?  They only complain about the smells they don't like I suppose.  Too bad they're not caff-fiends, you could keep 'em quiet w/ a few bags. 

Yeah, well I had to give up real BBQ and my Weber Smokey Mountain because of them - so they don't like even the good smells.  And no, neither drink coffee or eat BBQ.  That's OK, I am resigned to shutting them up while still roasting.

I like the link John F posted.  Though something tells me that $1200 for the high CFM model is pretty steep.  The diagram shows me they use 3 filters (Carbon, HEPA, and Furnace type).  I have to think about whether I want to do this project myself, or just buy something...

Okay, Chris, I just got through talking with a building engineer about this problem of yours, a guy that has beau coup experience with preventing noxious and malodorous vapors from leaving a laboratory setting.  Here's your cheap way out:

1) Go to surpluscenter.com and get yourself a squirrel cage fan.  You can get something in the order of 125-200 CFM for under $25.
2) Build a duct fitting that goes over the exhaust of your sonofresco that is 1" diameter larger than your exhaust.  This will allow for extra air to be pulled in around your exhaust without creating pressure difficulties on your roaster. 
3) Plumb the squirrel cage fan in-line
4) Run the output of the squirrel cage fan via additional ductwork through some fiberglass furnace screen with a subsequent paper-based filter (not HEPA, it will create too big of a pressure drop and may clog up too fast with a smaller fan like this).  These filters should be mounted in a box of some sort.
5) Run flexible duct into a 5 gallon bucket lid from the filter box.
6) Cut out holes in the bottom of the side of a 5-6 gallon bucket with at least as much area as the duct has.
7) Put 1/8" galvanized screen across the inside of the bucket above the holes to support your scrubber
Pour a layer of Purafil pellets onto the screen at least 4" thick
9) Pour a layer of Activated charcoal chunks on top of the purafil
10) Snap the ducted lid onto the bucket.

This will be the best that you can do without using a heated catalyst, and will cost you 50 bucks or less to construct.

[John F]

That thing BW posted looks like it will work for sure.

But quadruple the budget.

John F

[Chris]

Thanks BW, I am sure I will have some questions once I starting piecing it together, but it looks like a lot of fun. 

[Chris]

OK, question time:

1) Go to surpluscenter.com and get yourself a squirrel cage fan.  You can get something in the order of 125-200 CFM for under $25.

Their supply is limited right now.  I might be able to find some other vendor online, or go to my local liquidation warehouse.  Is it a problem if it is much over 200 CFM?


4) Run the output of the squirrel cage fan via additional ductwork through some fiberglass furnace screen with a subsequent paper-based filter (not HEPA, it will create too big of a pressure drop and may clog up too fast with a smaller fan like this).  These filters should be mounted in a box of some sort.

I am not sure what the fiberglass furnace screen or subsequent paper-based filter are, or where to get something like this.  Is Home Depot a candidate?


6) Cut out holes in the bottom of the side of a 5-6 gallon bucket with at least as much area as the duct has.

Should holes be in the bottom, the side, or really the "bottom of the side"?


8) Pour a layer of Purafil pellets onto the screen at least 4" thick
9) Pour a layer of Activated charcoal chunks on top of the purafil

Any suggestions on where to get this stuff?  Not seeing too much on the Purafil online, and the activated charcoal mainly I see relating to water filters.

[milowebailey]

I assume this is a condo, which if you own you could vent your exhaust up a sewer vent  but would have to put a hole in a wall inside... and if PVC could get too much heat and burn the place down.... Ok not the best idea.  Dryer vent probably the same.   A diversion..... pick up a free BBQ on Craigslist and put it in a common area..... build a fire and cook something really smells bad.  Lutefisk, goat, etc.... then get your roast going... the diversion will throw them off.

Depending on the roast I think you could control the smoke.... maybe not the smell with a paper and carbon filter.... maybe a normal exhaust hood that you could pick up at home depot.....  The smell is harder, since the sonofresco isn't sealed.  Between the roasting chamber and the chaff collector there is a gap and the most wonderous smells come out of where while roasting.   (sometimes I blame the bad smells near the roaster on the roast when Mrs. Milowebailey is in the room.... nope honey that the 1st crack).  I'm not sure how you'll stop that... my whole house and neighborhood smells like coffee when I roast 4 or 5 lbs in a row.

Looking forward to see your solution.

[BoldJava]

...build a fire and cook something really smells bad.  Lutefisk, goat, etc.... then get your roast going... the diversion will throw them off.

...

...ahem.  Roast goat?  Minnesota Curly's cods, yes.  Goat?  No.

Goats reign.



B|Java

[PaulM]

Goats reign.

They're what's for dinner!

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

I was at my local big box hardware store for a few things and happened to think of this thread.

my furnace only takes a 1 inch thick filter but there are some 4 inch thick furnace filters that claim to filter out smoke, oder and bacterias, or at least bacteria infested dust??? 

I would think that filter in BWiskers invention would knock down the smoke and oder to a manageable level.

I notice smoke in the vent hood on anything over setting 4 or 5 on the sonofresco and I can see where a lot of setting 6 roasts in a row would make for trouble but that is about as dark as I take it and the people in the apartment above the coffee shop have yet to complain (the stack is on a lower roof equal in hight to there window)

[Chris]

So far all my favorite beans (Ethiopians, Brazil, Malawi, Colombian, etc.) have all been fine at level 2 or 3.  I can't see myself going above level 4 too often.

I think the thicker the filter, the more air power you would need, since it is providing more resistance to the air flow.  Which brings up another point - in the BW design, it looks like we are pushing air through the filter material.  In other homemade setups, the point was made that you need to pull air through the filters.  Not that I don't trust you BW, but just thought I would mention it.

[harryho]

You can also use a dust collector without the bag...........something like this

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94029

[ButtWhiskers]

So far all my favorite beans (Ethiopians, Brazil, Malawi, Colombian, etc.) have all been fine at level 2 or 3.  I can't see myself going above level 4 too often.

I think the thicker the filter, the more air power you would need, since it is providing more resistance to the air flow.  Which brings up another point - in the BW design, it looks like we are pushing air through the filter material.  In other homemade setups, the point was made that you need to pull air through the filters.  Not that I don't trust you BW, but just thought I would mention it.

That would make more sense, as you wouldn't gum up the blower that way.  As I said, I explained the problem to a guy that is well-versed in these kinds of things, and he gave me his quick-n-dirty solution, which I then tried to relay to you.  I'm sure that something could be lost in the translation...   

[ButtWhiskers]

Of course any of this is just free advice, and as such it is not warranteed in any way...  YMMV, proceed at your own risk, etc. etc... 

Their supply is limited right now.  I might be able to find some other vendor online, or go to my local liquidation warehouse.  Is it a problem if it is much over 200 CFM?

What is the output of the Sonofresco?  I would guess that as long as you have flow through your filter/odor abatement system that is in excess of the Sonofresco's output you should be fine.  Remember that a blower's rated CFM is when dealing with ambient pressures.  The filters and scrubber will decrease this somewhat.  I would assume that over 200CFM would be better...  I picked up a $6.50 175CFM squirrel cage at Goodwill Thrift Store that I am using for my chaff cyclone. 

I am not sure what the fiberglass furnace screen or subsequent paper-based filter are, or where to get something like this.  Is Home Depot a candidate?

WalMart even.  A fiberglass furnace screen is the doodad that keeps dust from entering your furnace, this will be your first 'rough' filter.  3M makes paper-based filters with a brand name of Filtrete.  If I understand correctly, you want to use one of each of these, in the same size, such that they fit in your filter box pressed up next to each other, with the plane perpendicular to the air flow.

Should holes be in the bottom, the side, or really the "bottom of the side"?

The bottom of the side.  The bottom will be sitting on the ground, probably, so having the holes there would be futile.  The upper parts of the sides will be holding in the activated charcoal and purafil.  If you have holes drilled to high up, it will spill out.

Pour a layer of Purafil pellets onto the screen at least 4" thick
9) Pour a layer of Activated charcoal chunks on top of the purafil

Any suggestions on where to get this stuff?  Not seeing too much on the Purafil online, and the activated charcoal mainly I see relating to water filters.

Indeed...  Activated charcoal is activated charcoal, get it cheap, with a large mesh size to reduce pressure drop. 
Purafil is a potassium permanganate-coated pellet used as an oxidizing agent.  I'll ask tomorrow as to where they get it.  Purafil pellets are about 3/4" long and 1/4" in diameter.  You could probably duplicate that amount of permanganate surface area with a thinner layer (1"?) of this stuff http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/filter-mate-potassium-permanganate-oxidizing-agent-p-24426.html?ref=42 but you would need to make sure that it didn't spill through the support screen.

I do know that they are able to remove some pretty stinky odors with the charcoal/purafil scrubber.  They also sell purafil filters that have a layer of activated charcoal and a layer of purafil between two screens, but I think these would be harder to procure and possibly more expensive.

[Chris]

OK BW, that helps a lot.  I think getting all the pieces are fairly easy at this point.  One thing that looked like a problem was that most squirrel blower type fans have square inlets/outlets, but most piping is round.  So I thought I would go with the 2 items below to start with, since the blower comes with 4" round interfaces.  Also it is 914 CFM!!!  Seems almost too high.  My other challenge is finding the filters for the filter box, so they are both about the same size, fit snugly in some sort of box, and are somewhat easy to replace or remove for cleaning, but I think that might not be too hard.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94029

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93601

[harryho]

OK BW, that helps a lot.  I think getting all the pieces are fairly easy at this point.  One thing that looked like a problem was that most squirrel blower type fans have square inlets/outlets, but most piping is round.  So I thought I would go with the 2 items below to start with, since the blower comes with 4" round interfaces.  Also it is 914 CFM!!!  Seems almost too high.  My other challenge is finding the filters for the filter box, so they are both about the same size, fit snugly in some sort of box, and are somewhat easy to replace or remove for cleaning, but I think that might not be too hard.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94029

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93601

Harbor freight rocks!

Chris, If you leave a gap of about a foot between the sonofresco's outlet and the inlet duct, you should have no problems. the dust collector's power will be able to blow smoke through the bucket with ease.

[Chris]

I found these bucket and trash can lids that have all the outlets.  I was thinking I could use both holes on one for the filter material, and on hole on another one (plug the second) for the final charcoal filter.

I just don't know how the air will flow through all the filters since the inlet and outlet are both on the top...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=9586

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=98023