Sealand holding tank vent filter

[rondds]

after paying close to $80 for one of these babies at west marine :smt013 , i realized this is way too much $$$ for a 18" length of PVC pipe stuffed with activated charcoal. so i went to Home Depot and bought the necessary fittings for $4.17, rummaged around my basement and found 5 feet of 1 1/4" schedule 40 PVC and made my own. now all i need is the charcoal. heard back from one online vendor who will sell me a 20lb bag (minimum) for about $50 + shipping. someone told me there was once a tutorial post on this board (or the old searay board??) explaining how to make your own, but i couldnt find it. any idea where i can buy a pound or two of activated charcoal (as opposed to 20lbs)?

 

[estebanj]

I believe those who have made the filter have used aquarium charcoal, found at any pet shop.

Esteban

 

[estebanj]

Try these:

http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1031

http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3729

 

[Sea Ray 300]

Having had aquariums, the charcoal is cheap.
I did have to rinse the dust out of it before using it in the aquarum.

If you do that, I'd make sure I dried it out, as getting wet is the reason that those filters fail.

I believe, if I recall correctly, panty hose was used to captivate the charcoal in the filter.