# Smoke scrubber



## csrt4wookienutz (Dec 7, 2015)

Just wondering if anyone has ever made a smoke scrubber for the exhausting smoke to keep neighbors at bay and happy?

Living in a multi family apartment and while I am technically allowed my electric smoker on balcony I don't want to have to do it in front of the garage I have that is 3 floors below me and not within eyesight. 

I have been doing all my smokes at night so as not to disturb people (it's TX and has been "cold" so no windows open) but I am interested if anyone has done this. The Internet just shows me results for "sploofs" and other 420 devices... 

I have been looking at using activated charcoal and maybe some sort of mister (I have a pond pump I used to use on a timer to water my plants) and a fan to make up for the restrictions. 

Essentially sandwich some charcoal in a  3" pipe attached to exhaust and then put a fan to draw/push the smoke through a mister (still in pipe) with a drain back to reservoir for a continous flow.

The goal would be almost zero visible TBS and reduced scent. I have a MES 30" with glass and a AMNPS so I'm not terribly worried about my smoke production stopping on me.


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## DanMcG (Dec 7, 2015)

Interesting idea, I don't have your issue but would be interested in what you come up with.


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## daveomak (Dec 7, 2015)

A flame consumes smoke pretty well.... Many industrial complex uses after burner technology to clean up emissions...

A ribbon burner from a BBQ would be a good starting point..  I would start with a 4" pipe adapted to the MES 30's exhaust....   insert the burner and see what happens...   Be sure to have a flame sensor installed so, in the event of a flame out, the smoker doesn't become a bomb on your patio deck, or anywhere for that matter..


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## csrt4wookienutz (Dec 7, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> A flame consumes smoke pretty well.... Many industrial complex uses after burner technology to clean up emissions...
> 
> A ribbon burner from a BBQ would be a good starting point..  I would start with a 4" pipe adapted to the MES 30's exhaust....   insert the burner and see what happens...   Be sure to have a flame sensor installed so, in the event of a flame out, the smoker doesn't become a bomb on your patio deck, or anywhere for that matter..



Not allowed propane, $1,000 fine by fire dept for using/storing on balcony, Otherwise a viable option.


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## crankybuzzard (Dec 7, 2015)

In theory, a HEPA filter installed on a shop vacuum would work, but you'd have to dial down the vacuum pressure to prevent pulling too much air through your smoker.

I would think that a TEE connection placed on top of the exhaust port with the TEE part sticking out to the side, and the vacuum tied into that portion could work...  Just pondering ideas while I'm bored on a conference call....


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## csrt4wookienutz (Dec 10, 2015)

So my smoker is full of 20lbs of brisket right now and I'm testing my first scrubber. 

3" 90, filled with activated carbon 80% of the way, held in by some steel screen mesh over the end of the pipe.

I have a Gen 2 so I had to unscrew the vent from the inside and just stuffed it in, I am leaking a small amount but it's just a test so I haven't taped or rtv sealed it. 

The smoke coming out is very small amount of TBS but the inside is not overwhelmed. I accidentally had 3 rows going on my AMNPS last time so I know what a TON of smoke looks like inside. 

The smell is also mostly meat not overwhelming of smoke. 
We will see how the meat turns out but 3hrs into smoke it seems to be a good first step in a system to not annoy the neighborhood.


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## csrt4wookienutz (Dec 11, 2015)

Well I ended up dumping the carbon because it was so steamy inside my pellets kept going out. As soon as I made my previous post I had problems. Now I don't know if it was because of the blockage (carbon) or because my little MES 30" had 20+lbs of brisket, that's the most meat I've done.


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## daveomak (Dec 11, 2015)

FWIW....   Without adequate ventilation, steam generated from meats or water pan will displace the air/oxygen and an AMNPS will not burn...


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## csrt4wookienutz (Dec 11, 2015)

DaveOmak said:


> FWIW....   Without adequate ventilation, steam generated from meats or water pan will displace the air/oxygen and an AMNPS will not burn...



That's what I figured, I need to get a 12v computer fan and hook up a potentiometer to find the sweet spot between ventilation and over ventilation. 

The most important part, the meat was fine. It had a hot sauna and then a nice smoking.


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## jted (Dec 11, 2015)

A 50 mm cpu fan fits good in a 3 inch tube. That is what I used. Mine is not a scruber but a blower. 













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here is a link to a 12volt variable power source

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252115998205?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The motor  9cfm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321733607290?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

the new connector to match the power adaptors 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151499123078?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Total investment 12.00   Jted


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## thelocnar (Dec 20, 2015)

Just invite your neighbors over for mealtime once in awhile. I doubt they'd complain then. ;)


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## csrt4wookienutz (Feb 7, 2016)

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Smoked inside last night and only had one major smoke burst. Don't worry C02 sensor works and it was nice out so my patio door was open for a few minutes.

I hooked a shop vac up to the exhaust before I was going to open the smoker and put a 2nd hose on it stuck up in my chimney. I then once evacuated the smoke in my MES opened door quickly and again used shop vac sucking right off the AMPS. I realized after doing this I could just put the tray in the fireplace and then have 2 hands to do what I needed in the smoker. 

I have some parts coming this week and I'm going to try my water misting/charcoal idea out (outside). Based on the cfm I want to move the air I opted for a 4" hydroponics inline fan. I will be ducting straight out the exhaust with carbon sandwiched between some mesh. That will flow into a tote filled half way with water that will have half the chamber blocked off except for 1" so the smoke can flow under the divider after being misted on. All being pulled by the 4" fan on the exhaust side of the tote.


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 7, 2016)

I could of used this the last 3 years. I was in the same boat. ONE neighbor directly over me had a problem with me smoking, the rest never said a word. I offered some of the proceeds from my smoke sessions and he said they didn't like smoked meat...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I looked into purcahsing some means of scrubbing and found nothing smaller than commercial units, $$$. My saving grace was until the last 6 months, the Complex Manager's husband was a big time smoker and she would listen to the complaint and then laugh about it with me. Still a pain when the guy upstairs would give me a hard time directly...JJ


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## smokesontuesday (Feb 11, 2016)

Awesome project.

This is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me living out in the boonies though.


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## mr t 59874 (Feb 11, 2016)

My neighbors have a choice, wood smoke 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  or gun smoke.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Actually, no problem as the closest is a quarter mile away and wouldn't complain anyway.

T


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## smokesontuesday (Feb 11, 2016)

Mr T 59874 said:


> My neighbors have a choice, wood smoke
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Same here. Closest neighbors are my parents a quarter mile away and if they smell smoke they just bring plates up to check.


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## aldersmoke (Feb 12, 2016)

Your fireplace idea looks pretty good. I saw a good solution on the Bradley forum. It was in a guys garage so he could smoke in the winter extreme temperatures.  He had a kitchen range hood set over the smoker and had made a stack from 4"-6" PVC with some slots cut at the bottom to aid in the draw. The stack pipe then went up to the exhaust fan which was vented out of the wall of the garage.  

It looked professional and I guess it worked.


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