Analog Cig Filter as Cartridge Material?

[RjG]

MSDS for Kevlar says " KEVLAR IS TOO BIG TO INHALE INTO THE LUNGS "

On the other hand I doubt their testing had people sucking vapour through it 16 hours a day, 7 days a week...

MSDS does say "A two-year inhalation study with KEVLAR® pulp (refined to increase its respirable fibril content) produced pulmonary fibrosis at concentrations of 25, 100, and 400 f/cc, as well as additional lung lesions. A panel of 12 pathologists from North America and Europe reviewed these lesions and diagnosed them as "proliferative keratin cysts." "

It is kind of like fiberglass... I'm not sure I'd want to be inhaling through Kevlar

[ZambucaLu]

Hey RjG, would you be able to find out that same info on this stuff:

Fluval Polyester Pads from Hagen - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart

Any help would be appreciated!

Lu

[RjG]

Some more research suggests Kevlar might be closer related to Nylon than Fiberglass, in which case I'll retract some of my concern.... but the lesions and cysts thing is still kinda scary, especially if you are a female rat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3209007?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.P ubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pu bmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedarticles&l ogdbfrom=pubmed

[RjG]

Since polyester wool is the stuffing in pillows, blankets, and baby's teddybears, I don't think fibers pose any heath hazards.

You shouldn't breath the fumes of it when it's on FIRE. Although that's true of anything, really (cigs included , LOL )

I just see now polyester batt is rated for house insulation too "The thin fiber construction enables the polyester to resist continued smoking and burning. Instead, the fibers will tend to melt together and pull away from contacting surfaces. The polyester wall insulation passes the 2006 International Residential Code (ASTM E84 and ASTM E970)."

"A still further advantage of polyesters is that they do not produce toxic fumes when burnt. "

"The particular type of polyester batt tested exhibited excellent fire resistance
properties. Under direct contact from the flame the polyester melts with no smoke or fumes being emitted"

If you Google it, don't confuse polyester BATT with polyester RESIN, they are two totally different things. RESIN is nasty stuff.

I would buy it from a medical supply, or a filter company, or a fish store though, where you know it's clean, chemical free, and ready for breathing (and won't kill $1000 fish too)

[ZambucaLu]

Thanks! I actually was planning on trying this this week....just waiting on making that trip to the fish store. The poster said he rinsed his very well first and has had no problems with it. My concerns are always (hidden) fiberglass and asbestos....that's what makes me hesitant about any of these fillers.

Well, I'm giving it a shot this week. Wish me luck!

Lu

[BiscuitSlayer]

there is a thread here somewhere.somebody bought fish tank filters and said they are nearly indestinguishable from cart material.so far hes saying they work great, and got tons of it for like 5 bucks.find the thread, he even has a link to the product so you can find it easy.

I am into keeping fish, planted aquarium to be specific, and I thought this the first time I saw the cart material you were mentioning. I think you are referring to the filter pad or prefilter media. I know exactly what you are talking about and I might give it a try.

[applefr3ak]

That was me who posted about the fluval material, so far working well, but i might suggest when you cut them to size take a few layers off.. because i found when they are full thickness they dont wick as well.. just a note

Jason

[Myk]

Sorry I didn't mean that type of cotton wool, I was refering to the type as sold in a pharmacy. Interesting thought about roll-your-own filters, I've still got some slim filters so I might try that.

Ahh, I've never heard modern synthetic stuff called that (actually I didn't know pharmacies had anything but cotton). Must be an old term from when it was natural fiber and it sticks in your older country, or I've just never had a need to hear that term being used in a pharmacy.
It think it was called angel floss when I was into tropical fish.

[TropicalBob]

Long ago, I wrote here about buying and trying polyester filter material used for fish tank filtering. There were immediate concerns about heated vapor, etc, etc. I swear, it's the same stuff used by E-Cig in their carts.

To test, I burned both core material from an E-Cig cart and a core I'd made from a pinch of the polyester fish material (ridiculously cheap at any pet store). Both burned exactly the same and left exactly the same sized black lump of hard stuff. Yeh, it's same stuff.

I don't make my own cores any more. They're cheap enough to buy and refill. I refill carts all day, and wash 'em infrequently. But, yes, polyester fish filter stuff works. I never observed it to overheat or burn or scorch so I'm not running around shouting the sky is falling to anyone who might want to try it.

[TxTrouble]

I bought the poly-fil you use for making quilts. I purchased it at Walmart. It is about the same thickness in the 901 cart. I have tried it in one of my carts and so far it is going fine. Only time will tell I suppose.