when to refill your carbon filter

Dr. Who said:

I posted this in another thread.....it fits here perfectly!

Why throw it out? You can wash and recharge that carbon!

Use a mild biodegradable soap in RO or deionized water. Put in the carbon and swish it around for about 15 min. Drain and rinse, 3 times, soaking/swishing the carbon for 10 min the first 2 times.
Now dry it and bake it in an oven at 250 deg till dry.....The heat does the "recharge" as it dries out. The mild soap removes any accumulated oils that it may have absorbed (only in the surface pores [on the carbon] are where these oils get trapped).

This is how a major drug company does it's lab filter carbon.

Doc

P.S. You might try the oven recharge first as that has good effect if your whole filter fits and you don't feel you want to tackle removing the carbon....Be sure to take off the white "prefilter" first.

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raggyb said:

oh wow this is 2015 post. how bad does it smell when you bake it? read someone said it's bad. is it like down the block bad?

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Dr. Who said:

Once washed and rinsed. No stink that I ever had an issue with.

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HipChum said:

Every filter I’ve taken apart had foam inside between the carbon and the end caps. Could possibly melt if whole filter is placed in the oven.

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