Have you had much luck with the AC Infinity filter box removing smoke? I’m in the process of setting mine up! Curious to know how long your MERV filter lasts. Thanks!
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I am so sorry for the delay! I saw the reply but then got distracted. For three days.
I honestly can’t tell you how much smoke is removed. I am down in my basement and I can’t get upstairs and outside safely to visualize what’s actually coming out.
I can tell you that it smells like someone was grilling, except roasting coffee, when I go outside to replace the window well cover.
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Wonder if you might direct the exhaust pipe up and extend it out of the well and put a rain cap on it. Then put a rain tight roof flashing in the well cover. That way the smoke is guaranteed not to wend its way back in, and you don’t have to go outside (in the rain!) to remove and reinstall the rain cover for the well when you roast.
-Gray
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Hi, new here! I am researching venting advice, and I see your auto-stir device on the cooling bowl. I was about to purchase that same one. Does it do the job?
It works great.
There is more information about the auto-stir device in this thread:
Including links to the stirrer and the optional wire stir pieces.
Credit to @billc of course.
I love the stirrer. I can’t go back to doing it by hand… like a mere mortal.
LOL, but the truth is the truth…
Hi Folks,
I would like to know how you handle the exhaust sediments in your setup.
My aluminum flex pipe now - after 35 roasts - has a lot of coffee oil and some chaff dust inside and I have replaced it with a new one, because you do not get all of that dirt out of it.
I think this is a good idea when you do not want to get fire break out in the exhaust pipe sometime.
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Depending on what your setup looks like some of us use a furnace filter placed before the blower.
I appreciate the desire to keep the exhaust system clean, but the likelihood of a fire is fairly remote, assuming the roaster itself is not on fire. The exhaust temps just aren’t that high. If you are using a powered ventilation system, there should be a substantial air gap between the ventilation pie and the roaster, which will considerably reduce the temperature, as well.
-Gray
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I cut round holes out of a cheap blue fiber furnace filter. I use two round pieces in the exhaust pipe to keep my inline fan blades cleaner longer. I have a hood over the exhaust and a short 1 ft pipe connected to that. I used an adapter to hold the filters and connect to my S4 fan via another flexi pipe. I take the filters out when they get dirty and clean them with the shop vac. They get cleaned in solution whenever I clean the chaff basket. You still get oil and dust in the pipe near the roaster. I brush and vac the pipe during a deep clean but the oily residue stays. I flipped the pipe once so the cleaner end was near the roaster. After about 200 roasts the pipe smelled too much and I replaced it.
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I haven’t cleaned out my S6 in probably a few hundred lbs, now I’m scared 
plus I run without a chaff filter and exhaust all the chaff. I’m sure it will make a good soup when I clean it.
Hey guys,
I’m just about the get my bullet and also planning to set it up at home so I would like to hear from you all what you think about the limits I have coming from my kitchen exhaust hood.
It has a flow rate of 229 CFM (390 m3/h) and I’m also going to roast batches of not more than 250gr.
It’ll be really helpful to hear what you all think and also suggestions.
I think that should be sufficient for such small batch but this might also depend how dark you plan to roast. I assume also that your exhaust hood exhausts out? If so one key thing is to ensure that the space you are roasting in will be able to have an air source to make up for what is being drawn out by the exhaust hood (i.e. “make up air”). That source can be an open door, window (preferred) a little further away from the exhaust hood.
I don’t know what the building code is local to where you are when where I am, when I had a 900CFM range hood installed I had to ensure there is make up air especially for use in the winter, so my plumber installed a “fan in a can” in my basement that will draw air from outside and it is set to be triggered at a certain setting on my hood. My contractor then trimmed the bottom of the door that goes into the basement a little bit so the air can flow better.
Hope that helps.
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hey @blacklabs , thanks for that prompt answer.
I doubt very much I will roast dark.
The exhaust hood is a conventional one that exhausts out, that’s right. When it comes to air source, I could have a window open (I’m in Spain and now during the summer we reach up to 37 degrees and it is also very humid) but I’ll have them close this time of the year, but I do have air conditioner that gets air in and also air out, hopefully that’ll be enough?
I think that should be sufficient if you have it turned on. One other thing you may want to consider (as discussed elsewhere in this thread) is a filter to trap the particles from roasting so it doesn’t end up clogging your exhaust hood - I think it is important to ensure longevity of your hood motor and fan. As for the window, even just a small opening will be sufficient - just a crack. I do that in the winter where I am in the northeast of US as it gets more of the roasty smell out when the air source is a little closer to the hood.
@blacklabs glad to hear it might be enough! I was also thinking kinda the same after reading all the comments in this thread.
I’m definitely gonna get that filter. (if you have any suggestion about a filter, happy to hear).
As soon as I get the bullet and I set it, I’ll share it with you all.
Thanks!