Thoughts on a pipe storage cabinet.

[nortac]

Since SWMBO is intolerant of tobacco smells, my lowly collection of pipes have been relegated to my small work shop/storage area off the carport outside the main house. Not quite sure how my collection has expanded so quickly (exploded!), but the already overcrowded shop space is no longer the ideal place for my pipes and related items. And open air pipe racks are out of the question for inside the house. So I'm contemplating building something like a glass fronted bookcase with one of those small area ozone generating air cleaners inside to eliminate or at least minimize the residual baccy smell of many pipes. I don't plan on the case being air tight, per say. Wondering if anyone has done something similar or has other suggestions for such a storage system for inside the house that eliminates residual tobacco odors. Cover up scents are not an option.

 

[PinoySteel]

The area ozone generating thing won't work well enough. Indoor (ahem) gardeners use carbon scrubbers. You can extract the air from the cabinet with a PC fan and use ducting to pass it through activated charcoal. The charcoal will need replacement eventually, but it'll work a treat for your situation if you're willing to set it up. You might want an intake fan too to help with drying out your pipes and keeping the air moving.

 

[COHunter]

I store mine in a cabinet my wife found for me, it's an old entertainment center cabinet with shelves (one that slides out) and a storage compartment on the bottom. I'm on the other end of the spectrum as it relates to smoking inside, I indulge in my home. That said, I honestly don't find that there's really a strong lingering smell from the pipes themselves after I'm done. I empty the ash, give the bowl a quick scrape and run a pipe cleaner down the stem if I remember. I think you'd actually be ok with an ozone generator, not to disagree with the carbon scrubber but those indoor "gardners" have a much stronger odor to overcome.

One tip, if you are going to put a fan of any kind in there make sure you jar up your tobacco or it'll dry out on you. Obviously sealed tins excepted.
Ok, one more tip... another thing that helps your pipes stay fresher is to get them out in the sunshine a bit, have some fresh air.. I wouldn't put them in direct blazing sunlight, but a half hour in partial sunlight on a nice slightly breezy day will help.

 

[nortac]

Thanks for the input. The carbon scrubber idea sounds good in theory, but it's execution seems a bit too bulky, maintenance heavy and obtrusive. Perhaps if all else fails. Walkers Briar Works uses an ozone chamber to sanitize and deodorize pipes. As a former non-smoker, I notice a definite residual tobacco odor when I enter my small shop where I currently store my pipes, and I clean them out pretty good after using them. I suspect the success or lack thereof will largely depend on the quality and efficiency of the ozone generator in question, as online reviews of such units seem to be all over the map.

 

[bbauer09]

I bought a nice big wooden box. Looks almost like a humidor. It works great.

Usually I just leave the pipes out on my desk on a pipe rack but if I know its bothering anyone else I just pop em into the box and the smell disappears.

 

[PinoySteel]

Ozone also comes with potential health issues--I wouldn't want to be in a room with an ozone generator for too long!

I live in an apartment with non-smokers and if I bring a pipe back inside and put it in my rack after use, everyone complains. I'm moving my collection down to my office (I work alone)!

 

[ReAndyMator]

I wouldn't want to be in a room with an ozone generator for too long!

Better stay out of the office then. Laser printers make nice ozone generators....

 

[Liberty_2112]

You might be over thinking this. I would try to start out simple. Try just an enclosed container, without any air filters or filtration systems. A cedar box? Sometimes out of sight, out of mind, out of smell. Maybe place an air freshener or scented candle of your wife's choosing somewhere near the box, but not in it. This may solve your scent problem.

If you try something like this and it doesn't work, then you can move up to phase 2 and try to implement some sort of filtration system.

Good luck. I'm interested to see how this turns out.

 

[PinoySteel]

Better stay out of the office then. Laser printers make nice ozone generators....[/COLOR]

Yeah, you can smell the ozone clearly! I'm self-employed and don't have a printer in my workshop

 

[nortac]

Ozone is only dangerous at higher concentrations. Most air freshening units are well within suggested safe limits. As mentioned before, cover scents like candles or Berger lamps, Glade air fresheners,etc., are not an option. As for over thinking it, perhaps, but mainly trying to gather ideas or see if anyone has other solutions that they have actually employed. Maybe an open box of Arm and Hammer baking soda would be sufficient, if inelegant. Ceder lined might be a way to go as well. In any event, this project is probably a few months out, as we are planning a move and renovation house projects have preempted all other projects for the time being. Thanks for all your input and advice. I will post results when the project actually gets underway.

 

[nortac]

This looks like a contender for the ozone unit for the storage cabinet build. http://www.amazon.com/Professional-...TF8&colid=2CZ64BH8YUPRP&coliid=I27TTNCE9KA1CN

 

[Liberty_2112]

As for over thinking it, perhaps, but mainly trying to gather ideas or see if anyone has other solutions that they have actually employed. Ceder lined might be a way to go as well.

I hope my "over thinking it" comment did not come across as rude. I definitely did not intend it in a negative manner.

Cedar lined box has worked for me.


Good luck.

 

[nortac]

I hope my "over thinking it" comment did not come across as rude. I definitely did not intend it in a negative manner.

Cedar lined box has worked for me.


Good luck.

Not at all, all input is welcome, thanks!

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

Funny how the timing of some threads work out. I was pondering this very issue myself. I had my brother over not long ago and he is an on again/off again cigar smoker. He said that when he came in the door he thought I had a partially smoked cigar stashed somewhere before spotting my pipes. Which I thought was disconcerting since I clean my pipes regularly. My wife smokes cigarettes and hasn't complained about any odors, but I know that any non-smokers will pick up on smoking smells, even when we smokers think there isn't any smell.

After discussing it with my wife she suggested I use a tupperware container to store the pipes, which although it would contain the smell, of course would be bad for the pipes to not air them out. I wonder if the cedar lined box may be along the same lines if there is no way to vent air through it. If the only thing is to get the smell out of the room perhaps it's an option. But I'd imagine the pipes would just stink a little worse each day with that method.

I am curious if an easy method crops up here, though luckily I am not being pressured by the significant other to resolve it.......

 

[nortac]

My idea of the pipe cabinet would not be air tight, there would be slight air flow, and the cedar be limited to the back panel. I envision an upright cabinet with with a glass front door that closes but does not seal, like the a fore mentioned glass front book case. An ozone generator would probably produce a small amount of positive pressure, depending on the design. I would probably keep the pipes on removable racks on shelves in the cabinet, so that they could be properly aired out, out of doors, from time to time.

 

[wolfmanxiii]

I've seen many DIY ideas for this purpose, but as long as it's enclosed I don't think it would stink the place up. I keep mine on one of my bookshelves in old solid wooden ACID cigar boxes and have no issues with smell. I think the cedar does a good job of acting as a natural deodorant (this is why your shoe-savers and hangers are made of cedar). Cigar boxes are cheap too which is another plus. The only downside is not really being able to display my pipes. Maybe a repurposed glass-top humidor would work?

 

[Dusty1]

I would personally build or find a small cedar box, throw a few pipes in it with a bit of baking soda for a month and then give it a sniff. If that really doesn't stop the smell you could then look further into an electronic device of your choosing.

That or get a few cats and put the litter box directly under the pipe rack, problem solved

 

[intotheforge]

I have the device Nortac linked to on Amazon. It is plugged in near a cat litter box. There is no doubt that it is effective at eliminating scents. I have it on the minimum output to keep from having an overwhelming ozone smell in the area. This, despite the fact that there are 3 cats in the house and this particular litter box is located in a fairly open area near an outside door. In my opinion, if you are putting one of these in a smaller room then you really need a smaller unit or you will be able to smell the ozone. If you put this unit directly inside your pipe cabinet...I don't really know what the result of that concentration of ozone would be on your pipes...but I doubt you would need to worry about any ghosts. I plan to put an unsealed wall mounted pipe rack and a shelf for jars of tobacco above the unit. This will work out great since I generally walk out that door for my evening smoke.

I've had this unit for less than a month. So, I can't judge longevity. I can say that after a years-long string of other air fresheners in the area, my wife is finally happy.

 

[nortac]

I ordered the GT50 unit linked above and put it in my shop/storage area where my pipes are stored now. The room is probably a bit over 50 sq. feet, but not much. It has been running about 48 hrs full tilt. The tobacco odors have been reduced but not eliminated as of yet. (It was heavy after cleaning several old pipes) I don't detect a heavy ozone smell despite having it turned all the way up. I'm a little disconcerted as to the longevity of the unit as the fan was a bit noisy right out of the box. Although the reviews are primarily positive, there are several negative reviews complaining of noisy fans that are short lived.

 

[intotheforge]

I can hear the fan in mine as well. Let's hope they last.