# Cotton balls in place of filter floss?



## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Edit: Nevermind....it just hit me that cotton will probably rot. Going to walmart and buying some polyester wool for pillows. I know that won't break down.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Yes, cotton is a bad idea. Get polyester batting, open cell foam, or felt from a fabric store. The batting does not hold up to repeated use though, the foam and felt are great.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

vann59 said:


> Yes, cotton is a bad idea. Get polyester batting, open cell foam, or felt from a fabric store. The batting does not hold up to repeated use though, the foam and felt are great.


OK...yeah I bought some poly-fil batting and it shreds too easy. I still have it in my filter anyways. Do you prefer open cell foam or felt? I am thinking about actually buying the refillable rite seize cartridge for my penguin 350 and lightly filling with the batting so it does not shred. Thoughts?


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## brinkles (Jan 30, 2011)

That sounds ideal. I've been using the original cartriges for a year now, I just blow them off with the garden hose.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

Wal-mart sells something called Nu-foam II it is about 2 inches thick in a square. It's for seat
cushion stuffing. You can pull it apart and make 3 3/4 inch pieces out of it and cut it to fit what
ever filter you have. It's rigid enough to slide right into a HOB, and holds up pretty good. I just
rinsed it well and soaked it in a bucket with a little Prime.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

football mom said:


> Wal-mart sells something called Nu-foam II it is about 2 inches thick in a square. It's for seat
> cushion stuffing. You can pull it apart and make 3 3/4 inch pieces out of it and cut it to fit what
> ever filter you have. It's rigid enough to slide right into a HOB, and holds up pretty good. I just
> rinsed it well and soaked it in a bucket with a little Prime.


Thanks for the tips guys. I will look for this next time I am at wal mart.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> vann59 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, cotton is a bad idea. Get polyester batting, open cell foam, or felt from a fabric store. The batting does not hold up to repeated use though, the foam and felt are great.
> ...


I tried to reuse the original 'C' type inserts but wasn't happy with the results. I removed the old carbon and used a dish scrub to fill in the opening that I had to cut in the filter floss, but it clogged up too fast.

The felt is good for polishing the water, but it will need to be cleaned pretty often, because it filters on a two dimensional surface, very finely, so you have to clean that often. But since I got the foam, a sheet of open cell foam, about 3/8" thick from a local fabric store, I have super clear water, and it seems as if it will almost never get clogged up. Foam has a three dimensional filtration, which basically equates to more filtration surface area. I wouldn't get foam too thick for a penguin filter though, because you need to allow room for the water to enter the chamber before it passes through the foam, exposing the larger side surface of the foam to the water flow. 
I use a media basket as a barrier in the second slot, and place the foam on the intake side of the basket. The foam may take a little longer than the felt to really start polishing the water, but it's working great for me. The way I use it, you can use both foam and felt if needed, and then when you remove the foam for cleaning, the felt will catch the grunge that escapes from the foam.


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