So we got our GF Pro in December, we have just been cutting proofgrade draft board, the machine maybe has 10 hours on it. I have had the filter running at the new setting with no issue, after cuts we let the filter run longer to get the particulates through as recommended. Since day one, our house has smelled like a smokehouse, The clamps and fittings are secure on the back of the machine and the filter. I checked the filter it doesn’t look like its that dirty. My GF pro for the first time, stopped operating and had to “cool” for about 10-15 minutes, our house is temp controlled at 75 degrees. Since then, smoke has been staying in the machine with the filter setting turned all the way up. I figured as you used the machine, you would have to turn up the filter gradually, not just have it stop all of a sudden. I checked the back to see if the port was dirty, yeah there is some stuff but no clog, again the machine hasn’t run that much. I have sent in a support request. I wish they had folks to talk to on the phone. I realize the draftboard is dirty and will clog up everything, but the machine had been running perfectly with some small operator errors. I am concerned though since we have been having the smell since day one that maybe the filter hasn’t worked properly from the start? The kids comment all the time about how bad it smells and my office/workroom smells like BBQ for the last three weeks. Any advice, tips is appreciated.
Time to buy a replacement cartridge for the filter. The draftboard has clogged it prematurely. (There’s no recovering from that, even if it looks clean, the pore sizes have been reduced.)
Try dialing the fan speed up to Full on the filter, and you might get another print out of it. But don’t keep running it if there is visible smoke coming out of the machine. It’s not worth making yourself and your family sick over.
You can order a new one at the Glowforge Shop in the Spare Parts section.
And no more draftboard. 
Thank you, It’s smelled like a smokehouse since day one, is that normal? I can understand some odor, but it’s like i’m making bbq in my office. The wife and kids complained, i just gritted my teeth and figured it was the cost of doing business.
Oh no, you should get a whiff when you open the lid after a cut, but nothing excessive.
You might also want to check the seals around the port on the back of the machine and the top of the filter…if needed you can seal it better with aluminum tape. That actually is air tight, other tapes, including duct tape, are not.
I prefer to use worm clamps on the hose, but you have to be very careful not to overtighten them or you can crack the case, and that wouldn’t be covered under warranty. They seal better. And check the hose itself for pinhole leaks.
But about 95% of the smell created by these things is from burnt resin and smoke residue on the masking. Weed the cut parts immediately and throw the masking into a ziplock bag to cut down on the smell in the room.
I have found that the quart sized V-8 bottle is just the right size to grab the port tightly and still be easy to take off and on, I still need a lot of tape to put the hose on the sliced bit of bottle,
I had the same experience with the filter as you, I was cutting mostly 1/8" baltic birch and the filter cartridge was filled up in less than month. Most of my cuts were just learning the settings and how to use the GF. I ordered a replacement filter but I also came up with a setup for venting out of a window, it isn’t ideal for me because I have to run the exhaust hose on he floor in the middle of the room but it works very well and there’s absolutely no odor. I’m using a booster fan at the end of the run. My plan going fwd is to vent outside whenever possible and only use the filter for those times when weather/time do not allow me to setup my vent system.
I see you already emailed us about this and we’re working on it there, so I’m going to close this topic.