Getting conflicting stories on filter life. Wondering if this is going to be a 250 dollar monthly expense. If so I may return the filter and vent outside. Any first hand experiences?
Not sure if you’re aware that posting in Problems and Support opens a support ticket…is that what you wanted? For community support without getting staff involved, you can post in Everything Else instead.
As to your question – it depends on what you use it for. The filter life is abysmally short if you cut a lot of MDF, for example. You can blow through a filter in a matter of hours. If you only do acrylic and tiles, they could last you a long time. (Disclaimer: This is not from personal experience, but from reading hundreds of messages here on the forum.)
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Not sure you’ll find “conflicting stories” here. It’s pretty well established in dozens of posts (as hinted above) that it depends on your use and materials. They have some rough estimates posted here:
In general, the more particulates you produce, the quicker it will fill up. MDF (draftboard) and MDF-core plywood will fill it up faster. They say engraving will fill it up slower than cutting.
If you’re cutting draftboard 8hrs a day, you might need a filter every day or two. If you’re a casual user mostly cutting hardwoods, it might last a year or more.
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I wasn’t aware of that thanks for the heads up. I will be engraving and cutting primarily leather and faux leather so it appears I won’t have to replace the filter frequently. Based on info in the replies. Thank you
That’s useful info thanks
I will add that if you have the option of venting outside you should do it - hold on to the filter for when it’s raining or something. You can even set up a switch so you can keep both your filter and your outside vent hooked up and just switch between them.
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Quoted for truth.
Why spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on filters if you don’t have to? The filter is for the worst-case scenario, like you are in the International Space Station and can’t put a hole in the wall.
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I did because I’m a renter and didn’t want to mess up the side of this house. Now my filter has quit working all together though. It just died after completing a cut. With that said, I didn’t get the parts to vent outside, I’m assuming because I bought the filter?!!
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The only provided part is the vent hose. Everything else is up to you.
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Welcome to the forum. Those of us that didn’t get the compact filter got the same vent hose that you did. The vent hose is all that is supplied.
I made my version of this by cutting it out on the 
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We did the same thing, but added a fan to help suck the air out. My problem is it still stinks up my unfinished basement if I use it longer than 10 minutes. I’m moving and don’t have an unfinished basement and am worried about stinking up the living space of the house. Any tips?
If you do a search for vent setup, you’ll see a variety of things people do.
Metal tape to seal the connection joints, worm gear clamps to replace the one’s that came with the gf(do not overtighten or you’ll Crack the port!), buying an insulated ac flex duct to replace the very thin dryer duct(often gets pin holes in it), and there’s one about using a v8 bottle. And welcome to posting!
It may be that there’s very little air circulation in a basement - or it may be that I’m less sensitive to smells than you. I have it in my living room, and the only time smell ever gets mentioned is when I’m cutting leather - and even then it’s “it smells a little” not “OMG OMG what is that stench?”
Lol OK - yeah mine gets pretty bad almost like something is sucking the air from the tiny cracks of the lid of the glowforge into the basement
That sounds like your vent is getting blocked - have you cleaned your fans and hose recently? Especially if you’re cutting draftboard, but even plywood will clog it up - their should always be negative pressure (the smoke getting sucked into the ) when things are working correctly
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