Well once you capture the smell, it can’t really go anywhere else… Whether the smell is caught in a filter or masking tape, you still need to remove it. 
HEPA filters are great and all, but the more they capture the more they need to be replaced. It’s the difference between “odor capture” and “odor elimination”.
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So I got home and while it “smells a bit funny” in the basement, it doesn’t smell like cancer any more. I cleaned up all that filthy filthy masking and I’m going to proceed with taping the quick disconnect before starting the next round of 'speriments.
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@chris1 depending on what you’re cutting the smells vary. If you are cutting leather, well nothing short of a MOPP suit is protecting you from burning cow smell. Acrylic isn’t awesome either…
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Okay can anyone with a unit say if these carbon filters used for hydroponic setups would help. They are designed for indoor setups.
oh and there like 30 dollars or so…
The short answer is “probably not.”
There have been almost endless discussions about DIY filters which you might find useful.
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okay but why. the glowfilter is just carbon and a hepa or is it something else anyone know.
Seriously – lots of good info in the link I provided.
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Hi dwardio,
I’ve looked its mostly speculation . The only difference I can see based on the absolute lack of specifications from glowforge is the size of the filter area. I was hoping there might be someone with a sense of what might work. I currently have a 5 stage filter in my house which is not really needed for the glowforge. I was just wondering if the inline filter would be a bridge till the filter arrives. If I was going use the machine commercially I would just use a fume extractor and forget about the glowforge version as I could get a more all around type of machine that I could move from station to station.
-D
Why? Grow house filters are for odors, not toxic fumes. They are not going to provide the needed protection indoors. I won’t risk it. Period. YMMV.
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What not sure I follow you… the activated carbon is definitely for toxicity and of course smell. The hepa is just a particle filter. The flow rate for the air determines the carbon effectiveness. Which might mean that I have to hook up a few and branch out the flow to slow it down through the filters. What do you think is the material Glowforge is using for the toxic material? If I remember Dan said they would use carbon but that was a while ago not sure what tricks they have for filtration going on now.
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200cfm seems like a huge amount for that small space! I have an 800cfm that looks similar to the white fan that is designed for greenhouse exterior. I use it to vent glass melting fumes and that fan sucks! ;p Like lose your hand if it gets in front of the opening ;p It is also fairly loud, so moving it away from your space is helpful. I could see getting the white fan and hooking it up outside, only to be turned on after the glowforge is done (and maybe stabilizing the interior fan so it won’t spin).
Another option is to make a hooded vent that goes above the whole glowforge and just sucks up and out from there. Almost like a range vent, but bigger. You could even make it out of clear acrylic that only needs to be handcut and not 'forged. You would have to consider make-up air in that case, but if you still have issues after the semi-rigid, it might end up being the best solution.
I commiserate with your situation, particulates really bother me too.
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Tonight I put a shim under the front right corner to decrease the door gap and I taped around the quick disconnect coupler in my exhaust duct. I think the smells are diminished, although I didn’t do much heavy duty cutting. If it keeps up like this, it will be perfectly tolerable.
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Well I wouldn’t mind giving one of those a try when my time comes. I’m looking to do the DIY filter, personally. But one of the issues with those barrel filters is many (like that you linked) are put together with rivets instead of screws. So you’re either replacing them entirely, or you’re taking a drill bit to remove the rivets in order to replace the charcoal.
For what it’s worth, I just ordered the Fantech FR 125. I’m hoping its lower CFM rating isn’t an issue, because the idea of it being sealed and leakproof from the factory is highly appealing. I’ve also got some semi-rigid duct and flexible butyl foil tape arriving soon. I expect to spend Monday assembling all of it and at that point I will officially have done everything I can.
I’m starting to second-guess the semi-rigid though, since I have a Pro and a passthrough, it might be better to maintain the ability to pull it away from the wall.
Anyway, the smell is down to a minimum now, so I’m hoping if I put that fan right on the window end it will add some suction that will encourage everything to go outside, including when the machine shuts off and I open the lid.
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Hi Dan,
Yeah I think I may go that route, they seem inexpensive and I can place a few in parallel to increase the surface area. I was thinking of using a desk that has one of the those shelves above the back portion. They usually have about 12 inches in width by whatever the desk is in length. I was thinking a sealed box could have a few of these pointed up and the exhuast/inlet hose from the Glowforge on one end. In fact the box could serve two purposes to slow the air flow and have some of the carbon pet filters my wife uses on her cats litter box. After all it only needs to last a few months. I have to pull out the cad software and put together a preliminay design.
Hi Chris,
I was wondering if since this post you were happy with the fan and duct solutions you mentioned. I’m not very tech savvy, I’m an art teacher and just got a glowforge in my classroom. The smell of fumes is terrible and I feel it unsafe to continue before finding a proper vent solution. I have windows that tilt outwards from the bottom. Any solutions you could offer since you seem like you tried everything? Did that fan thing work you mentioned? Also, any chance you could post more photos of your final setup? I’d really appreciate it. I’m a newb.
Thanks!
Molli
Molli, One thing I just discovered is that the Blast Gate I use to prevnt cold / water / etc from flowing BACK into the GF when it is off is actually a source of fume leakage, in case you are using one. The idea is great from a protection standpoint, but appears to be causing a separate issue.
So if you ARE using (or planning to use) a blast gate, be sure to get one that is airtight when the unit is operating.
Anything you introduce into the line needs to be caulked or taped (with aluminum tape) into place. Most are not sealed for fumes, they’re designed to direct air.
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I wish I could give you some advice but no matter what I do, there is still a noticeable but unfindable leakage.
Thanks! I don’t even know what that is. Everyone on here has a level of understanding waaaay above me. But I really appreciate the responses! I’ll hopefully figure it out. The school ordered an air filter for me but it’s just on back order. I’m guessing this is an issue a lot of other people are also experiencing.