Overheating and not cooling back down for hours...if at all

Community Support
21

@mactoddy,

Those photos do show a potential issue with the way that you have it set up, and it’s going to be pretty easy to fix/check…

You have a longer than necessary run on the hose. The fans in the Compact Filters have to pull a vacuum to draw the smoke out of the machine, and long runs of tubing will reduce that efficiency. If you can move the filter closer to the Glowforge and shorten the hose, or tape the accordion folds closed so that it doesn’t sag down, you might find that the leaking issues with the smoke go away. Keep the run on the hose as short and straight as possible.

It is possible that if you have been cutting draftboard to have prematurely clogged the filter, but some of it might be that long run. Try adjusting that first.

22

I did try this and I cut off about a food and a half of my line and made it a straight run. Same result.

23

Were you cutting any draftboard during those 5 hours of cutting?

1 Like
24

Low res version.

(Attachment IMG_0854_2.ico is missing)

25

I’m sorry, I’m not following…your attachment didn’t come through. Low res version of what?

26

Yes.

27

It was a video of the smoke coming out from all locations, even the button spot.

28

Darn! Unfortunately, the draftboard might have clogged the filter, either partially or fully. (They recommend not cutting draftboard and MDF in the user manual and FAQ since the glues in it vaporize and become airborne, when they get to the filter they will narrow the pore sizes in the cartridge and reduce the ability of the fan to draw the smoke out of the unit.)

A replacement filter cartridge and the shortened hose will probably take care of the overheating problem on the unit, and the smoke leaking out. (But yeah, those cartridges are not cheap to replace.)

29

I’m sorry again for the confusion. We weren’t very clear, and I’ll be following up with the team here so we can do better in the future.

Glowforge Uses Negative Pressure

To prevent smoke and fumes from escaping, fans pull more air out than they push in. This creates negative pressure which keeps smoke and fumes from escaping from the seams around the lid.

If the exhaust fan isn’t performing properly, the exhaust vent is obstructed, the exhaust hose is constricted, or cartridge is full, air will not flow properly. If this happens, air (along with smoke and fumes) will be pushed out of your Glowforge along the lid seams.

This can also impact cooling.

Avoid Using Draftboard with the Filter

The other thing I wanted to highlight that @eflyguy and @jules also mentioned: We recommend against using Proofgrade Draftboard (or any other MDF products) with the filter.

Our FAQ has a section on this topic that includes:

Note that we have only tested, and can only recommend, Proofgrade materials. Materials from other sources may work just as well, but some materials may clog the cartridge almost immediately. For example, MDF products (including Proofgrade Draftboard) will dramatically lower your filter cartridge life.

Great! That would be the next thing I’d want to try.

If you’re still having trouble after replacing the cartridge, please let us know.

1 Like
30

before you replace the cartridge, I would suggest make sure your exhaust “hose” is as short as possible and Clean it out!

if you have an air compressor remove it and take it outside and blow out anything loose inside the hose. Otherwise you’ll just suck all of that crap right into the NEW filter!

31

I hope your Glowforge is performing well for you. Since we haven’t heard back about this issue, I’m going to close this ticket. We want you to enjoy your Glowforge and are here to help. If you have any other issues, please post a new topic or email support@glowforge.com.