so i have a 700 watt fiber laser cutter.

its a chinese machine (golden laser) but uses an IPG laser source.

I recently started having problems with the chiller giving me an 01 error that is apparently a water flow problem.

i checked all the hoses, i changed the water (water was perfectly clean) and i then connected both the inlet and outlet on the chiller to one hose so i could rule out any blockage in the laser itself.

Even after connecting the inlet to the outlet on the chiller i still got the error so im convinced the issue is with the chiller system flow and not the laser flow.

my chiller has two filters hanging off the back, one is a resin filter and the other is a particulate filter...i thought that maybe the filters needed to be changed so i removed them and the error disappeared so i assume the flow issue is with these filters although they didnt appear dirty and they are not old. . there is also a small, inline metal screen filter that i checked and i found that it was blocked with some of the tiny media balls from the resin filter so i guess some of the filter media has escaped the filter case. i threw out the damaged filter.

so now im left thinking either the exterior canister filters were in need of replacement and they were causing the flow issue, or more likely, the small screen in line filter that was clogged with filter media is what was causing the flow issue.

either way i ran the system without the canister filters and with the inline screen filter cleaned and replaced and the error is gone.

i cant get the exterior canister filters replaced for a couple weeks and i have an important job that i need done now. since i just changed the water and its brand new, do you guys think it would be safe to run the laser without the filters for a while until i can get them replaced?

i have seen some fiber laser chillers online that dont appear to even use canister filters at all so im questioning if they are even necessary at all if using distilled water with frequent water changes.

im using distilled water.

advise would be appreciated.