My glowforge has condenstaion. I dried it as much as I could but when will it be safe to use it again and how can i prevent it from happening again?
I am located in Gulfport, MS so i see humitidy will be a problem
Are you using it indoors or outdoors? what’s the relative humidity?
Do you keep the vent hose attached to the outdoors while it is not in use?
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Assuming you are venting outdoors, it needs to be closed off unless you have positive airflow. In other words, while the exhaust fan is running (during a print), or with an inline duct fan.
Natural airflow through a home will draw air in through any opening, and if you have your duct permanently attached, it is a major “hole” for air to enter when not running.
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We live on the gulf coast so humidity is horrible. So i just need to disconnect hose from the outside vent when not in use?
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You can also look at “blast gates” to close it off. There are several designs to make your own right here on the forum.
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Awesome, thank you ! How soon will i be able to use it. I left it off overnight and made sure all was dry. I turned it on but Ive not used it yet
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i[quote=“cabhp99, post:4, topic:65752”]
We live on the gulf coast so humidity is horrible.
[/quote]
I am in Tampa (that was so humid they could make cigars before air conditioning) I have a Vivosun 4" inline fan that runs 24/7 but the exhaust port also has a one-way flapper-doodle that would block air coming in anyway. and never a condensation issue except all the wood vapors that condense everywhere 
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I live in DC, which is no Tampa but was built on a swamp. I have a similar set up. I keep an inline fan running at all times with the one-way flaps and have never had an issue with backdraft.
Links to the products that make it up:
One more component: I also have a magnetic coupling in the mix, so if I ever do need to fully disconnect the line, I can do so easily.
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100 CFM is pretty weak. Even the 190 CFM of the $35 Vivosun is too weak when cutting smokey woods, but I can leave the internal exhaust fan off for most other stuff.
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That’s fair, I’ve been meaning to upgrade. I guess I should say that I’ve never had condensation or backdraft issues, but it doesn’t fully exhaust while cutting.
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Yeas, with the airflow through the machine rated around 200 CFM, that fan presents an obstruction.
I use a booster rated at 190 and it works well for me, although both the exhaust fan and the fan grill are removed.
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I just moved from the Gulfport area, and any time I left my vent open to the outside, I’d have condensation in the GF. Keeping the vent closed when not in use solved the problem
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Well if you turned it on and the magic smoke didn’t escape… You are probably ok to use it. 
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How do you like the magnetic dryer vent coupling? I was considering getting one. I live in South Louisiana which is extremely humid, so I disconnect my hose from the outside every time I am done using it. This sounds like an easy way versus the clamp.
Celeste
I’ve found the “Glowforge mounted blast gate” the easiest solution for this. Since it connects right on the back of the Glowforge, it’s easy for me to remember… turning on the machine means reaching behind each side of the machine to hit the power switch and open the gate, turning off the machine means reaching behind to hit the power switch and close the gate.
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Sorry I haven’t been on the forums in quite a while – I got it anticipating disconnecting all the time, but in the end I haven’t had to. But it is very easy to connect/disconnect.
My Pro just had tons of condensate on the inside and lid. Accompanied by amber light, flickering LEDs and stuttering fan. Never had an issue with humidity before, but we’ve been under steady rainfall for two weeks now. Wiped everything down as best I could and am now letting it air dry. Fingers crossed that it will come back to life but I doubt it. I’ve had it for a year and a half, so no warranty anymore. I use it for fine art and really love the effects I can get with my work, but I won’t be replacing it. I’ll start looking into an X-carve next.
It might very well work once everything dries out, and if it does I’m sure you will disconnect the vent when the weather is unusually nasty. Good luck!
you might find some dessicant product you could put in there to suck the moisture out.
If you don’t leave the vent hose hanging out the window, this won’t happen. If you do let it happen, even if you dry out the interior and the printer still works, you have done permanent damage to it. GlowForge should really, really, emphasize this in the user manual - ONLY CONNECT THE VENT TO THE OUTSIDE WHEN YOU ARE USING THE PRINTER, DISCONNECT UNDER ALL OTHER CONDITIONS.
Each time you condense moisture on the inside of the machine, it is causing corrosion. Both the mechanical components and the electrical components are degraded. Dried out again, maybe everything still works fine forever, or maybe it fails the next time you use it, it is impossible to predict beyond a general statement that probability of failure increases with these kinds of environmental “acceleration factors”.
To avoid condensation within the machine, never, ever leave the vent connected to the outside when the printer is not in use.