DIY window exhaust vent

Rather than reinvent the wheel with a whole new thread, I’m just going to add links from various forum posts, to illustrate how others have tackled this task:

@marmak3261 was the very first PRU user, and when he received his unit he put together this extremely detailed post to explain his venting set up. It even includes a free laser design to help you create your own vent. This link is already included in this thread, but I am choosing to post it again because it really is that informative.

Blast gates are probably a good idea (read the whole thread, lots of good info here)

7 Likes

Okay, I found a short post on my venting setup - just going to copy it here instead of trying to find the link again:

We got this setup at Lowes I think. There are lots of different styles available. Just look in the dryer hose section at any hardware store.

IMG_3362

Talked to hubs and he actually adapted that Quick Connect by screwing it into the vent flange in the acrylic panel and filling the gap with clear silicone caulk to create a seal…it wasn’t designed to fit tightly originally.

On the other hand, it’s a leak proof seal, so I’d recommend anyone having issues to give the caulk a try. (Oh, and we used a worm clamp up at the top, not the little spring ones that come with the unit.)

3 Likes

I think I may have shown my venting solution somewhere already but I’ll drop this here in hopes it helps someone. There recently was a thread where somebody was concerned with venting it the window in Sub-Zero temps.
As you can imagine we have the same issues in Minnesota. I haven’t tested this in those temps but I’m confident it’ll be mostly effective :roll_eyes:
Here’s a really crappy video that at least hopefully conveys the concept…
https://photos.app.goo.gl/OXhM90uiwFmAKv872

8 Likes

I just got one today. Best $1.50 upgrade for the Glowforge yet.

2 Likes

Adding this one - it’s a novel approach to venting.

1 Like

@jetzel was kind enough to outline their vent set up with a step by step guide and links to materials:

3 Likes

If your vent is anywhere near ground level, you need a cover and filter on the end of your vent to prevent small animals from getting in (just a cover won’t prevent bugs from getting in). Any filter will reduce the air flow meaning the length of your vent hose has to be shorter. Many filters will tell you how many feet of ventilation they are equivalent to. Note that corners also reduce your total vent length. And flexible hosing is less efficient than straight tubes. If you’re building a panel you’re venting through, I recommend plywood instead of cardboard. Mice, rats, squirrels, etc., can and will chew through cardboard, particularly in the winter if they think it’s warmer inside. There’s a lot to get right.

My own situation is that the only openable window anywhere near where the Glowforge will be is 2’x4’, large enough for a person to climb through. It would cost me $1000+ to replace it because it is part of a 4’x9’ window. It can’t practically be opened halfway — it’s all the way open or it’s not. And if I put a vent in and leave it open, it is a security issue, not even counting the risk of animals. So, to avoid having to put my Glowforge in my garage, I will have to build something 2’x4’ with a hose vent in it that I can put in place securely and remove quickly. Folding, as @jsc cleverly did, isn’t an option because it’s 2’ wide and 4’ tall. Plus I’ll have to operating with my blinds open instead of closed.

I’m not happy my filter is coming 5 months after my Glowforge.

1 Like

Adding a link to @blairondrla 's “DIY Window Flange Insert” build, which includes step by step instructions, clear photos and a shopping list :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Hi I am new to the GF community and was trying to figure out how I would set up my window ventilation system and this particular product seems to be the best out of everything ive seen (without having to make my own).

Moreover, it’s now wide enough for my 45 inch window. Any suggestions? Hopefully I am not 2/3 years too late :sweat_smile:

I’m still using it and it still works just fine. I don’t like leaving my venting permanently in the window like a lot of people do and this is the least inconvenient way to do it. You can just gather up the hose and insert and lay it on top of your Glowforge when you’re not using it.

I say go for it!

hi @cynd11 thanks for responding back!

i actually meant to say that the vent is NOT wide enough (not “now wide enough”).

Do you have any suggestions for maybe using the vent in a window that’s wider than the vent can expand to?

Well, you could use your Glowforge to make a side piece to put in each time you put the vent in the window. Just measure after putting the vented piece in. You could edge the extra piece with air conditioning insulation or window insulation so it would seal better against the main piece.

That’s what I would do anyway. Good luck!

1 Like

My Glowforge is next to one of those windows that you crank out, so the opening is long and thin with triangles at the top and bottom.
On Amazon I found a long thin piece of fabric with triangular ends and a zipper down the middle. You attach it to your window with velcro, and mine stays attached to the window all the time. I only open the window when I am using my Glowforge - I would not trust this thin fabric in a Pennsylvania winter! You unzip the area where your hose goes out. One mod I did, is to add a couple of magnets to the top to act as a weight to pull down the fabric so that my window can easily close completely.
The company that makes the one I bought is Airly

2 Likes

Could you share this again

Seems I’ve deleted that video but it was just showing essentially what jsc posted above. it’s hinged to make it
easier to get in and out and I cut a piece of insulation board to fit on top of the window to eliminate most of the draft.

1 Like

I do, I do! I have a vertical opening also and I have NO CLUE where to start with making a window panel. Glowforge just arrived today and the cut draftboard smell is giving me a headache. Any help would be so appreciated!

1 Like

You should not operate the machine indoors without a vent or a filter.

2 Likes

Those files on my computer at home, will send a PM when I get back!

1 Like

I have a vertical window opening and bought a thingy on Amazon. Scroll up a couple posts and you can see the pictures. If you want something more permanent the pictures may be able to help you design it.

Well, I ended up working out a setup for my own window and took a few pics; hopefully, this helps someone else!

This is a “permanent” install (until I move someday), so I wanted the main piece to be acrylic so I could still use the window even with the vent installed. Based on a lot of other designs I’ve seen here, I wanted something that would allow for a quick-release of the hose and an airtight plug to put in said hole when the GF isn’t on. These are the supplies I got from Home Depot (along with an 8 piece set of #10-24 x 3/4in Flat Phillips bolts with nuts).

I went ahead and installed the male end of my Dryer Duct-to-Wall Connection to the hose itself, using foil tape and a worm clamp to try and get it as airtight as possible, as well as replacing the spring clamp with another worm clamp on the back of GF. Stinky smell is gone!

I dry fit the hose and the plug to the female end of my Dryer Duct-to-Wall Connection; both fit great! On to the panel.

I didn’t want to ruin the acrylic so my husband suggested cutting a test out of cardboard first. I used a permanent marker (extra fine point) to trace all the holes in the female end of my D D-t-W C onto cardboard and then cut out the circles and tested the fit. The little holes lined up perfectly but the big circle was too small to go around the outside of the tube (I traced the inside of the tube, which doesn’t account for the exterior thickness of the tube itself). The top hole in the picture was my first try.

So, back to the GFI. I added circles from the Premium Beta and laid those overtop my traced lines, made the big circle a little bigger, and cut again. Second time fit like a charm.

After that was made, my husband measured the lengths of the gaps where the weatherstripping would go (in the window tracts around all four sides of the acrylic panel). We cut and placed the weatherstripping, added a wooden chalk to hold the sliding window panel in place and it’s done!

Sadly I don’t have a .svg file of what I did since I literally made it up as I went, but once I had all the pieces the whole thing took about 20 minutes. Hopefully this helps someone else! I was pretty worried about wasting materials or screwing something up and the simple addition of making it from cardboard first really freed me up to go for it and get it made. Looking forward to what else I can do with this thing! :raised_hands:

10 Likes