Finally finished my most requested tutorial video on how to clean the air assist fan. Putting this in beyond the manual just because it’s not 1 for 1 what is said in the glowforge support guide. I had to do some step by step edits and voice over to get it down to a 5 min how to (1 min intro) and get straight to the point. I hope this helps others out who haven’t cleaned their air assist fan before:
I have been using a vacuum connected to the vent and pouring Purell hand sanitizer through it. The vacuum creates a good breeze and sucks out all the stuff and the rotation of the fan has a similar enough movement that the cotton swabs would have little to find,
This way the carriage does not need to be removed, and several places like the white cable,and the belt tightening that could go wrong are not disturbed. However, doing so that way, I have never seen how much stuff was removed and as good as your fan looked, that was an amazing amount removed,
I clean mine from the top when connected all the time too but with straw cleaners and air duster. This is the first time taking apart since getting it. So there was way more then I thought too
My white cable hasn’t been disconnected in years. The head windows, mirror and lens can be easily cleaned without disconnecting the head.
Also, I can easily remove the belt from the pulleys without loosening the pulley with an Allen wrench. The belt is intentionally tight but pulling down and out on the belt as it is wrapped around the pulley will allow it to come off. Same thing for putting it on. As always, that’s my experience, your mileage may vary.
what size t-bit is needed to take off the screws on the air assist?
You need a T10 star bit to take off the back of the air assist.
I cleaned my air assist fan for the first time today. As I’m following the directions in this video to put it back on, I tighten the pulley on the right, but the belt is still very loose. I can’t seem to tighten any more either, and I’m worried about forcing it. When I loosened it originally, I barely moved the Allen wrench and the belt just fell off, so I assumed I wouldn’t have to tighten it very much.
Any advice?
Are you holding the wheel to the right as you tighten it? The wheel moves back and forth of a tension. Hold it in place to the right as you tighten.
Oh my goodness, thanks to you I figured it out! I saw that the wheel should be able to move, but I assumed that tightening it was what moved it back and forth. Based on your recommendation, I tried pushing it to the right, but it wouldn’t budge. But then I finally thought, “Wait. What if tightening it holds it in place?” So I loosened it, and sure enough, it easily moved to the right! I’ve tightened it firmly while pushing it all the way to the right. Hooray! Thank you for the missing piece in my logic!
No problem. I think I mentioned it in the video at one point too. But I know it was a short explanation
You did mention it. I rewatched it several times to figure it out. But I didn’t understand what it meant until this comment. There’s a reason I usually end up asking for help. lol. Being handy gives me anxiety, and my husband is out of town, as well as the two people in the neighborhood I would turn to next. So glad there’s an online forum to help me figure it out for myself! 
For sure. I’m glad you got it to work.
This video is very helpful thanks for posting.
cleaned my for the first time today, it was filthy.
Thanks
Bernie
You’re welcome
Just wanted to add that I really appreciate all the help and support in this community over the years. Just cleaned my air assist fan for the first time and the video made it super easy. It was so dirty I’m not sure how I avoided starting a fire.
No problem anytime
