Hello all. I’ve been looking into installing an inline fan and just have a question before I pull the trigger on it. Right now I vent straight outside (1) 90* and 16" of hose. I live in the suburbs surrounded by homes. I mostly cut wood, so I’m not worried about the smell however I can hear the loud whistling from my forge 2 blocks away. I know the inline fan is supposed to cut down 90% of the noise, just making sure it will also eliminate this whistle.
That seems very strange. Mine doesn’t whistle like that, even being in the same room. Yes, the inline fan definitely makes it quieter, but even without it, a GF definitely isn’t that noisy. A little irritating to be in the same room with it, but hardly even noticeable in another room. Sounds like there something isn’t quite right with your machine. Are you sure it’s really level and that you took out all the packaging, etc., when you set it up? I know that may sound like a silly or rude question, and I don’t mean it that way. It just shouldn’t be that noisy at all, even without an inline fan.
My machine does not whistle…I get a very musical hum when it’s cutting curves, but since I don’t ever remember a whistling, I don’t know if it’s just your machine. I have an inline fan, nothing is whistling now.
Maybe a better way to describe it is a High pitched Mechanical hum?
My hum comes from everything moving along the gantry. It can be heard inside, but not really much from outside, even though it’s right next to my poorly insulated window.
You could toggle the exhaust fan off and do a quick engrave on tile or slate to see if the sound is gone. That is what you will hear when you install the inline fan.
If it is the inline fan you would hear it with the machine off and the fan on.
My glowforge sings, If you hearing a very loud hum you MAY be low of coolant
(just experienced that)
I don’t know if I experienced the same thing, but definitely an audible tone beyond the exit. Originally, we were on 5-pretty quiet acres and I could definitely hear it for a little ways outside (100-yards). I think the in-line fan will get rid of that for you. You’ll get the equivalent of a 20-30 mph wind noise outside for a few feet but it dissipates quick.
@sradford07 lets do a quick experiment
go into your settings and turn on the glowforge air filter - and run a quick job
everything should be quiet, except the singing of the laser.
if there is any ANY loud humming, or whistle, there is an issue,
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Thank you! Yes, I checked it with the fan off… it is so much quieter. ill definitly be looking into the inline fan setup ASAP. I’ve seen a few threads about the infinity 6".
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I could definitely hear the high pitch component of the built-in fan’s noise from several houses away down the street from my own. I cannot hear the inline fan even right outside my own house. It will solve any problems/worries you have about neighbors hearing it.
My 6" Vivosun inline fan is virtually silent in the next room, the GF intake fans mask it when on, and I often forget to turn it off. I tried “alexa, turn on glowforge fan for (print time) minutes” but that doesn’t work.
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I’ve been debating getting a timed outlet but everyone I see is really overengineered or really underengineered.
I may end up arduinoing the thing with a relay, but ugh. I just want to be able to punch in a time and have it auto-off after that. I don’t want a vacation light timer, nor do I want it in 30 minute increments…
OK wait a second, I think this is the solution:
https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-FD2HW-Spring-Loaded-Automatic-shut-off/dp/B003A3YBC2
They have a model that goes up to 4 hours, that’s actually perfect, I never do anything longer than that… and even if I did, I could certainly remind myself to come back within 4 hours and extend it.
Of course, why would I need to do that? I sit and watch the laser for the entire time, of course, and never walk away from long jobs.
…annnnyway, I think this timer might be in my future. I’m sick of that fan accidentally running after the job.
I kept looking a bit and found a few digital timer power strips, but they’re all “programmable” like you’re on vacation. I’m surprised there isn’t an easily obtained simple digital countdown outlet timer.
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I use a smart switch from wemo controlled by an app. This allows me to turn on the blower by voice (vial alexia) or with the app, or should I find myself near the end of the power cord, via the button on the switch or via a timer. I have a timer set to turn it off at the end of the day no matter what.
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Sounds cool, but I’m pretty resistant to smart devices, they are a little too much security hole/maintenance/point of failure for me. I just want a simple timer on an outlet, which is proving difficult to find.
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If it helps, this is what mine sounds like with the inline (a 4" vivosun)
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Hockey game?
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i call it glowforge “singing”
A frequent background noise in my house 
A few folks have talked about trying to figure out a cut that sings to a recognizable tune, but AFAIK it hasn’t happened yet.
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