Moisture in machine. Camera not found. Lid coming apart in the right corner

[AnjaliGill]

HELP!! The lid of my GF is coming apart and most recently the lid was covered in moisture. Now it says the camera is not found. I have tried to reach out to the GF support, but did not get any answers. Anyone else have this problem? Would much appreciate the help. Pics attached.

[evansd2]

Lots of people have had this issue, a quick search can show you all the advice they got.

https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=lid%20detached%20in:first

Good luck, support can take a while to get back to you – but they do a good job once they do.

[dklgood]

I believe that the moisture and the lid coming loose may be two different problems in that the lid coming off did not cause the moisture. Do you vent outdoors and do you disconnect the hose when the machine is not in use?

As for the lid coming off, consult the link in the previous post.

[AnjaliGill]

Thanks for the prompt response!

[AnjaliGill]

I vent outdoors and do not disconnect when not in use. Do you think that is the reason for the moisture?!! I do live in Florida, so it does get hot. Thanks a ton for the prompt response!

[evansd2]

@AnjaliGill

I vent outdoors and do not disconnect when not in use.

Do you have any sort of backflow preventer?

I live in GA, which is plenty humid… but I have a louvered vent cover that prevents air from coming back in. I never have moisture problems in 5-ish years of use.

Previously in louvered vents:

Ventilation through a wall - does this look good?

Blast gates are leaky. I’d go with a louvered vent. Like this: Livtor Plastic Louvered 6 Inches Dryer Vent Cover Outdoor(Total Unit Size 8 Inches x 8 Inches) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B4QPWDC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8RYRYX7TAX8BQ4JY75N0 On the absolute coldest nights you can leave the front door of your glowforge open, then your machine will stay room temp. The louvers will prevent back flow. I’ve had a setup like this for 4 years and it’s great.

[dklgood]

Absolutely. Many others have found condensation in there machines when they didn’t have a blast gate or remove the vent from the window overnight. Glowforge recommends disconnecting when not in use. The solution is to make sure everything gets dried out. Open the lid and circulate air for a couple of days. It won’t solve the lid problem, but might resolve the camera not found which may be caused by wet electronics.

[ekla]

@dklgood

Open the lid and circulate air for a couple of days. It won’t solve the lid problem, but might resolve the camera not found which may be caused by wet electronics.

Unplug the GF while it’s drying out.

[AnjaliGill]

Thank you all for your insightful replies. The lid issue was solved effectively with the JB Weld epoxy.

[dan84]

If you’ve got hot moist air outside, and a cold dry air conditioned room inside, as soon as that outside air comes down your ventilation hose into the Glowforge, it’ll condense into moisture inside. I forgot to close my blast gate once and it was dripping wet inside the next day.

Glowforge mounted blast gate

So had my first taste of humidity finding it’s way into the machine and distorting a cardboard jig I had setup last night. So I decided to design a blast gate that could be easily mounted directly to the machines outlet port and then the duct on the other side. That way it’s super low profile and easy to install. I made mine out of 1/8” acrylic since I figured that would limit expansion from moisture, and slide smoothly. It press fits over the outlet and can be clamped to the duct. Note: I desi…