I lost my last Glowforge to “moisture” problems about 2 years ago.
Is there anything different about the machines or accessories that would address that today?
I can’t remember exactly what happened except that I was told that it had to be in an exact temperature range ( I thought just when using it). We went on vacation - set the ac on 75 so it was probably between 75-80 in the house. When we got back it I never worked correctly again.
I want to go back with a Glowforge because It is easy to use…but I am afraid I will have temp problems again. My workspace is in a jayco TT and the temp will vary.
Any helpful comments appreciated.
I wish I could find my old posts so I could remember the order of things that happened.
Typically you want a temperature below 75 degrees. I don’t think that storing it at 80 degrees was the problem. Are you venting outside? Sometimes condensation can get in your glowforge when it is cool in your house and hot and humid outside. I vent through my garage door and have a dryer vent on the outside.
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‘Room temperature’ should be sufficient for safe operation. I’ve operated mine without issue, in ambient temperatures ranging from 65° to 100° when I lived in Phoenix, and since moving to Hawaii the temperature averages 72°, but the humidity is all over the place, and still I’ve yet to have any issues relater to weather.
My advice, cover your machine with a wool blanket when not using it, this will help control the humidity the machine is exposed to, and use a fan to circulate air in the room where you work, to help lower the ambient air temperatures and keep your machine happy.
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Nothing has changed. The Glowforge must still be in a controlled environment and protected from moisture. https://support.glowforge.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034142333-Operating-Environment
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On really hot and humid days here in Atlanta, my workroom will see those kinds of temps and I’ve never had an issue. I’d be more suspect of the venting setup drawing humid air from outside.
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It was vented through the window with the dryer vent on the outside. I live in Oklahoma so we have weather swings but not really wild weather ( if you discount the tornado’s). The room had a ceiling fan going. I think I’ve found the last post that I made about when it stopped working and it was in November.
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Is the condensation going to kill any CO2 Laser…?
I don’t think I can avoid condensation…
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This is what my husband tells me…but how do I avoid that with my next machine? I vented it out the window with a dryer vent on the outside. Any set up I have now would be the same…
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what is keeping you from avoiding condensation? I live in a very humid area and i’ve seen very little condensation in my machine. if it’s really humid out and you’re not using the machine, you can either disconnect the hose going out the vent or you can use a blast gate, like this one, and close it off to avoid getting humid air from outside.
honestly, i’m not sure there’s any laser cutter (or other electronic machine) that can take a lot of condensation inside where the electronics are without suffering any damage. you just need to be able to cut off the flow of moist air when you’re not using it.
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Are all CO2 Lasers going to have this “weakness”.
I am torn now because I am sure I cannot control the humidity in either space that I can setup shop in.
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I has this one that opened when the machine was running and closed when it was not.
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that’s not really quite the same thing. i have one of those on the outside, too. but if it’s super humid and hot outside and cool inside my office, leaving the blast gate open will sometimes get a condensate buildup inside the machine. if i close the blast gate, it’s more of a “seal” against humid air.
the one you have is meant to keep critters from going in through your hose, not block air.
sometimes, if i leave the blast gate open and it’s really windy outside, i’ll feel air coming through the dryer vent cover (like yours) back through the hose and through the machine and i’ll feel (and smell) air coming through the closed machine.
in other words, that dryer vent cover doesn’t block air or humidity from getting into your machine. it may be better than nothing, but there’s no seal in that at all.
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Just disconnect the exhaust hose when not in use. Problem solved.
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Yes, it would kill any electric/electronic device connected to outside without proper precautions. A blast gate and/or disconnecting the hose when not used is an easy solve. There are 4" quick connectors from Rockler and others if you find you need to do this often and don’t want to go the blast gate route.
(I do both - blast gate for day to day, remove vent setup from window when I’ll be away for some time)
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Humidity affects performance, materials are harder to cut and engrave when their moisture content is too high, but that just means that you’ll have to run test prints before processing jobs and wasting material, and adjust your settings accordingly.
Like I said, I’ve never had any issues in either an extremely dry and hot climate, or a humid tropical one.
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So you don’t suggest using it unless the ambient temperature is 75 or less?
I’m so gun-shy about getting another engraver at all now. But I really want another glow forge I’ve been researching all kinds of machines and it seems I would have the same problems with whichever one I choose.
Just don’t leave a vent hose connected, or use a “blast gate” to close it off when not in use.
My machine (Pro) regularly sees over 80º, I keep my doors open and have yet to run the AC this year (Atlanta…)
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Is your blast gate installed on the inside of the window or outside.
Could you upload a photo of your venting setup?
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A blast gate is most often installed adjacent to the machine, but only for convenience.
I don’t use one, I have a louvered vent which does not “seal”, but I only have my hose connected when printing. With a properly adjusted clamp, the hose just slips on and off the back of the machine without issue.
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it’s on the inside, connected to the board that’s in my window, with the dryer vent flap on the outside of the board.
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