So the fan started not pulling smoke enough, so I went through and cleaned it all off. Now it draws great, but it has gotten very noisy. Any thoughts?
Most likely a small imbalance from not getting all of it.
It’s rated for 13,000 RPM.
Thank you. Is there any way to remove the fan altogether to give it a proper cleaning, or is that just asking for trouble?
It will invalidate your warranty, and is extremely tricky with the Pro. Not too bad on the basic and plus, however.
You should not need to remove it to clean according to GF’s instructions.
1 Like
You can however if under warranty don’t recommend it. If you do make sure you have a small mirror to ensure you can see the bottom screws and small hands it’s a tight fit. I cleaned the inside of mine a while back pretty good with a lot of long cotton swabs and alcohol then spray with air after to make sure you get all the loose stuff.
If you’re going to remove the fan to clean it, I would get an external fan and not put the internal fan back. A fan placed at the very end of the exhaust just before it goes out the window, drawing through the duct, will work better from a leakage standpoint than a fan pushing through the ducting. My GF is about 6’ from the window it exhaust through. I took great pains to seal up the duct connections so there wouldn’t be any leakage, and I still smelled smoke every time I ran the machine. I bought a 250CFM exhaust fan and put it right behind the vent through the window, and I set the GF for external filter so the internal fan doesn’t run. It works much better. It’s also significantly quieter. I have to run a really long cut before I start to smell anything at all. I did this long before my internal fan had a chance to get really dirty. But it’s still accumulating stuff even though it’s not running (it freewheels, though). Eventually I will have to clean it. My intent is to remove it and leave it out. The external fan will actually work a bit better without the obstruction of the internal fan to slow down the airflow.
2 Likes
Hi there! From what you’ve described this does sound like it’s your fan causing the noise.
As others have said, removing this fan would void your warranty.
I have a method you can use to clean your fan if you’ve not tried this particular process already.
First, you’ll need to obtain a can of 3M Novec Electronic Degreaser, which you can purchase from Amazon or Digikey.
- Go to this URL: https://app.glowforge.com/maintenance/fan
That page will walk you through the cleaning process. Brief summary:
-
Turn off and unplug your unit and move it outside. Make sure it’s in a location where it has power and Wi-Fi
-
Using the fan maintenance page, you’ll be able to turn the fan on
-
Following all manufacturer’s safety instructions from 3M, spray the degreaser into the fan while it’s running for approximately 5 - 10 seconds, or until the fan is clean.
-
When you’re done cleaning, turn off your unit to stop the fan, and return it to its usual home. You should now see considerably better performance from your exhaust fan!
Please let us know if you have any questions!
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.