About the vent hose for Glowforge. I’m still waiting for my order. I plan to put Glowforge in my office at
my house basement. There is about 12 to 15 feet distances between Glowforge to basement window for 4 inch pvc pipe or vent hose (either one). I know that it is not enough to push the smoke out of the vent outdoors.
Do you think 8 inch vent fan (see pix) will work or will the vacuum be too strong for Glowforge?
I think the CFM on that will be too strong, my Son had that unit on his CNC plasma down draft table.
A 4" booster fan mounted at the exit would be ideal.
Counter to everyone saying dont do a 8 inch… You should do a 8inchs and then just get a speed control for it the 8in can have a Mich higher flow or can have the same flow at a much less of a sound level.
My 8inch 800 cfm fan at 400cfm is dead silent. The 4 inch in the gf at a estimated 200-300cfm(no one actually knows) is audible through two rooms and doors and with head phones on
Ya its not just you that’s something people always over look or forget thats the same cfm out of a 20mm vs a 40 vs a 120 the 20 and 40 will make your ears bleed the 120 will annoy and the 240 you won’t even hear. Also the pitch of the larger fans is much nicer even if at the same sound level the pitch of the larger fans will be lower and less bleeding ears
Lighter weight materials could be sucked into areas that could effect the GF functionality.
I don’t know if internal hardware (fans and other components) would be effected. I think @dan has commented that the GF is designed for around a 200 CFM airflow.
There is an unanswered question that’s been floating around: Is the fan in the GF isolated so that “windmilling” doesn’t create current that could potentially damage the electronics. I don’t know enough to know if that’s even a valid concern. I’m just throwing that out there.
Something to consider with putting a higher-draw fan at the end of that length of hose is the hose pressure rating to prevent collapse. You wrote down that you’re using PVC, which is fine…
But if you have a high draw fan at the end, and a weak walled dryer hose, the suction could collapse the hose in on itself like trying to suck a thick milkshake through a cheap straw.
I have a similar set up for my in my basement office. Appox 12 ft along the joist. I put an inline assist fan plugged into a switched outlet and it works great.