I live in Hawaii where most homes have jalousie windows that louver open. Any suggestions on how to hook up an exhaust hose going out the window? I have been running the exhaust out the door, but I feel like the smoke just comes back in and I don’t want to be breathing that stuff in. (Not to mention it reduces the options of where I can set up my machine.) Also, let’s in bugs and burglars with the door being open like that. So, yeah, basically having jalousie windows is putting a damper on my GF fun. I’m exhausted!
Got a picture of your desired window?
Here’s an example…
I think that’s going to be tough… even with louvers shut, they aren’t really airtight. 
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I think you’d have to block off a substantial part of the window (if it’s open) to keep stuff from coming back in. GF can push exhaust through a screen easily enough with only occasional cleaning needed. I don’t know the details of how to do it, but is it possible to remove one or two panes and replace with pieces of acrylic (or ply) that have an exhaust hole? Or just to monkey with the mechanism so that one pane can be opened while the rest stay closed?
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That’s tricky.
If it were me, I would go big: Remove one (maybe two) of the panes to make a space, make a flat panel (full width of the screen, maybe 6-8" high) with a 4" hole that you can attach over that space; I’d likely try to size it to fit in the screen frame. Buy or make a new screen frame that fits the width of the window but is shorter, so it butts up against the panel. Get a in-line exhaust booster fan and fit it on the inside of the panel hole. Run your exhaust from the Forge to the booster fan. AND, since you may not want to close all the surrounding windows (wish I had YOUR weather!) run another hose (flexible is ok but I’d likely do PVC) from the outside panel hole a distance away from the house/windows. If you have a prevailing wind direction, have the end as far downwind of the windows as possible, to avoid it just blowing back in. Key point: this will require some distance so as powerful an inline fan you can get is needed. The Forge fan will NOT be enough.
And if it were REALLY me, I’d likely forgo going through the window at all and do all of the above except I’d cut a hole through that paneling close to the floor and go that way (like you might do for a dryer vent). Likely help cut down on the distance of the overall hose run and it would look better, plus you don’t need a new screen and don’t have to mess with taking window panes out. Fit it with a removable fitting on the inside so you can detach the inside hose when not cutting and snap on a solid cover to keep outside stuff out.
Good luck and let us know what works!
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If it were me (seeing as you asked!)
… I’d put a blast gate and pass-thru into the wall nearest the machine, with a direct hookup to the machine, then have a length of pipe outside to vent the fumes away from any windows.
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That not a bad idea, but I’m betting the walls of home in Hawaii are made of concrete, so putting a hole in the wall is going to be challenging. I think I’d be looking do something like @paulw or @UrJac have described above.
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I’m with eflyguy. Dedicated wall dryer vent with outdoor extension. Gotta get the fumes away from those slats, your entire room is going to be in negative pressure. You’ll suck fumes straight back in. Probably not much, but even traces stink a great deal.
I’ve not got first-hand experience, but I would doubt the lower wall section is cement in a climate as moderate as Hawaii, especially considering this appears to be an elevated level of the structure.
I’m seriously considering going vertical. I.e. a vent straight up a couple of feet above roof line with a booster fan.
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what about a cat flap door in panel or a magnetic vent ?
what I would do is this. you should be able to remove a couple of the glass “panels” at least in the windows like that I have seen in the past. make a board that closes that space off. cut a hole in it for the exhaust duct. Then I would put a 2 -4 foot extension on there to take the opening away from the house. that way there hopefully be enough time for it to disperse before it comes back onto the other windows.
I’ll fly out to Hawaii with tools to cut through a wall and install a dryer vent (cement, wood, stucco, doesn’t matter). All you have to do is send me a roundtrip ticket with a 5 day layover.
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I’ll pay my own way - for 10 days stay… 
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I’ve not got first-hand experience, but I would doubt the lower wall section is cement in a climate as moderate as Hawaii, especially considering this appears to be an elevated level of the structure.
Termites and rot. The preferred construction material in tropical climates tends to be concrete because that material is not going to degrade due to the environment and termites won’t eat it. Older structures are often made of wood, but newer structures eschew that material in favor of stuff that survives better in the “harsh” environment.
I have a house in Florida that is about 90% concrete and metal. The only wood in the house is the pressure treated roof trusses. Everything else is concrete, plastic, metal and sheetrock.
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Well I’ve got to say, I cannot believe they placed a part we have to clean such as the back exhaust in such a manner that we cannot unscrew it and get to it. Anyway last night I clean the fan for about 10 hours because it was so full of gunk. I bought a new hose and attached it to the back. Today the sound of the glow Forge is so loud it sounds like an airplane is taking off next door. The fan is super loud and is blowing perfectly and the machine is almost vibrating.
We have the same issue here. The fan spins freely but the machine is LOUD. I’m afraid to run anything.
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If the fan is out of balance it will run rough and be much louder. The front of the blades on the exhaust fan need to be cleaned periodically, because build up on the edges will cause it to run out of balance.
I just cleaned mine manually a couple of days ago…it’s running much quieter. But on the Pro models, that can take a couple of hours. (I still prefer to do it that way, to make sure I get everything.)
There is a way to clean the fan using a special non-flammable degreasing spray and Glowforge has a special routine that you can run while using the spray.
Both the links to the routine and the manual cleaning instructions are here:
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Thank you I saw that yesterday and ordered it. I will try this. I can not believe how hard this fan is to get to. I was gonna buy a second one - now I’m thinking Boss. Also I degreased it yesterday cause I had little bit left (I use it for other things) maybe I didn’t have enough.
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