<p>If you "planing" to leave the filament there for months, then it would be a good idea to store it away, but for most filaments it is not a big deal to be stay loaded... provided that the humidity is not high (e.g. a shower or kitchen next to it would be not so good). </p>

<p>My experiences with "moistured" filament is that they get brittle, but only breaks when I don't print something. And it is a pain in the a** to get out the last part of the filament that broke right at the entrance... so store it away is always a good idea, if you are not too lazy ;) </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-15T22:42:31.950Z
A pain in the neck, because you try to see where is the rest of the broken filament.
Fernando Baltazar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-12T04:48:47.607Z
2018-07-30T15:38:26.617Z
2018-07-30T15:38:26.617Z
Horitsu
<p>Most filaments you can leave in the extruder indefinitely without any ill effects.</p>

<p>There are some filaments that need to be stored away from moisture, particularly Nylon, because they absorb moisture from the air and don't print well if they contain a lot of absorbed moisture. However, this isn't an inherent issue with having the filaments in the extruder (if you had some setup that protected the filament from moisture while in the extruder, that would be fine as well - but in most cases it is more practical to store such filament in an airtight box). </p>

<p>Most commodity filaments (ABS/PLA/PETG) don't suffer from this as much (PLA supposedly also absorbs moisture but I haven't noticed this to be a problem, perhaps it depends on the conditions of the room in which your printer is kept) so they're fine to leave in the extruder.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T18:53:01.457Z
What about the wood filaments?   Same moisture considerations?
dale
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T19:14:01.027Z
Most specialty filaments (wood, metal, etc...) are basically just PLA.
Tom van der Zanden
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T22:13:06.207Z
PVA should also be stored in an airtight container.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T18:48:47.033Z
2018-06-11T18:48:47.033Z
Tom van der Zanden
<p>Just one quick question about the filament. </p>

<p>Can I leave the filament in the extruder for a prolonged period of time while the printer is off?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-12T14:29:13.370Z
Keep in mind that merely removing the feed line doesn't clear out the nozzle.  But that's a matter of cleaning or reheating ahead of next print, not preserving the reel of filament itself.
Carl Witthoft
<filament><storage>
How long can you leave filament in the extruder
dale
# How long can you leave filament in the extruder

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-06-11)

Just one quick question about the filament.

Can I leave the filament in the extruder for a prolonged period of time while the printer is off?

**Tags:** filament, storage

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Keep in mind that merely removing the feed line doesn't clear out the nozzle.  But that's a matter of cleaning or reheating ahead of next print, not preserving the reel of filament itself.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-06-11. Score: 6

Most filaments you can leave in the extruder indefinitely without any ill effects.

There are some filaments that need to be stored away from moisture, particularly Nylon, because they absorb moisture from the air and don't print well if they contain a lot of absorbed moisture. However, this isn't an inherent issue with having the filaments in the extruder (if you had some setup that protected the filament from moisture while in the extruder, that would be fine as well - but in most cases it is more practical to store such filament in an airtight box).

Most commodity filaments (ABS/PLA/PETG) don't suffer from this as much (PLA supposedly also absorbs moisture but I haven't noticed this to be a problem, perhaps it depends on the conditions of the room in which your printer is kept) so they're fine to leave in the extruder.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What about the wood filaments?   Same moisture considerations?  
> **username_4**: Most specialty filaments (wood, metal, etc...) are basically just PLA.  
> **username_5**: PVA should also be stored in an airtight container.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2018-06-12. Score: 3

If you "planing" to leave the filament there for months, then it would be a good idea to store it away, but for most filaments it is not a big deal to be stay loaded... provided that the humidity is not high (e.g. a shower or kitchen next to it would be not so good).

My experiences with "moistured" filament is that they get brittle, but only breaks when I don't print something. And it is a pain in the a\*\* to get out the last part of the filament that broke right at the entrance... so store it away is always a good idea, if you are not too lazy ;)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: A pain in the neck, because you try to see where is the rest of the broken filament.  

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