Let’s talk fans, and no I don’t mean the army of followers that Taylor Swift has. I mean the type of fan that provides fresh air into the van and takes stale air out….depending on the suck/blow status of said fan.
Again, many popular options, and the Maxxair is at the top of the list. But, as previously mentioned, costs come into play and the Maxxair is an expensive fan…maybe warranted. Instead, I went for this, an RVLOVENT RV Roof Vent Fan. Half the price of the Maxxair. It has, mostly, the same bells and whistles. Reversible, remote control, 14” opening, rain-sensing, powered open and close.
Measure twice, cut once. Or in my case, measure 100 times…and then a few more times just to check…oh, and maybe once more. Once you’ve cut a large hold in the roof of your van…there’s no going back. The unit didn’t come with a template so I made my own out of a piece of plyboard, which I then placed on the roof and drew around. I did everything I could to make sure it was perfectly aligned, but you’ll see in a later post where I do the interior ceiling, that somehow I was skewed by about 1/3 of an inch.
To cut the hole I opted to use an angle grinder with a diamond blade. I could have used a jig-saw but I was concerned about the up/down motion of the blade and tear-out.
I bought some neoprene rubber to make a gasket and stuck this around the aperture, before dropping the fan into place. I temporarily wired the fan up to check for corrected operation. Screws and nuts were tightened and then I added some Eternabond tape and some additional sealant for good measure. Again, tested for leaks with a hose. I did find a leak near the back of the lid where the hinge sits, but I added some additional sealant and fixed it.
I had already run 14 AWG wires from the switch panel to the roof in anticipation of the fan being in place. Most of my appliances are wired with this gauge since it can handle up to 20 amps. I bought a 100ft reel of it, knowing I would use it in several places. The fan for example draws approximately 2 amps (approx 20 watts). There is a 5 amp fuse in the unit itself, but a fuse should always be placed as close as possible to the power source so I have an additional 5 amp fuse at the switch panel.
In use, the fan is very quiet but also powerful. Without insulation in place, the California sun was making the interior of the fan unbearable to work in. With this fan going, I was able to continue the conversion without needing my air ram. The motor that drives the lid raise/lower function is loud but since this only lasts for a few seconds, it’s not going to be a problem.
The display on the remote control gives you information relating to the fan’s status
- Temperature (°C/°F)
- Fan speed (0 – 100%)
- Lid Status (Open/Closed)
- Air flow (In/Out)
- Rain Sensor (On/Off)
This last one is a bit odd, you have to manually enable the rain sensor each time. If you power the fan off, it automatically closes and turns the rain sensor off. If you turn the fan back on, the rain sensor remains off and has to be re-enabled again. The fan unit has control buttons also just in case you misplace the remote.
Amazon link (sponsored)
Link to Fan
Link to 14 AWG Wire
