Portable fantastic fan -- is this the one?

[EllPea in CA]

Is this the one I've seen raves about? We only have a vent, not a fan. So need something that will run from 12v.

http://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-011...=fantastic+fan

thanks!

[Borrego Dave]

You would be better off installing a fan in place of the roof vent. I know some folks use this fan but storage has to be considered with it also, unlike having it on the roof. Fantastic & Maxair are both exlnt units.

[Bob Miller]

You want one like this for your Lil'BigFoot:
Amazon.com: Fan-Tastic Vent 4000R Off White Vent with Reverse Switch: Automotive
That's the same one that we used.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

You want one like this for your Lil'BigFoot:
Amazon.com: Fan-Tastic Vent 4000R Off White Vent with Reverse Switch: Automotive
That's the same one that we used.

Bob, do they swap out easily? Is it the same size as the vent that's there? I also don't see any battery power nearby, except the two little dinky lights that appear to work on battery, one each under the front and the back cabinets. Are those the closest access to battery power?

[Bob Miller]

Yes, they swap out for the existing vent, but you want to contact the factory for the spacer to use with a thin roof. Ask for two, the are free. I phoned them when I got the fan, they were there in 3 days. You will also need a roll of putty tape from your local RV dealer to seal everything back together again. DO NOT use silicone seal, it will eventually leak.


Sometimes there is already wires at the vent when you take it out. You will have to find the other end. If not, you snake wires under the wall covering using a straightened coat hanger wire.

[Mr. W.]

I'll throw this out there, not necessarily for the OP, who has a Bigfoot, but for others who might be getting ideas from this thread. While a portable fan will never match the performance of an installed roof fan, not all roof vents are an easy swap. Many of the Scamps, in particular, have an emergency-exit roof vent, which is larger than the 14x14 of a standard roof fan.

[Bob Miller]

No problem... out comes the multitool and, in less time that it takes to remove the old hatch, you have a new14 x 14 hole at the other end of the roof. Been there, done that.

[Mr. W.]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

No problem... out comes the multitool and, in less time that it takes to remove the old hatch, you have a new14 x 14 hole at the other end of the roof. Been there, done that.

True enough, and that is what I would do, as well. But, cutting large holes in the roof is well outside the comfort zone for a lot of folks.

[steelypip]

I just put in a MaxxFan deluxe(manual) last weekend. I replaced the existing rear 14" vent with it because:

1. I expect a solar panel or two to end up on the roof - more holes not good.
2. Like most folks I didn't want to cut a big hole in my perfectly good roof
3. The rear vent is where I want it anyway
4. I got to go with a smoke vent cover, which is great for those of us in the South who want to sleep in after 5:00 AM sunrise.
5. It's rainproof (or at least highly rain resistant).

It took me a good three hours to do, start to finish. The most awkward part was working on the ladder to drill the rivets out. I did most of the work from inside the trailer standing on a step stool with my head through the 14" square hole - it was a lot easier to do the surface prep for the butyl tape that way, for instance.

We used it on a four day campout immediately after the installation and I don't think anybody ever wants to go back to the before picture.

Reasons for selecting the MaxxFan over the Fantastic Vent included the built-in rainproof cover, ten speeds instead of three or four (recommended for smaller campers) and ceiling fan mode.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by steelypip

Reasons for selecting the MaxxFan over the Fantastic Vent included the built-in rainproof cover, ten speeds instead of three or four (recommended for smaller campers) and ceiling fan mode.

RB, thanks for posting this. Just to clarify... did you mean to say that the ten speeds are recommended for smaller trailers? Or that the three or four were recommended?

I think you've convinced me that MaxxFan is the way to go. Would you point me to the model you have?
Amazon.com: maxx fan rv: Automotive

Best,
LP

[David Tilston]

I like as many speeds as possible. But I would not pay much more for the 10 speeds. This works better:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tor-64815.html

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I like as many speeds as possible. But I would not pay much more for the 10 speeds. This works better:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tor-64815.html

Very interesting, but maybe too much to deal with at the moment. We can always add later, right?

Our vent is 9.25" on the *inside,* so pretty small. I was going to say I didn't want to saw into my roof to use a bigger fan, but think that 9 x 9 size may be too small to ventilate very well, and so far am not seeing a fan that small...

LP

[RogerDat]

I can't speak to the bigfoot but the older scamp has that same small sized vent you describe. I'm pretty sure you have to remove and cut the hole larger to accommodate any newer vent.

And get the shims/part for thin roofs mentioned earlier since the default kit is for going through a couple inch thick stick built.

[Mike Magee]

I had a 3 speed Turbo Maxx (and a 3 speed Fantastic Fan in a previous trailer). In both cases I occasionally wished I had a speed between low & medium, and a lower low sometimes would have been nice as well. So I'd say go for the 10 speed unless you feel you can't afford it.

These are the bee's knees, they can be left open in the rain or while traveling:
http://www.amazon.com/Maxxair-000700...s=maxx+air+fan
Or you can get the one without remote control for about $50 less.

[trilliumdon]

I just put in a 14" vent in my 73 Trillium, replacing the 9" that was there. First off, much more air moves through the trailer. Then I bought a 200mm computer case fan and installed it between the screen and the vent top. It fit like a glove. I got power from a light and mounted a switch and hid the wires. I could have bought a Max-fan or Fan-tastic but went this route with great results. Here's why.

First of all, price. In Canada, the powered vents cost around 350.00. My vent cost 50, and the fan was 15. Big saving there.

Second, Max and Fantastic are built for much larger trailers. They can move a lot of air, but they're noisy and draw quite a bit of power.

Air wise, the powered vents move approx 900 cfm (and down, variable speed) while the
case fan moves 1/10 of that, or 92cfm. I find it's enough to move the hot air out of the trailer and keep some circulation happening.

Power consumption is much less with the case fan. If you do a lot of off-grid camping, that's a consideration.

I can put up some pics if there's any interest.

[Gina D.]

In answer to the original question about the endless breeze fan....

I have used one for many years in a variety of small rigs. The same one..its very durable, seeing almost daily use during the summer months, and also winter months when I lived in Arizona. Note that I am a full timer and have lived off grid for a majority of the last 6 years.

I did not install a vent version for all the reasons others have posted here. The Endless Breeze is a phenomenal little unit and works, well..., Fantastic! At high speed, it only draws around 1.5a, and it hardly puts a dent in my single group 27 battery, charged soley by 150w of solar. It is on its own circuit, and has nothing to do with my convertor.

Storage is not an issue, it is so thin that I simply slide it into my closet, upright, and you hardly know its there. The feet rotate so in takes up no space wider than the case itself.

Admittedly, the Exhaust/Intake selection is pretty low tech. You have to turn it around to get what you want :-P Also, I have had the roof version in my 17ft Burro, and yes, it is slightly "gooder" to have it there, but for most circumstances, the difference is negligible in this size rig. (I am currently in a 17ft Leocraft)

[honda03842]

I have an Endless Breeze like your link. We use it on hot nights, setting it on the front couch, blowing to the rear of the trailer. On the extremely rare times we use the air conditioner installed in the bottom of the door side closet, we set the Endless Breeze to blow the air conditioner output towards the rear of the trailer.

I like the fan, storage is an issue because when you're not using it there's not a lot of handy places to put it other than the rear of the tow vehicle. If we're in a hot climate we leave it standing under the rear of the table.

As another member stated, I would not cut a second roof vent in our camp, the Solar Panel takes up most of the space.

As to Max fans, I understand why many buy them, we had one on the motorhome. I personally don't like things on the roof, feeling they detract from the appearance of small trailers. I will say they work very well.

To be really useful, you need to install a couple of 12 volt outlets. We have 3 inside the Scamp.

[steelypip]

Originally Posted by Ellpea in CA

RB, thanks for posting this. Just to clarify... did you mean to say that the ten speeds are recommended for smaller trailers? Or that the three or four were recommended?

I think you've convinced me that MaxxFan is the way to go. Would you point me to the model you have?
Amazon.com: maxx fan rv: Automotive

I went with the manual operation 'deluxe' fan with the smoke lid, model 6200K. See the options here: Airxcel | Maxxair | Maxxfan. I paid slightly less for it than I would have for the similar Fantastic Vent, I suspect because of brand recognition. It got me thermostatic control and a rainproof cover, both of which I wanted. Ten speeds versus three is a feature because that way I don't have to wire a resistor in/etc to get a speed lower than the pretty fast 'low' on the Fantastic Vent.

Originally Posted by David Tilston

I like as many speeds as possible. But I would not pay much more for the 10 speeds. This works better:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tor-64815.html

I didn't pay any more for ten speeds. All MaxxFans have them, and they're no more expensive than the Fantastic Vent similarly configured. If you want a cheapie model, there are Maxx products meant for industrial use that are non reversible and don't have the built in PWM speed and temperature controller.

[Mr. W.]

I installed a MaxxFan in our camper, to replace the Fantastic Fan that was there. The one factor that drove the decision was that the Maxx can be kept open in the rain, and the Fantastic can't. I didn't want to put a high-profile vent cover on the Fantastic.

The Fantastic did run a little too fast even on low, so we had installed the resistor in-line to slow it down. So, the 10 speeds of the Maxx should be an advantage, but the Maxx controller is really noisy. The electronic speed control that they use puts out a very annoying "ultra-sonic" shrill squeal. Most people can't hear it, but I have very sensitive high-frequency hearing, and it drives me nuts. The speed control also has a constant battery drain even when the fan is off, which is just dumb for a device intended for RVs.

I wish that Maxx would offer a rain-proof model with a standard resistor speed control, or that Fantastic would offer a rain-proof model. That would be the berries.

Also, for what it is worth, the lowest setting on the Maxx is nice and low, but the jump to the 2nd speed has pretty long legs, and most of the 10 speeds are bunched up at the top of the range that we never go to. We have never used any other than 1 and 2.

[steelypip]

I noticed that the speed controller on my MaxxFan was loud initially at low fan speeds, but got quieter as the motor bearings wore in. I think it was just fighting stiff bearings and applying more current than usual.