Fan-tastic fan

[Ken&Chris]

I could use a little help. Has anyone installed a Fan-tastic fan/vent in the Fiber Stream. I have the old vent out and am waiting for the new one to come in. From surfing around on the internet, it looks like the vent has a minimum thickness of about 2 inches. Do you need to shim up the underside? Also did you run the electrical from the dinnet side lights or kitchen lights or a whole new line from the electrical box? Is it fused or do I need to put a fuse in the line. Any information on installation would help. Also any feed back on the one with the thermostat. I was going to get the reversible one but not the one with the thermostat, I dry camp a lot and didn't want the battery drain. What does everyone think? Thanks Ken 1979 Fiber Stream

[Gina D.]

Fred has. His looks good.

He will chime in and tell you how he did it, no doubt.

[Benita]

I remember Frederick removing his swamp cooler. I think he did some fan/vent work about that time? Lynn may have also considered one.

For myself, I think I've finally decided to just use the two hard wired cabin fans. Maybe later I'll augment with a Breeze Box by Fantastic Fan.

[Benita]

The AC fan also works.

BTW: I'm still looking for replacement Willard fan blades if anyone knows where I can find them.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Fantastical Fan makes Hi-Profile and Lo-Profile models -- I believe the difference refers to how much of the fan, cover and housing protrude above the roof (and therefore how little is left to stick down inside the camper).

If you have ordered from them, call and ask their advice -- They are VERY customer service oriented

I unfortunately bought the wrong one from $$CW$$, so what I did was cut a few inches off the inside grommet? so that it would slip all the way inside the main housing without protruding inside.

[Frederick L. Simson]

From surfing around on the internet, it looks like the vent has a minimum thickness of about 2 inches. Do you need to shim up the underside? Also did you run the electrical from the dinnet side lights or kitchen lights or a whole new line from the electrical box? Is it fused or do I need to put a fuse in the line. Any information on installation would help.

I remember Frederick removing his swamp cooler. I think he did some fan/vent work about that time? Lynn may have also considered one.

I removed a "Swamp Cooler" (not an air conditioner) and replaced it with the simplest Fan-Tastic Fan, one without a thermostat, but with the reversable switch and 3-speed switch.

My Swamp cooler was mounted on a frame of unfinished 2x4's circling the vent hole above the fiberglass. I left the 2x4 frame and covered it with Eternabond Permanent Roof Repair that I bought at Camping World. I have a lot of this product left over. That frame lifted the vent to where the inside surface is flush with the ceiling.

There is a frame of 1x2's circling the vent hole below the fiberglass supporting the inner "garnish". It already had 12 volt wires tapped off the driver's side wall light circuit, installed routed through [b]a plastic water pipe "conduit" between the edge of the wall separating the stove & bunk, and the 1x2 inner garnish frame, along the ceiling. The 1x2 has a hole drilled through it, the same diameter as the "conduit", which is inserted through so that the wires pass to inside the frame, where the "garnish" covers them. The end of the "conduit" just butts against the edge of the wall, where the wires pass between the wall corner, or edge bead, and roof.



I will add photos here tomorrow.

[Frederick L. Simson]

I will add photos here tomorrow.

Tomorrow is today.

[Al-Nelson]

Tomorrow is today.

I installed a Fantastic Fan on my Trillium by adding a ¾ in plywood shim on the outside, sealing it top and bottom with butyl tape. If you are ordering one, you can get the one for thin roofs and avoid adding the shim. For wiring, my trillium already had a power wire to the noisy little fan that was in the original vent. It connects to the light wiring in the overhead cupboard, goes up through the roof and runs across to the fan.
Al

[Ken&Chris]

Thanks for all the input and the pictures. I think I have an idea as to how to do it now. Thanks again for all the help. Ken 1979 Fiber Stream

[Laura Heiman]

Funny you should write this now - I just installed one in my '86 Casita yesterday. It went fine; I ordered from Adohen - http://members.aol.com/fantasticvent/ - and when I ordered, he asked all about the particulars of exactly what I needed. Even better, when the order went through, he e-mailed me just to double check that I was getting what I wanted. He's also answered a couple other questions I had. Nothing beats service!

I worried a bit because the Casita's roof had seven holes per side, and the vent came with eight. But we just re-drilled the holes, using wooden shims on the inside mostly to anchor the screws, but also because the inside piece needed it. Turned out great, and very firmly anchored. Not to mention that it's much more solidly built than the vent that was there before...

Now, if I could only get power. I hooked it up to the wire that was there, but neither it nor the light over the bed works; any suggestions on where my problem might be?

[Chester Taje]

Was there 1 or 2 wires there?

[Laura Heiman]

Was there 1 or 2 wires there?

Oops - I should have said wires. Two. Black and white. Looked like it should have worked. (Glad I'm not a certain prez?)

[Chester Taje]

OK---Just checking.The wires never came from a switch , did they?

[Laura Heiman]

Okay. When they include the little blue connector thingies in the box, they're not just doing it because they think blue is a pretty color. :-) We put those on, instead of the tape we'd slapped on for the test, and the thing works like a charm.

Read the directions? Pah!