WindowMaxx Vent Cover For Our Bigfoot

[David and Nancy]

Jane

My 97 Bigfoot and my newer one are both 21' rear bed models. My current trailer has the vent opening directly over the bed. Given a choice, I would probably have preferred that it be located further up front. Like you, I do like to have a fan-powered vent in the cabin area, not just in the bathroom. I am not familiar with the Bigfoot 19, so I can't really advise you on the best place to locate a new vent in your trailer. I never could quite bring myself to actually cut a 14" hole in the roof of my '97. That trailer also had a skylight where I would like to have put the vent, but that is another story. One reason I don't like the vent over the bed - if it ever leaks, there goes the mattress. But a good vent cover should prevent that. If I was you, I would keep quite a bit of space between the air conditioner and the new vent opening so you don't weaken the supporting ability. That air conditioner weighs around 100 pounds.

I don't know how to send a drawing on this forum, but you can look up the floor plan of the 25B21RB on the Bigfoot Industries website. You can see where the bed is located - the vent is right over the bed on this model. But it would make just as much sense to me to put it over the dining area at the front of the trailer. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.

[Jane P.]

Jane

My 97 Bigfoot and my newer one are both 21' rear bed models. My current trailer has the vent opening directly over the bed. Given a choice, I would probably have preferred that it be located further up front. Like you, I do like to have a fan-powered vent in the cabin area, not just in the bathroom. I am not familiar with the Bigfoot 19, so I can't really advise you on the best place to locate a new vent in your trailer. I never could quite bring myself to actually cut a 14" hole in the roof of my '97. That trailer also had a skylight where I would like to have put the vent, but that is another story. One reason I don't like the vent over the bed - if it ever leaks, there goes the mattress. But a good vent cover should prevent that. If I was you, I would keep quite a bit of space between the air conditioner and the new vent opening so you don't weaken the supporting ability. That air conditioner weighs around 100 pounds.

I don't know how to send a drawing on this forum, but you can look up the floor plan of the 25B21RB on the Bigfoot Industries website. You can see where the bed is located - the vent is right over the bed on this model. But it would make just as much sense to me to put it over the dining area at the front of the trailer. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks Dave.

I'll probably pass on cutting a hole in the cabin roof, unless the Bigfoot people assure me that would do no harm. The Bigfoot 19 is just like the gaucho model Bigfoot 17 -- only 2 feet longer.

There is a very big difference in the floor plans of the 19 footer and your 21 foot trailer.

Thanks again for your input.

JMP

[David and Nancy]

I don't blame you for being reluctant to cut a new vent opening. You should be able to move enough air with the bathroom vent and open window in the cabin. My 97 Bigfoot had a bathroom door that did not have any air space around it. So I could only draw air from the cabin through the bathroom fan by leaving the door partially open. I solved the problem by cutting a vent in the wall between the bathroom and cabin. I put a louvered vent cover over the opening to finish it. Sorry I don't have a picture of that project for you. Later model Bigfoots have a bathroom door with lots of air space at the bottom.

[Tim D.]

My 1986 Bigfoot 17 Gaucho has Coleman Roof Air added about a year after the trailer was built. It is on its own circuit. After I bought the trailer I had a Maxxfan installed aft of the a/c, to replace an existing 14" roof vent. I'm guessing the installer just grabbed power from the bathroom light. Anyway, the Maxxfan works quite well to exhaust hot air on a hot day. When it rains not too hard I use the bathroom vent as the input of fresh air for the Maxxfan to exhaust, since I don't mind a few raindrops in the bathroom. After reading the posts here I may get a Maxxvent for one of the forward windows. My only criticism of the Maxxfan is that the design may admit the occasional mosquito and all the no-see-ums.

[Jane P.]

My 1986 Bigfoot 17 Gaucho has Coleman Roof Air added about a year after the trailer was built. It is on its own circuit. After I bought the trailer I had a Maxxfan installed aft of the a/c, to replace an existing 14" roof vent. I'm guessing the installer just grabbed power from the bathroom light. Anyway, the Maxxfan works quite well to exhaust hot air on a hot day. When it rains not too hard I use the bathroom vent as the input of fresh air for the Maxxfan to exhaust, since I don't mind a few raindrops in the bathroom. After reading the posts here I may get a Maxxvent for one of the forward windows. My only criticism of the Maxxfan is that the design may admit the occasional mosquito and all the no-see-ums.

Wow! That is interesting info! Have you actually had mosquitos and/or no-see-ums enter your trailer or someone else's via the MaxxFan Unit?

Come spring, my trailer will be located in areas visited by lots of mosquitos and no-see-ums. They love me almost a much as I hate them! So it would be important to me to keep them out of the cabin.

Just when I settle on a product, someone on this forum brings up something to ponder!

JMP

[Tim D.]

Indeed, no-see-ums enter through the MaxxFan, as they will through any opening only protected by standard screening. Poison is available to paint/spray on screens for keeping out the little rascals. I plan to keep them out by attaching no-see-um netting [available by the yard from REI] to the MaxxFan trim piece [called a garnish, don't ask me why].

As a proof of concept I have covered the MaxxFan opening by taping no-see-um netting to the MaxxFan garnish, leaving slack in the netting so that I can operate the fan controls. As it turns out, this does keep out the no-see-ums.

When I get around to it I'll pull the tape and glue strips of velcro hook to the perimeter of the garnish. [Note to self: The proof-of-concept tape did not stick well in humid South Florida. Find a tenacious adhesive before attaching the hook strips to the garnish. Do not rely on sticky-back velcro, which caterpillars after a while.] Next I'll have velcro pile strips sewn/glued/stapled to a piece of no-see-um netting so as to fit the garnish. Then, since it impedes air flow, I can install the no-see-um netting only when necessary. I am planning a similar application for the bathroom vent and a couple of windows.

As far as mosquitoes getting in through the MaxxFan--yes they do but not very many it seems. The MaxxFan removable screen is held in place by four plastic hangers. Enough space exists around the hangers for small mosquitoes to enter.

This was demonstrated during the no-see-um netting test, which took place in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park recently. After a couple of warm humid buggy days, in addition to lots of no-see-ums, a couple of mosquitoes had gotten between the MaxxFan screen and the no-see-um netting.

I wouldn't let the insect issue deter you from some kind of powered fan in the ceiling. Without it, our Bigfoot would be unlivable on hot days. In addition to the MaxxFan, we run a 10" O2Cool fan, about $14 in the camping section at WallyWorld, to blow air right on us. This fan is made to run on batteries but also has a standard 12v input, so can be run from a 12v socket using a standard cigarette lighter extension cord [Radio Shack or thrift stores or maybe from your AA battery charger accessories] or from 120v using a transformer with 12v output [my AA battery charger transformer works just fine].