Fantastic fan/vent in a boler.Danger???

[colin k]

So. I bought a fantastic fan to install in my Boler. After looking at it i notice that the knob to lift up the vent lid is situated closest to the center of the boler. The fan will need to hang down a fair bit probably about 1.5 inches. I will need to make a spacer for the inside because the fan is not designed for a boler. And the knob hangs below that about an inch. I am 6 feet tall and i feel there may be a problem with myself smashing my head on the frame or the knob. That would not be good. Any 6 footers out there with the fantastic fan and stitches in their head?

I think i may just sell the fan as i dont need another gash in my head.

[Lizbeth]

Colin, we added the spacer on the top of the Boler so the fan is flush with the ceiling. The handle does hang down a bit but so far hubby hasn't knocked his head on it. I have plans to shorten the handle stem but haven't gotten around to it. Hubby seems no worse for it.

We love the fan!

[Ron Wrighton]

Maybe you could instal the fan closer to the end of the trailer where you don't walk. The fan will still move air and you might be less likely to hit your head.

[colin k]

Colin, we added the spacer on the top of the Boler so the fan is flush with the ceiling. The handle does hang down a bit but so far hubby hasn't knocked his head on it. I have plans to shorten the handle stem but haven't gotten around to it. Hubby seems no worse for it.

We love the fan!

May i ask what you used for a spacer? I was thinking of heading to the lumber store and getting a board used for decking and ripping it down. It would be the plastic composite decking material not wood. I could also make an aluminum spacer but that would cost me more money and not flex like plastic.

I cant move the fan to a better location because this fan would replace the existing small vent already in the boler.

[Lizbeth]

I used some "U" channel aluminum I had out in the garage......I think it was an old header for some vertical blinds. Sometime keeping junk is a good thing! I think the decking material might work ok too.

[Jayfor]

Hi Colin, Fantastic Fan makes two types one called a "HIGH PROFILE" and the other is called "LOW PROFILE". The "HIGH PROFILE" as I remember most of the fan body is above the roof. This helps on the inside for clearance. It took me three times to get the correct one from Camping World special order dept. for our Scamp but it was worth it. Try Googling and see if you can find the site which has pictures to explain what I'm trying to say. Hope this helps? Keith

[colin k]

Thanks. I went to the lumber store and they only have 12 foot lengths of the plastic material. That would cost me $40. And i would have 10.5 feet left over.
So. I bought some 1.25 " square aluminum and made a frame for outside. Tig welded it and its ready to roll.
The aluminum frame will actually make it very easy to install. I can screw the vent to the top of the frame. Then i can screw the whole assembly from the inside to the bottom of the frame and sandwich the boler in between.
As for the knob with my foreheads name on it. I have plans for that baby.

I cant exchange the fan for the low profile because i ordered the fan from the US(Thanks Donna D) solely because Canada wanted to RAPE me of my money. I could pay $400 and get it here or pay $169 and get it there. Hmmmm. Which one to choose.
This fan should work out fine now.

[Frederick L. Simson]

On my Fiber Stream, I did essentially the same thing. I have a spacer on the outside to raise the fan 2" above the roof. This puts the interior surface of the fan flush with the interior ceiling. I also have a 1" thick poplar frame between the ceiling and the plastic "Garnish". This puts a barrier around the crank handle. My Fiber Stream's ceiling is 6'3", and I am only 5'6" tall.

[Jeanne and Steve]

Fantastic Fan also has a short knob available (called the Aliner/Chalet). You might want to try calling them and seeing if they'll send it to you.





Anyone thinking of ordering a Fantastic Fan may want to investigate Adohen Supply Co. Their website shows all the possible choices available (high vs. low profile, flat vs. domed vent cover, color of vent and plastic garnish, short vs. regular knob). The cost is the same no matter what choices you decide on. They seem to always have a sale going on that's about to end... then a new one starts up. Our 4000r from them cost $149 with shipping included.

Jeanne

[colin k]

I got the knob sorted out. There is an extension between the knob and the fan housing. The screw goes through the knob, through the extension and screws into the housing. By cutting a 1/2 inch out of the extension at 45 degree angles and reassembling. The knob now sits flush. You must cut 1/2 inch off the screw too.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I also had the wrong profile for a thin roof, but I was able to trim the plastic so it didn't stick down as much.

If you don't have the auto-closing-in-rain feature and leave it open, the knob will act as a cup to hold water and when you come home and twist it, the water will spill and run down your arm... Drill four holes in the low points of the knob so it can drain.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I also had the wrong profile for a thin roof, but I was able to trim the plastic so it didn't stick down as much.

If you don't have the auto-closing-in-rain feature and leave it open, the knob will act as a cup to hold water and when you come home and twist it, the water will spill and run down your arm... Drill four holes in the low points of the knob so it can drain.

Once you get that done, simulate some rain with a garden hose and note where the water drips from the four holes in the knob. Drill a large hole in the floor at that spot. I would think a one to two inch cup drill would provide ample hole size for proper drainage.

This will help to prevent wet floor syndrome as long as the trailer is level enough to keep the refrigerator working. Wet floor syndrome is undesireable in a FGRV.

[Yves Pelchat]

I also had the wrong profile for a thin roof, but I was able to trim the plastic so it didn't stick down as much.

If you don't have the auto-closing-in-rain feature and leave it open, the knob will act as a cup to hold water and when you come home and twist it, the water will spill and run down your arm... Drill four holes in the low points of the knob so it can drain.

That's why i recommend buying the Maxxfan instead of the Fantastic fan. The Maxxfan does exactly the same as the Fantastic fan, but the big plus is that water can not get in the trailer. With the Maxxfan, you can leave the top of the fan open, in the rain, just like the bigger Maxxair, but you can also close the top cover (when clearance can be a problem)when the fan is not needed.

Yves.

[colin k]

Thanks everyone. Got it all sorted out and installed. A 1 1/4 " shim on the outside of the fan/vent will allow the plastic trim to sit flush with the ceiling. Looks very neat and tidy. Now i dont have that annoying chain hitting me in the face .
The 4 holes in the knob trick worked fine. I did decide to cut i bigger hole in the floor just because i feel it will add good ventilation and will pull cool air from under the RV. The hole will fit a 1 gallon ice cream bucket. I can remove this bucket at will.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

Thanks everyone. Got it all sorted out and installed. A 1 1/4 " shim on the outside of the fan/vent will allow the plastic trim to sit flush with the ceiling. Looks very neat and tidy. Now i dont have that annoying chain hitting me in the face .
The 4 holes in the knob trick worked fine. I did decide to cut i bigger hole in the floor just because i feel it will add good ventilation and will pull cool air from under the RV. The hole will fit a 1 gallon ice cream bucket. I can remove this bucket at will.

I'm always very happy to come up with something that is dual purpose but I must say you've got me beat by a country mile!!

1) drain water
2) prevent wet floor syndrome
3) provide good ventilation
4) pull cool air from under RV
5) make ice cream

[adamp]

'I cant exchange the fan for the low profile because i ordered the fan from the US(Thanks Donna D) solely because Canada wanted to RAPE me of my money. I could pay $400 and get it here or pay $169 and get it there. Hmmmm. Which one to choose.'

Oh, so good to hear from someone else in Canada who is tired of the pricing on RV products!!! I was faced with the same issues here. $400 for a fan??? I bought one off eBay for $155 + $24 duty (4000R) new from a RV dealer in Tennessee. (Oddly, I received the same crummy attitude from them as I get up here.) Much cheaper than any dealers I called here in Ontario.

Adam