Upgrade Standard Vent Fans

[MNtraveler]

We have two Fantastic Vent fans and love them. I especially recommend the unit with multiple speed settings, rain sensor, reverse air flow and remote control, especially for the bedroom so you can change settings without having to get out of bed each time.

[jimbolyard]

I used a Vortex fan with a variable speed switch that could also reverse the fan blades. Bought it all on Amazon except the switch plate. I made it custom.

[tyler811]

Originally Posted by mmartin_tdc

I upgraded my bathroom fan with one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

don't need to do anything on the roof. Pretty simple to install and works well to move air.

I have one of these also. Very simple and easy and works great

[Dirthawg_]

I had one small standard issue vent fan in the bathroom. It was not capable of removing the moisture from this area during a standard navy shower. It was a no brainer for me to replace it with a $400 deluxe max air fan. That was money will spent even though it was very tough to swallow that amount of money was necessary to make an improvement.

My wife always struggled to flip the on off switch of said cheap 6" factory fan. She now can press the button on the remote to control not only the on/off function but also take control of the speed, direction and noise the fan creates. All while sitting on the toilet.

To install the max air fan it does require removing the entire housing from the roof and installing the new unit in its place. The hardest and most time consuming part of this job is removing the old Dicor from the roof with a putty knife.

It requires 2 tubes of Dicor, one roll of butyl tape and about an hour of your time to install the upgraded fan. It is like night and day difference between the two fans. The hardest part to swallow is the price.

I also installed a Max Air Fan in the kitchen where there was only a vent with no fan. I had to pull wires to get 12v to that vent area but it was well worth the effort to not have cooking smells linger inside the coach while cooking. Not to mention every time we cooked on the stove it would set off the fire alarm.

Bite the bullet if you can afford to do so.... it's been the best upgrade I've made to my travel trailer to date.

[Jim S JR]

I replaced mine with a reversible Maxxair fan with remote.
I pulls air into the trailer to cool it down. I have another fan to exhaust.

On this model the cover extends and retracts. Keeps the rain out.

It's pretty pricey but it was worth it.

[elob_tx]

This is what I used to replace the tiny fan installed in the standard size vent in my Forest River Solera 24MS. It's just a single speed but it moves lots of air. There is also a variable speed reversible model for much more money. I just wanted to replace it as inexpensively as possible. Used the time to do the upgrade to replace the cheep plastic translucent cover with a polycarbonate opaque cover at the same time. This fan upgrade for a HENGS vent reuses the original crank to open and close the cover.

https://www.amazon.com/Hengs-90043-C...s%2C365&sr=8-3

[garywilson]

Originally Posted by mmartin_tdc

I upgraded my bathroom fan with one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

don't need to do anything on the roof. Pretty simple to install and works well to move air.

x2

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by ObiRich

Actually, there are fan kits that will fit in your existing vent. Heng makes one, and I put it in my bedroom vent in my 5er. Works well, but it is loud when run on high speed.
https://smile.amazon.com/Vortex-Ii-V...s%2C193&sr=8-3

This fan has gone up in price two times since I decided to get two of these at $110 each. I could've sworn I saw another forum member post that they got this same Heng Vortex II fan last year for $57, but it may have been a Vortex I instead. Two weeks ago, they raised the price to $125 each and this morning it's shot up to $147. REALLY glad I got these when I did.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by jimbolyard

I used a Vortex fan with a variable speed switch that could also reverse the fan blades. Bought it all on Amazon except the switch plate. I made it custom.

Like that mod, Jim. Can you please give us all a link to that variable speed switch? I'd be interested in replacing the wall switch on both of my bathroom walls with the same thing. Thanks, Jim!

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by jimbolyard

I used a Vortex fan with a variable speed switch that could also reverse the fan blades. Bought it all on Amazon except the switch plate. I made it custom.

Great job.

I assume you used this set up on the single speed, single direction version of Vortex fan?

[Red Roadrunner]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

I haven't found any posts on this since 2018, so I'm asking for some recent opinions and experiences on the subject.

I'm curious if anyone upgraded their tiny RV vent fans that come standard in most RV's these days. My 37FLH came from the factory with small 4 inch cheap vent fans that barely move any air in both bathrooms.

My first fiver came from the factory with a Fantastic Fan in the bathroom vent and it was incredible how much air it moved compared to what I have today. However, upgrading to this, or the Maxxair fans require the entire vent garnish, lid, whole assembly with seals to be pulled out first.

Don't know why they don't offer a kit that can work with the existing vent, such as the Vortex I or II fans. With the Vortex fans, I can replace two for the cost of one Maxxair or Fantastic Fan (not sure if either are worth twice the price for as much as we'd use 'em). We don't full time in our RV and really only use the RV in summer and fall camping seasons.

I'd really appreciate positive and negative feedback from those that did upgrade, what they installed and whether the upgrade was worth-while, or not.

Our used fifth wheel had a prep for installing a 2nd a/c in bedroom. We installed a Vortex fan instead of A/C we get plenty of flow. It is quiet. We had a mobile pro install the vent cover on the roof. The 5er came with a fantastic fan in the living area where the roof is 12 ft. It has a temperature setting that will open and close + turn on and off the fan. We thought this was a nice idea, but it is constantly opening and closing and wind affects it. Wish we had a regular remote type there. That is on the bucket list to change along with the horrible factor steps.

[Jcape]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

I haven't found any posts on this since 2018, so I'm asking for some recent opinions and experiences on the subject.

I'm curious if anyone upgraded their tiny RV vent fans that come standard in most RV's these days. My 37FLH came from the factory with small 4 inch cheap vent fans that barely move any air in both bathrooms.

My first fiver came from the factory with a Fantastic Fan in the bathroom vent and it was incredible how much air it moved compared to what I have today. However, upgrading to this, or the Maxxair fans require the entire vent garnish, lid, whole assembly with seals to be pulled out first.

Don't know why they don't offer a kit that can work with the existing vent, such as the Vortex I or II fans. With the Vortex fans, I can replace two for the cost of one Maxxair or Fantastic Fan (not sure if either are worth twice the price for as much as we'd use 'em). We don't full time in our RV and really only use the RV in summer and fall camping seasons.

I'd really appreciate positive and negative feedback from those that did upgrade, what they installed and whether the upgrade was worth-while, or not.

I replaced mine in both travel trailers I own with this, it moves a lot of air and a good price. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[SPS57]

Originally Posted by mmartin_tdc

I upgraded my bathroom fan with one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

don't need to do anything on the roof. Pretty simple to install and works well to move air.

X2
Replaced both bathroom and living room with these

[nvs4602]

Originally Posted by Sbosserman

All of the above mentioned fans are more expensive and more difficult to install than what I did. I purchased a linear actuator (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZJ4XJZP...Q68TRSMPZNKAAD), a quiet 12 volt computer cooling fan (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECWKE3A...2HTN0DW68WM6BJ) and a 12 volt reversing switch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWNBCJM...W5C7ZY6YYPRRKA). Then I removed the old motor & crank mechanism and installed the parts as shown in the photos and voila! A vent cover that I can raise & lower or stop anywhere in between from the bathroom wall switch I installed below the vent. And a fan that I can also turn on from the wall switch below. Since the old 12 volt fan power wiring was already in the ceiling, I just followed the adjacent ceiling light wiring down the wall and that’s where I installed the up/down switch and the fan on/off switch. I also made a small bracket & clamped it onto the long slot in the metal on the plastic lid. That is where I attached the top end of the actuator.

Works very, very well after a year of use. I’m actually very proud of this installation!

What stroke actuator did you buy. I want to do this to mine. Thanks

[GPs37FLH]

Ok, so I bought two of the Vortex II vent fans and completed the installation on one of the two in my RV two days ago. Thought I would post some final comments about the installation to maybe help others considering this upgrade.

This upgrade is not as simple and easy as some would let you believe. In my case, I found the small fan installed in the vent opening was from Heng, who also makes the Vortex II I bought. I figured this'll be a quick install, but if you've got a powered vent lid cover with a wall mounted switch as they are in both of my fiver bathrooms, this is not the case. As you can see in my first picture, the motor that opens and closes the lid is larger and sits lower than the vent lids with a manual crank. The Vortex II would not fit over the side with the vent lid motor and could not be mounted with the screws that came in the box.




To get around this problem, I used 2 inch No. 6 metal screws and 1 inch plastic spacers to secure it to the vent cross bracing. Mounting the Vortex II 1 inch lower on each side in the existing mount holes of the bracing gave me the clearance needed to install it.

Once done, the next step to mount the garnish into the vent opening and to the Vortex II fan was another problem I encountered. Because the Vortex II was mounted 1 inch lower to clear the vent lid motor, the garnish now hung 1 inch lower from the ceiling. You can see on the second picture how the garnish should sit flush with the ceiling so you can screw into the wood framing.




I ended up mounting four more plastic spacers sandwiched in between the outside lip of the garnish and the ceiling. I used 2 inch No. 6 wood screws to fasten it down. Also had to counter sink the screw holes in the ceiling with a drill so the spacers fit correctly. Once done, there now was about a 1 inch open gap around the entire garnish lip to ceiling. I filled that gap with 1 inch x 1.5 inch x 8 foot PVC board from Lowes that I cut to size and to match the rounded corners. I drilled out the screw hole locations for the spacers diameter, inserted them into the PVC board, then screwed the garnish into the ceiling. The last pic is the finished product. Just have to paint over the screw heads to make it look like it came this way from the factory.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Ok, so I bought two of the Vortex II vent fans and completed the installation on one of the two in my RV two days ago. Thought I would post some final comments about the installation to maybe help others considering this upgrade.

This upgrade is not as simple and easy as some would let you believe. In my case, I found the small fan installed in the vent opening was from Heng, who also makes the Vortex II I bought. I figured this'll be a quick install, but if you've got a powered vent lid cover with a wall mounted switch as they are in both of my fiver bathrooms, this is not the case. As you can see in my first picture, the motor that opens and closes the lid is larger and sits lower than the vent lids with a manual crank. The Vortex II would not fit over the side with the vent lid motor and could not be mounted with the screws that came in the box.




To get around this problem, I used 2 inch No. 6 metal screws and 1 inch plastic spacers to secure it to the vent cross bracing. Mounting the Vortex II 1 inch lower on each side in the existing mount holes of the bracing gave me the clearance needed to install it.

Once done, the next step to mount the garnish into the vent opening and to the Vortex II fan was another problem I encountered. Because the Vortex II was mounted 1 inch lower to clear the vent lid motor, the garnish now hung 1 inch lower from the ceiling. You can see on the second picture how the garnish should sit flush with the ceiling so you can screw into the wood framing.




I ended up mounting four more plastic spacers sandwiched in between the outside lip of the garnish and the ceiling. I used 2 inch No. 6 wood screws to fasten it down. Also had to counter sink the screw holes in the ceiling with a drill so the spacers fit correctly. Once done, there now was about a 1 inch open gap around the entire garnish lip to ceiling. I filled that gap with 1 inch x 1.5 inch x 8 foot PVC board from Lowes that I cut to size and to match the rounded corners. I drilled out the screw hole locations for the spacers diameter, inserted them into the PVC board, then screwed the garnish into the ceiling. The last pic is the finished product. Just have to paint over the screw heads to make it look like it came this way from the factory.

Simple no, but it looks GREAT!

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Simple no, but it looks GREAT!

Thanks, Doug!.....just hoping this helps others who'll likely run into this same problem. It may not install in 20 minutes like many advertised this upgrade, but it's still less time and expense than installing a Maxxair or Fantastic Fan that requires the entire vent to be gutted and then resealed to the roof.

[nvs4602]

Originally Posted by Sbosserman

All of the above mentioned fans are more expensive and more difficult to install than what I did. I purchased a linear actuator (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZJ4XJZP...Q68TRSMPZNKAAD), a quiet 12 volt computer cooling fan (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECWKE3A...2HTN0DW68WM6BJ) and a 12 volt reversing switch (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWNBCJM...W5C7ZY6YYPRRKA). Then I removed the old motor & crank mechanism and installed the parts as shown in the photos and voila! A vent cover that I can raise & lower or stop anywhere in between from the bathroom wall switch I installed below the vent. And a fan that I can also turn on from the wall switch below. Since the old 12 volt fan power wiring was already in the ceiling, I just followed the adjacent ceiling light wiring down the wall and that’s where I installed the up/down switch and the fan on/off switch. I also made a small bracket & clamped it onto the long slot in the metal on the plastic lid. That is where I attached the top end of the actuator.

Works very, very well after a year of use. I’m actually very proud of this installation!

Did you buy the 4" actuator?

[Sbosserman]

It was the 3 inch stroke

[nvs4602]

Originally Posted by Sbosserman

It was the 3 inch stroke

Great thanks for the info.