Fantastic Fan overload!

[_Ryan_]

So I have 3 Fantastic fans now...



A few weeks ago I noticed I had a "High Profile" fan after test fitting the one I ordered online on my trailer.


It looked good but it made me wonder what a low profile was and how that would look instead. After doing a bit of research I learned that there are a variety of different types of fantastic fans. There are low/high profile, different lid shapes, colors, etc. Unfortunately in most every case when ordering online, they will ship you whatever they have in stock and it is impossible to find out which specific model you are ordering beforehand. I don't think many people know this on the forum, I didn't.

I ended up calling the manufacturer directly to get the scoop, and talked to one of the best customer reps ever. In fact the whole experience with Atwood was great.

Jerry the customer rep acknowledged the problem and offered to send a different vent cover for free. Mind you that I didn't order from them directly, but from some other online RV dealer.

Unfortunately the fan motor was not compatible with this other lid. He advised me to check out http://rvvent.com which is the only place I know of that offers custom fantastic vents. I went ahead and ordered a low profile, flat lid, with off white color for the inside trim. 2 weeks later it arrived and It really looks great. You can see the difference below.



So what about the 3rd vent? That was a mistake by the manufacturer and I have to ship it back on their dime. But I still have the other "High Profile" fan, which is what you still have to use the high profile model if your roof is less than 1-5/8" thick. I thought I would share my story and first see if someone on this forum was interested and wanted to purchase it at a discount before I post it on ebay. If you are interested send me a PM.

[48Rob]

The low profile vent really looks a lot better than the high profile on your trailer!

Thanks for posting all the info about them.

Rob

[be_a_jayhawk]

Could you help me with a bit of planning and tell me what the height of the low profile and regular profile fans were?

[be_a_jayhawk]

I think the pictures on the website answered my questions actually. Thanks great link!

[Martiangod]

Now if you install all three of them you can participate on Inside Out Day.

If you think Atwood was awesome to deal with for the fantastic fan, you should have been around before Atwood bought them up.
The original manufacturer of fantastic fans was the absolute best company on the planet for customer service.
Its good to see Atwood trying to uphold that reputation

[tony.latham]

Ryan's post really helped me out on my Fantastic Fan selection. Without him including that stuff about low profile fans and caps, I wouldn't have known. I think my 'drop looks much nicer without the mushroom looking "normal" fan sticking up.

One bit if advice I have though is to get your fan before you've got your ceiling finished. It woulda saved me an hour of TNTT surfing and asking extra-dumb questions on this forum!

My ceiling is 1.25" thick. Not thick enough to swallow the entire fan. So here's my solution BTW. I think the frame's about 3/4" thick and makes for a nice finished look:



Tony

[Rhino Ray]

That really does look nice and so does the TD. Nice work!

[be_a_jayhawk]

I was checking out the specs today and according to the website the fan moves 920 cubic feet a minute on high and 478 on low. So minus the galley the footprint is about 5x8 or 40 sqft and 5 high minus curves and cabinets make less than 200 cubic feet. Is cycling the air every 15 to 30 seconds overkill?

[bdosborn]

It's not about how many air changes you get with the fan, it's about how much air is blowing on you. The more air that blows on you, the better your skin evaporates moisture (sweat) and the cooler you feel.

Bruce

[Shadow Catcher]

We have two Antec three speed computer case fans that optimistically move 100CFM each on high. We have never used them on high, medium or low is sufficient. to slow yours down an adjustable DC to DC PWM is the best solution.

[be_a_jayhawk]

So in theory a few case fans would be sufficient. I couldn't find your build thread to answer the next question of how did you run them for best ventilation vs waterproofing and how many amps do they draw? Thinking if I can trim the amps I can get a cheaper battery.

[jss06]

You can also use a resister to slow the fan down to acceptable levels.

Personally, I enjoy the breeze that is created by the fan. It cools the trailer down nicely.

[Shadow Catcher]

The fans draw less than half an amp if I remember correctly, I don't worry about water the lid has never been up far enough during rain to let much in. It is btw a fantastic fan housing. Yes you can use a resistor but they spend the energy in heat and suck power. A PWM, lets you adjust speed contentiously.

[working on it]

So in theory a few case fans would be sufficient. I couldn't find your build thread to answer the next question of how did you run them for best ventilation vs waterproofing and how many amps do they draw? Thinking if I can trim the amps I can get a cheaper battery.

I have tested/used two high static pressure Corsair SP-120 case fans (bought to force-flow air thru close-set, weatherproof vent covers - normally very restrictive) which flow 67.2 cfm each (134.4 cfm total) in my 81 cubic foot cabin (unfilled, available airspace, max), so I get the air exchanged every 36 seconds while just drawing .18 amphours each at 12vdc. I tested them one hot night, and only resorted to adding my .275 amphour draw (x 1.2, since run off the battery thru an inverter), when I wanted it cooler for sleep. As I reported here, from an earlier post:

At my first trailer gathering, as I showed some of them my trailer's features, someone remarked that "if your trailer is as airtight as you say, then you'd better leave the butterfly vents open". Another commented that the placement of the vents being high up on the walls, would not vent out any accumulating CO2 (heavier than air?). That worried me a bit. So during my first night out, I opened each vent halfway, and ran the A/C. It froze me down to 65 degrees before I figured the right setting to maintain 72 degrees (still used a comforter). Later that night, I awoke as the electrical had come unplugged (kids in camp next door?), and I still was under the covers and hot. So, instead of getting up and restoring 110vac power, I decided to test the 12vdc case fans as ventilators, with no main fan, nor A/C running. I turned them on, opened the butterfly vents all the way, and settled back to see. After 3-4 hours (as I listened to my MP3 player),I was still breathing, though the trailer cabin was now at 86 degrees and humidity 75%. Livable, but not comfortable. The test was a success, so I turned on my inverter to run my 110vac fan off the battery (still didn't get out to fix the unplugged park power line), and I went back to sleep. The next night, I didn't even need the A/C anyway, and slept soundly , assured that the computer case fans or the bigger 110vac-powered fan moved enough CO2 out the vents to keep me alive.

I didn't even bother opening the two side windows, as the fan (on low speed) actually made it cool enough that I still covered up with the comforter. It didn't reduce the humidity, but felt good enough for me. Combined, the two different types of fans performed excellently, and even if it had been pouring rain or (blowing it sideways), no possibility of leaks, as no open windows or unshielded (side) vents were in play. Total amperage draw was only .69 amps per hour, and I could've done without the case fans once the bigger fan was utilized.

[be_a_jayhawk]

I really think I need the flat lid low profile so I can get my tear in and out of the garage. The upgrade price was a bit higher than I expected. Of course you can't find a low profile anywhere else online. Should I pull the trigger or keep looking?