Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I figure that if it didn't happen yesterday while I was out there, today's as good a day as any to work on the TD and suffer from heat stroke.

So my cheapy $13 Elixir roof vent arrived. (No fan, but if I crank it open and closed REAL fast, maybe I can make a breeze.) I'm curious about two things:

The flange on the outside vent is just plain aluminum. Is this common, or is there some other trim piece I should get with this? Granted, no one can see it, but you know.

Second, before I screw this into the roof, should I use any silicon at all? It didn't come with any screws, and I planned on using my short deck screws because of the moisture concerns.

Ira... I would certainly use some sort of caulking around the perimeter of the flange and I would also use stainless pan-head screws. They will give a tighter finish against the flange than deck screws and look better too. Putting a bit of caulk on the threads of the screws will seal the screw heads and the holes against water intrusion also. Wipe off the excess as it oozes out when driving the screws in. If you use silicone, acetone or denatured alcohol works well for clean up as long as it is still "wet". Is the flange pre-drilled for screws? I looked at those vents also but am leaning toward making my own - I want a 14x20 teak hatch like on an old sailboat.

Oh, and P.S. I only thought it was hot when I lived in FL but for some reason it's a lot hotter here in MO. Or maybe it's just that there's no blue water and bikinis everywhere. Can't wait to get back to where water has salt in it as God intended...

I lived in St Louis for a long time. What a miserable climate. Either hot and humid or cold and damp.

OTOH, i do keep a pair of oven mitts in the car for use as driving gloves

It's a dry heat!!!

My wife lived in Tucson for many years - she did the same thing!

The place that I got my vent from also sold an installation kit that had the screws and a caulking tape that you put on the inside of that aluminum flange. the kit didn't have enough screws so I had to get more but the caulking strip worked pretty good. In fact they sold it in bulk and I used it on the window flanges and under my hatch hinge too.
Gary

Ira, I'd say that if your vent didn't come with some sort of closed cell foam gasket you're gonna need something under it. Doug Hodder

Irarat , I agree with Rayvillan, use the caulking tape . It should be wide enough to cover the holes & stick out the sides of the vent also. that way it seals the holes as well as the vent. I put a dab of self leveling caulk on top of the screws & covered the heads & have no leaks.Use a sharp blade to trim off the excess tape after you tighten the screws, being carefull not to cut the finish of your top.Good Luck!

Thanks guys--caulking tape (what the heck is that but I'll ask someone who knows), and stainless pan head screws for a tighter fit than the deck screws. Makes sense. And a bit of caulk or similar goo on the screw.

Yeah Dave--a ton of pre-drilled holes, like 8 per side. But what's "irking" me is that the flange is plain aluminum. I guess at this stage, I don't care. You can't see it from street level anyway.

IraRat.
you bought a vent without a fan? Man no wonder it is hot in there. Just don't eat mexican food when camping I guess

IraRat wrote:Thanks guys--caulking tape (what the heck is that but I'll ask someone who knows), and stainless pan head screws for a tighter fit than the deck screws. Makes sense. And a bit of caulk or similar goo on the screw.

Yeah Dave--a ton of pre-drilled holes, like 8 per side. But what's "irking" me is that the flange is plain aluminum. I guess at this stage, I don't care. You can't see it from street level anyway.

Ira,

How about covering the aluminum flange with strips of wood?

Interesting comments about the heat. I've noticed lately that much of the country has hotter weather than down here in south central FL. People talk about the humidity down here, but I lived in southern MD for 27 years and the humidity there was stifling sometimes. It almost felt at times like you were breathing water vapor.

Eventhough I'll have an AC, I'm putting in a roof vent with fan. Some, like the MaxAir are VERY costly. JC Whitney has one with light and fan for $95.99 and I'm pretty sure I've seen them cheaper than that. This one isn't power lift, but I can crank open a vent to save $40 bucks.

I'm doing a/c and a vent fan also. I figure that the a/c will be used if shore power is available and the vent fan when on battery power.

cracker39 wrote:Even though I'll have an AC, I'm putting in a roof vent with fan. Some, like the MaxAir are VERY costly. JC Whitney has one with light and fan for $95.99 and I'm pretty sure I've seen them cheaper than that. This one isn't power lift, but I can crank open a vent to save $40 bucks.

I've had that unit... it doesn't move enough air. We pulled it out and switched over the the fantastic vent. Now that one will move some air. Just something to think about!

Mike...

Mike, How do you get the part of the previous message to show up in your message. E.G., "Ira Wrote:....message"?