Vent/fan favorites

[sweetnsaurer]

Hi there. I am planning to have a roof vent/fan put on my 5x10 Yoder Toter, (It only came with a small fan that vents to the galley which does not move the air much). I am looking for people's favorite choice of fan for their teardrops. I know this was addressed in earlier posts but it was 15+ yrs ago. What is out there now that people like? Are there other things to consider? I am not a fan (pun intended) of noise so I would prefer a quiet one. Also, any suggestions of types we might want to stay away from?
Thanks!!

[tony.latham]

Hi there. I am planning to have a roof vent/fan put on my 5x10 Yoder Toter, (It only came with a small fan that vents to the galley which does not move the air much). I am looking for people's favorite choice of fan for their teardrops. I know this was addressed in earlier posts but it was 15+ yrs ago. What is out there now that people like? Are there other things to consider? I am not a fan (pun intended) of noise so I would prefer a quiet one. Also, any suggestions of types we might want to stay away from?
Thanks!!

Both Fantastic and Maxxair make high-quality products. I think the Maxx is better constructed since it has two lid supports, unlike the one support that Fantastic uses. The Maxx uses less electricity, but there are Internet rumors of burnt boards due to overvoltage. Dunno about the rumors.



Tony

[twisted lines]

I paid xtra for a thermostat thinking I like them.
now that its in, I know it's; on/off at 95 only

[sweetnsaurer]

Thanks to both Tony and Twisted Lines for the responses. Good things to consider. Do you use the reverse feature that comes on some of these fans? Wondering if I should just go with a basic model. Also I notice that NuCamp uses a fan (looks like Fan-tastic) with a lock on it...seems like a good idea when moving. Noticed many do not have this feature, so wondering how likely it would be that the lid would pop up while on the frwy.

[halfdome, Danny]

I'm all for the Fantastic fan with the rain sensor and forward and reverse, put them in 6 teardrops.
We run ours in reverse so the air comes from the windows brushing over our bodies instead of blowing down on us..
It even comes in a low profile model to cut down on towing drag.
Danny

[tony.latham]

It even comes in a low profile model ...

Danny:

Didn't that model go away?

Tony

[halfdome, Danny]

It’s been a few years since I ordered one so it’s possible.
I’d have to look at my receipts as there was one seller that would modify it.
Danny

[tony.latham]

It’s been a few years since I ordered one so it’s possible.

I think they went away when Dometic bought them.

I modified my last one and put a flat top lid on it. It took a bit of backyard engineering.



Tony

[bdosborn]

I got hooked on Fantastic fan before they were bought by Dometic, they had a fantastic warranty. Dometic is just another big corporation so my hunch is it isn't as good as it was. I looked at the Maxxair but put a Fantastic fan in the van because of the voltage problems with Maxxair; the forums I read were littered with control board failures. Ditto on the forward and reverse options, I use that all the time. I have one with a thermostat so it comes on when the van gets hot and then shuts off in the evening. I cut the hole for the vent in April, the fan ran while it was parked at the house all summer with out a hitch. Boy, that was a hard hole to cut.


Bruce

[tony.latham]

because of the voltage problems with Maxxair...

Bruce:

Is that because of over voltages or is it random? If so, what would cause an overvoltage???

Tony

[sweetnsaurer]

voltage problems

I just read on another forum site that the Maxx issues may to be related to using 12V rather than 110 shore power. This was an assessment from someone with an RV who has used this brand for years but always with 110. They did some research following my inquiry about the overvoltage and that was what they noticed... Thought I would share it.

If this is the case, and I will mostly be using 12V, it seems prudent to get the Fan-tastic...

[philpom]

I went with an RVLOVENT 3 speed reversible manual lift vent mainly due to price and it received 5 stars from nearly 500 reviews. It's quiet and balanced plus the blade is clear and the draw is very low. It has no fancy electronics to fail and I could replace parts with off the shelf replacements if needed (I doubt). A little more than $100 and it came with everything required to install except sealant.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096Q6NBTR/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B096Q6NBTR&pd_rd_w=Bbt3x&content-id=amzn1.sym.88097cb9-5064-44ef-891b-abfacbc1c44b&pf_rd_p=88097cb9-5064-44ef-891b-abfacbc1c44b&pf_rd_r=37VP8TG4CBVG4RD5S6TQ&pd_rd_wg=lHz1k&pd_rd_r=4e66323b-4213-4f5e-a815-dacff60db963&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNFFITkY0T1hUNURNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzMyMTAyWDc2TEdOVUc0MUJKJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3MTE5NTZFNUFOVFAwRUowNjImd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

[featherliteCT1]

From etrailer.com technical support:

The maxxAir fails because of the voltage spikes. The unit will shut down if the voltage exceeds more than 13.4 volts so if the vehicle is sending more than this to this fan you would need to install a voltage regulator inline with the power wire.

MaxxAir said they were aware of the issue and have since updated the circuit board to prevent this. The change was made in January of 2022 so any fan with a serial number that starts with 22 will have the new updated board.

Etrailer sells a new circuit board for $140 ….. ouch!

My MaxxFan was purchased in 2018, so when I install my new Lifepo4 battery, I will install a 12v DC DC buck voltage regulator inside the fan housing. Simple to do. Amazon has the one I need for $15 plus shipping.


edit: My Deka golf cart batteries bulk charge at 14.2 v. So far, after almost four years since installation, my MaxxFan has not experienced any problems even though etrailer says 13.4v is the maximum safe voltage parameter.

Not sure if I am just lucky or what.

To be on the safe side, I think I will go ahead and install a voltage limiter.

[tony.latham]

I just read on another forum site that the Maxx issues may to be related to using 12V rather than 110 shore power.

Are you saying they will run on 120-volt AC?

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

I just read on another forum site that the Maxx issues may to be related to using 12V rather than 110 shore power.

Are you saying they will run on 120-volt AC?

Tony

NOOO!

I don't know what the issue is with Maxxfan, but putting 110-120 AC on the fan, any 12 VDC fan, would certainly burn out something, faster than you could remove the connection! Don't do it!

(Incidentally, Red Green, whose advice I generally found more profound as I've grown older, once said putting 120 vac on a 12 volt fan just makes them spin faster. He was joking! Don't try it!)

We have a Maxxfan, and haven't had issues. We even ran it for awhile off a battery with a bad cell, so low voltage. As Bruce pointed out at the time, that's a risk to the motor. We've run the fan both from of the battery, and from the battery with a shore power charger on.

The battery shouldn't cause voltage spikes, so that should never be a problem with the fan. Perhaps a charger, particularly without a battery in the circuit, might cause voltage spikes that would damage a fan. Possibly also an inverter might cause spikes back on its DC input; but that's total speculation on my part.

I would think, though not certain, that having a battery in the circuit would absorb any voltage spikes (among other things, a battery is a giant capacitor).

In any event, I'm thinking the spikes would have to be caused by some other electronics in the circuit (charger, inverter, USB port, etc.). Shouldn't happen, but with cheap chargers, etc. who knows for sure.

Has anyone, here, actually had this happen to them?

Tom