Camping season seems to be winding down for everyone and it's a bit slow around SOC as well as at home with lots of rain--a good time for an FYI post about Maxxair fans. Our 2499 came with a very small fan, 3" maybe--they have fans that size in computers!--that JohnB has appropriately labelled the "whizzer." It makes a lot of noise, but moves just enough air that I've put up with it because the alternatives are expensive and labor intensive to install. For a year or two I've been tossing the Turbo/Maxx and MaxxFan back and forth in my mind weighing the pros and cons of each.
http://www.maxxair.com/all-maxxair-products.html
I did not consider other models like Fantastic--we had a very good one in our last trailer--as I was looking for an all in one rain proof design.
The Turbo/Maxx and MaxxFan have the same mechanical and electrical specifications--in other words, the guts are the same. Note that there is now a newer Maxxfan model no. 5100K with 10 speeds and a ceiling fan function.
http://www.maxxair.com/maxxfan.html
The Turbo/Maxx has two big advantages: it can be had with or without a thermostat--much cheaper; it installs overtop of the existing roof vent exactly like a Maxxair vent cover. See John's post for the details:
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/ph...&highlight=fan
About the only disadvantage of the Turbo/Maxx is a more finicky interior installation--see John's caution about that--and the add on look of the control switch.
We don't get to Camping World very often and a bonus of attending the WNY M&G is that you're only 10 min. from one of the nicest CW I've ever been in. So off we went to buy the Turbo/Maxx... only it wasn't in stock... but the MaxxFan was... end of debate.
The big disadvantage of the MaxxFan is that it requires the complete OEM vent removal and its replacement with the MaxxFan--and it's more expensive with its standard thermostat. See John's post for vent replacement and sealing:
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/ph...pic.php?t=1662
As John states, this is one time when old dull tools come in handy. I used a well worn 1" putty knife to peel off the dicor and then get under the vent frame to lift it up. Even old putty tape is unbelievably sticky and a fair amount of force is needed as is care not to damage the rubber roof. John did his vent replacements in March, with snow on the ground. I did mine in mid Sep. on a warm bright sunny day and I still found the hair dryer helpful for peeling off the old putty tape stuck to the roof. The whizzer, of course, is attached to the vent frame so its wires need to be cut to remove the frame, but it is not necessary to remove the whizzer from the frame.
Maxxair makes a quality product and everything fits together perfectly. The instructions are detailed and complete; there is an installation video online, and prospective buyers can download the installation in a .pdf to see if they want to tackle it. The screws are all mixed in the same hardware bag, but there are two kinds. Be sure to separate out the four blunt ones that attach the fan to the vent frame from the pointy ones that attach the frame to the roof.
The plastic vent frame uses fewer screws than the OEM metal one and I was concerned about drilling pilot holes first and then finding them when everything was covered in new putty tape, but not to worry. Unlike the OEM metal, the Maxxair vent frame has a lower flange that fits exactly into the standard 14x14 roof opening, and I mean there is no play at all. I drilled the pilot holes off this test fitting and then laid the new putty tape onto the bottom of the vent frame and placed it back into the roof opening. The exact fit ensured that the screw holes were all where they were supposed to be. With its upper-fan-mounting-flange and lower-fit-in-the-vent-opening-flange the plastic roof vent still has enough give to conform to Sunline's roof curvature. I had no trouble snugging up all the screws and squeezing out the putty tape. Lastly, attach the fan body to the vent frame with the 4 screws and then down to the inside to finish the installation. The longest part of this installation is getting out the ladders, blankets and boards to get on the roof and peeling off the old roof vent and putty tape. Everything else is a piece of cake.
What makes this install so easy is that the wall switch and wires to the whizzer are already there and work the same way with the MaxxFan. I was not able to remove Sunline's wire connectors (Are these not re-usable?) so had to cut them off and substitute Marr connectors. I thought these might not be RV approved so also taped them onto the wires to secure them. MaxxFan is designed to fit into all kinds of ceiling thicknesses and the interior ceiling trim piece is about twice as deep as necessary. After careful measurement I sawed off the xs using a coping saw. There may be better ways of sawing plastic, but that's what I had and it worked. I sanded the slightly ragged edge down a bit, and what's left of an inevitably uneven cutline is hidden in behind the lower flange of the vent frame. There's plenty of room to get an inch or more of the ceiling trim piece in behind the frame, so measure carefully and cut on the long side as the instructions say, or that ragged cutline will show.
One heads up: putty tape is not included. I bought the butyl--a better quality--putty tape in a "vent installation" package and there was more than enough to do this job. I don't have a food vacuum sealer, but wonder if unused putty tape could be preserved with one of those.
The MaxxFan is very quiet on low and it can be run here all day and night without being aggravating. Medium and high are noisier and best used while showering or cooking. In any case, on high, MaxxFan can change all the air in the 2499 in about 1.5 min.--fast enough that one fan is certainly adequate for a trailer this size. I haven't had enough experience to gauge how water proof it is. In a drenching thunderstorm with 50 mph winds I could feel light splashes of water while standing under the open vent--not a big problem on the bathroom floor, but I would never leave one open over the bed. We have Maxxair II covers on the other two vents and they let a bit of splash in too in the same storm. I'm guessing the Turbo/Maxx might be a bit better as its fan opening is further back from the vent opening, but is actually also closer to the roof so... ??. Someone with a Turbo/Maxx can add some of their experiences to this thread.
I also don't have enough experience with the thermostat to judge its value. There is no scale and you blindly turn the knob. However, it is easy to set as you can just twist the knob until the fan shuts off and know that it will maintain that temperature overnight, for example.
Maxxair also makes a Turbo/Maxx without the fan called the Fan/Mate. The Fan/Mate is meant to be a rain proof cover for other high powered fans like Fantastic. Maxxair also approves the Maxxair II vent cover, which has a bigger screen area, for use over high powered fans. This would be the least expensive option if a trailer already has a better fan than the whizzer.
All in all a worthwhile upgrade and I'm very pleased with the looks and functions of the MaxxFan.
Henry
in the bathroom vent.
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