MaxxFan Mod to Add a Fan Motor Switch and Deep Cleaning

[jd1923]

The goal was to add a simple toggle switch to the fan motor so that when the fan is ON, the fan motor can be turned OFF while leaving the vent door OPEN!

I contacted MaxxAir CS to see if there is a better way to do this, but they really had difficulty understanding my use case and after asking 3 times in 3 emails, as they cc:d 3 more staff persons, I gave up to "Do It My Way!" (as usual) 🤣

Often during evenings, we have the fan on low to exhaust heat from the Oliver ceiling. Later when going to bed, I want to turn OFF the fan but leave the fan door open as a vent. The fan open/close mechanism is very NOISY! Often Chris had drifted off to sleep, and I hardly wanted to CLOSE/OPEN the vent door twice to double this annoying sound! I used to place a pillow over the opening to cut down on the noise.

First thing I noticed was how dirty the fan parts were which was not as noticeable when camping day-to-day. Certainly, much more worked was involved in a detailed cleaning than the 20 minutes it would take to split a wire and crimp in a toggle switch.

We mainly cook breakfast indoors, always with the fan exhausting. The screen and other parts had a layer of bacon grease and whatever else. I had to scrub the screen with Dawn for quite a while to get it completely clean. In fact, so much scrubbing removed the shine (coating) on the screen. (I found an open box replacement on eBay for $20). Please keep in mind this fan is 10 years old!

The fan blades too! They were so dirty after sponging with Dawn, I had to wipe each blade several times with rubbing alcohol on paper towels to finally achieve clean/clear plastic!

At this point, I figured I would disassemble and clean it completely. Adam is my "Second Story Man" so he grabbed the ladder and I handed him the Phillips. The complete exterior unit is held on with only 4 screws. With everything removeable out, I stood on a milk crate under the opening and cleaned it inside and out.

To start there are 4 swivel clips to hold the screen (I'm going to start cleaning the screen every 1-2 weeks). Under the edge of the screen are 4 screws holding the lower plastic assembly in place which contains the electronics and wiring. Every screw on the MaxxFan is a Phillips so all you need is one screwdriver and wire tools if you're wanting the toggle switch.

MaxxFan uses terminals to connect power to the fan motor and opening mechanism, but OTT did not add a terminal for power to the unit, so I cut the black and white wires and used butt connectors upon reassembly (adding a terminal disconnect would be nice).

I'll show a picture of the internal wiring later, as I forgot to take one, but I have to open it again next week when I get a new swivel pin for the screen. One of 4 had a broken tab which would occur as somebody tried to pry off the pin vs. turning it.

The outdoor assembly comes apart into pieces by removing 5 + 3 + 6 more screws (see pics). When I reassembled this section, after cleaning all, I put a matchhead sized dab of clear silicone grease on the white wheel-shaped bushings on the ends of the lift levers.

What is really amazing is it's now so CLEAN that it allows twice as much light to enter the cabin. We might now need a cover for sleeping, LOL!  It's hard to photograph it all clean and installed due to lighting contrast (last picture).

Love the simple switch! The video should get the point across. We can now turn off the fan at night without making more than the click sound on the toggle! 😎

Fan Power Off Button.MOV

Edited 14 hours ago by jd1923

[CRM]

11 hours ago, jd1923 said:

The goal was to add a simple toggle switch to the fan motor so that when the fan is ON, the fan motor can be turned OFF while leaving the vent door OPEN!

It's kind of strange they didn't design it to have that option to begin with... Not sure what make/model I have but it has separate controls so I can turn the fan off while the vent door is open. 

[skalywag]

I simply crank the black knob to open when fan is off. I ventilate the trailer in storage doing this. 

Edited 2 hours ago by skalywag

[Galileo]

I mentioned on another thread that if you press the “power” and “open/close” button is rapid succession, you can turn the fan off but leave the vent open….

The detail cleaning sounds like my description from last year. 

I found that using a spray cleaner like “Fantastic” or “409” and a chip brush is very effective at removing greasy buildup in nooks and crannies. Just rinse with water when clean. 

I’d be hesitant to use alcohol for fear of crazing or attacking the plastic. 

Ours is starting to get dirty again - and I do my best not to cook anything remotely like bacon inside. Still, between cats and human life - with running the fan on exhaust 80% of the time - it still gets grimy. 

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, skalywag said:

I simply crank the black knob to open when fan is off.

Of course, but the goal is to turn the fan OFF leaving the vent door OPEN.

34 minutes ago, Galileo said:

press the “power” and “open/close” button is rapid succession

This doesn't work well. The noise starts with the first action and often ours doesn't respond quickly enough to start re-opening.

37 minutes ago, Galileo said:

I’d be hesitant to use alcohol for fear of crazing or attacking the plastic.

Rubbing alcohol is one of the lightest solvents. I rub it on the gelcoat or ANY other surface to prep for 3M VHB tape. The fan is crystal clear after several applications.

39 minutes ago, Galileo said:

The detail cleaning sounds like my description from last year.

Yeah, basically to clean it thoroughly you must remove disassemble all parts.

2 hours ago, CRM said:

It's kind of strange they didn't design it to have that option to begin with... Not sure what make/model I have but it has separate controls so I can turn the fan off while the vent door is open. 

Yes, very strange and reason I contacted the manufacturer first. On our unit, the FAN OFF control closes the vent door too.