Upgraded Fan w/LED in HEAD...

[MAX Burner]

Ok...  I love these forums!  Nothing like great ideas shared by a group of common minded OTT owners.  I'm thinking I stole this one from a comment that @SeaDawg mentioned a while back regarding his "LED-lit" Shower Fan.  Well, Diane read his post and thought it would be a good upgrade - so, the new MAXXAIR w/LED unit arrived yesterday via Amazon (Happy Wife - Happy Life category).  This would be the short story of its installation...

First off, the original VANAIR Ventline fan assembly operated perfectly - no leaks, no bearing wobble, smooth actuation, but alas, no LED.  It's the exact unit we had in our previous SOBs.  BTW: Its up for grabs - a "freebee", I'll cover any CONUS shipping costs for anyone needing a Ventline.  There was major brain cramping involved to plot-out a list of instructions for the R&R drill, especially the Removal phase.

The first "R" was straight forward - using a plastic "razor" scrapper to remove the butyl tape from the gelcoat.  Cleaned gelcoat with a fresh microfiber cloth doused with an ounce of rubbing alcohol.

2. Filled original mounting holes with clear silicone, they will be further sealed with the butyl tape attached to the new fan housing.

3. Cut-to-fit the included plastic sleeve that fits between the top flange and bottom (shower side) trim piece.  Applied clear silicone around circumference of plastic sleeve and upper gelcoat.  BTW - the OTT factory fan hole was exactly the correct diameter - no additional cutting was needed (WHEW!).

4. Mounted new assembly up top, carefully pre-drilled/chamfered 8 new holes in exterior gelcoat.  Lightly torqued-in stainless screws enough to "push" butyl tape out from flange.  Trimmed tape and applied clear silicone around perimeter of flange.

5. Rain guard:  The new unit included a "rain-guard" which may be helpful if operating the fan in a heavy downpour.  Applied butyl tape on the RG flange and carefully pre-drilled/chamfered 6 new holes for the RG.  Trimmed tape after torquing screws in and then applied clear silicone around perimeter of RG.  Attached fan cap with the provided 2 white screws.

6. Applied clear silicone to the trim piece groove where plastic sleeve seats.  Carefully pre-drilled/chamfered 4 new holes for the trim.  Connected 12vDC power to fan motor and LED - used solder and heat-shrink for connections.  Tucked wires inside trim piece and mounted it with 4 screws.

 

7. Unlike the Ventline unit, the MAXXAIR has a locking mechanism when depressed allows the fan lid to open/raise.  Its raises/lowers smoothly.  Fan and LED each have separate switches.  And as, I believe, @Patriot has recently said, "Let there be light!"  One and done...  Happy Wife.

[Mike and Carol]

Nice install!  How bright is the LED?  Which model did you order, I see several maxxair vent fans that are similar.  Thanks!  Mike

[SeaDawg]

We've had the maxxair for a few years now, with the led light ring. Best upgrade. (Our decade old ventline was leaking.) 

We installed the maxxair with butyl tape. Trimmed the outside with marine caulk.

Love it, as you do. Love, love the light. Our handle release is more difficult than the old ventline, but we can live with that. It's a two hand operation.  

The fan is higher cfm. And very, very quiet. Highly recommend it. 

 

[MAX Burner]

5 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

How bright is the LED?  Which model did you order,

The LED is surprisingly bright - 50 to 60 watt equivalent?

I'll check the box it came in for the model number....  MAXXFAN Dome Plus w/LED - WHITE.

Cheers!

 

[SeaDawg]

The fuse is accessible without disassembling, which is another nice feature in ours.

Less than $100, on etrailer.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/MAXXAIR/MA00-03810W.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google | Shop - RV Vents and Fans&adgroupid=81219729010&campaignid=417623777&creative=404001548849&device=m&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=1026083&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmtGjBhDhARIsAEqfDEeBTUCRhW2dwZMF-AYYM2dLpNLgnV17aD5HcsrVq-qdF5xP-juVaNIaAirSEALw_wcB

 

[Patriot]

 @MAX Burner

Sano Install, I like it! 
 

Let there be light! 
 

Patriot🇺🇸

[dewdev]

MAX Burner

I checked out the fan on-line and see that it comes with different height extensions. What extension did you use? Did you find the model number from the box?

[MAX Burner]

1 hour ago, dewdev said:

What extension did you use? Did you find the model number from the box?

Here's the model number from our Amazon order receipt:

The unit comes with a 6" extension sleeve.  You will need to trim the sleeve to your roof thickness.  Our OTT roof thickness at the 6" diameter vent hole is 2 1/4".  We placed the 6" sleeve inside the hole, allowed 3/4" to protrude inside for the trim piece/LED housing, and marked the exact thickness so as to determine how much needed to be trimmed.  The length of the sleeve needed was 2 7/8".  We used clear silicone around the upper sleeve circumference and roof vent hole for additional waterproofing.  Fitment was good - especially considering that the fan hole location is not flat, being slightly curved - be very careful when torquing both the upper housing screws and the decorative trim piece/LED housing screws because one could (IMO) crack the housings if over-torqued.  The housings will "bend" slightly to match the interior concave curvature of the ceiling and the exterior convex curvature of the roof.  

We washed Casablanca after the install and heavily watered the area around the new vent for several minutes - no leaks detected/dry as a bone in the head.

Hope this helps, brother!

Cheers...

PS:  1. The old Ventline unit is spoken for by another member and will be shipped today.

2. This model MAXXAIR has the conveniently accessible inline fuse that @SeaDawg mentioned above, FYI.

 

[HikingDog]

Thanks for the great DIY write-up Max Burner, this will help immensely! We will be doing the same procedure with the Maxxfan LED model, after our Ventline sucked the flimsy foam gasket into the fan blades. The plastic film backing on that gasket had lost its adhesion, wrapped around the fan spindle, and bound up the motor. Just the excuse I needed to do this upgrade!

[topgun2]

59 minutes ago, HikingDog said:

after our Ventline sucked the flimsy foam gasket into the fan blades. The plastic film backing on that gasket had lost its adhesion, wrapped around the fan spindle, and bound up the motor.

I'm aware of a recall/warranty repair that was authorized for certain models of the bath fan due to the very issue you are describing.  Depending on the age of your Ollie and/or age of the fan, you just might want to open a Service ticket for this issue you are having.

Bill

p.s.  it would help if you would let everyone know what year and model Ollie you own.

[SeaDawg]

The upgrade maxxair dome fan, with the light ring, is still one of our simplest and best upgrades. Quiet, strong, and light overhead.

Especially since the wall light is now flukey. I'm looking forward to finding some kind of similar overhead light, maybe around our fantastic vent fan, for the main cabin. My friend (Casita) installed installed an aftermarket thing on her fantastic fan. It has "dots" of lights, so light, but annoying to me.

I'll wait.

[HikingDog]

Bill, thanks for that info about the possible recall/warranty. I wanted to switch to the Maxxfan Dome w/LED even before the gasket malfunction, hoping 1) the fan would be quieter than the Ventline, and because of 2) the locking handle, 3) the easily removed screen for cleaning up there 4) the easy to get to quick-blow fuse, 5) that cool LED light and 6) to test my roof sealing and caulking abilities for the first time ever... gulp!

[topgun2]

AND - 

7 - the most important of all - make Mom happy!

😄

[HikingDog]

Yep… definitely #7!

[Steve and Cindy]

For anyone who has replaced the original Maxxair model 3812 bath fan, are the screw holes in the same location on the exterior and interior?  Since I have to replace my fan, I'd consider doing the LED upgrade, but I'm not really motivated enough to drill new holes.

[SeaDawg]

@Steve and Cindy, I suspect they are the same. It's just a light ring, added to the base model.  This is one of our best easy upgrades, ever. (The installation manual is the same for both models.)

We used modern synthetic butyl tape to bed ours, on the outside. I'd highly recommend that, vs. caulk. 

Having the overhead light in the bath, so bright, but not glaring, is a gamechanger. (Especially since our small light on the wall isn't working anymore. I need to replace that. )

 

[MAX Burner]

13 hours ago, Steve and Cindy said:

For anyone who has replaced the original Maxxair model 3812 bath fan, are the screw holes in the same location on the exterior and interior?  Since I have to replace my fan, I'd consider doing the LED upgrade, but I'm not really motivated enough to drill new holes.

We replace our Ventline bath fan with the Maxxair/LED model as described above.  Expecting that the holes weren't going to line up (because of the two different manufacturers) either with the exterior assembly or the interior trim piece, we prepared ourselves to fill the existing holes and make new ones in the gelcoat to make this install happen.  It wasn't a big deal drilling into the gelcoat and fiberglass material beneath - we applied blue painter's tape, marked/spring-punched the hole locations, and used the proper bit to drill them.  

FYI:  We definitely used modern gray-colored butyl tape between the exterior pieces and the hull, just as @SeaDawgdescribes.

It's a very straight forward mod and gives you a nice additional LED in the head which D really loves a lot...  HWHL!

Above pic with vent closed/light on.

...vent open/light on.

Exterior view of the vent and vent guard.

@Steve and Cindy: If you've got any specific questions, you can PM us anytime and we'll try to answer any questions you may have.  In any case, good luck with your mod!

Best regards,

A & D 

 

[SeaDawg]

Thanks for the photo, @MAX Burner. My memory failed me on that one. 🙂 I'll edit my post. 

 

[MAX Burner]

3 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Thanks for the photo, @MAX Burner. My memory failed me on that one. 🙂 I'll edit my post. 

 

HA!  No worries!  Just hope it helps them out - there's quite some hesitation by many to drill into the fiberglass and gelcoat.  Totally get that - but with correct procedures and thoughtfulness, it's usually a DIY procedure, IMO...

[Steve and Cindy]

I ended up ordering the exact same replacement part without the light, so hoping it will be very straightforward.  I did do some gelcoat drilling for the infamous toilet flange repair, but I guess that's a story for another thread.  Thanks for the tips!

[Mike and Carol]

I got my new fan installed today.  Checked this thread a couple of times just for sanity checks!  I think it’s a worthwhile upgrade.  Mike

[MAX Burner]

14 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

I got my new fan installed today.

Congrats!  How do y'all like the LED in there?  Got some pix of your new mod?  Just curious, Mike...  Cheers!

[SeaDawg]

I think you'll love that overhead light and the quiet operation, @Mike and Carol.  We've sure enjoyed it these past years.

I hope by the time we need to replace our FanTastic 14 x 14 fan that one of the majors will be building one with a similar light. 

 

[MAX Burner]

27 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

I hope by the time we need to replace our FanTastic 14 x 14 fan that one of the majors will be building one with a similar light. 

 

Funny you should mention that, Sherry...  We found an LED attachment years ago for the FanTastic Fan for our AS.  It was a perimeter style compatible with the standard 14"x14" ceiling penetration.  We called it our "Disco Light"!  HA!

FYI: it was very similar to this one:

[SeaDawg]

@MAX Burner, one of my friends installed that I'm her Casita. It definitely helps with the lighting, but she doesn't care for the lens and little lights. She finds it distracting. (I agree with her.)

I think your "disco light" label is quite appropriate. 🤣

in contrast, the nice, evenly lit ring on the maxxDome is lovely.