Installing a Fantastic Fan
I've watched a few youtube videos and everyone has just wired into an existing overhead light wires close to it. I'm going to replace an existing vent with a Fantastic Fan and was wondering if that...
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Things I learned what to do to install something on the roof of well almost anything !
1.Even tho its warm and you have a thinning hair line wear a hat !
2.Even tho it may be warm , either wear pants or put something down for your knees so you don't get crud stuck to your knees !
3. Get everything out and make sure ALL parts are there !
4. Read over the instructions for hidden things !
5. Put something down to both protect interior and catch whatever little things that might find their way through the open hole you now have/created!
6. Get a bucket and rope to haul stuff up and down.
While removing the inside bezel/trim piece lots of little bits of ? went everywhere bed top/floor.
Next climbed up on the roof , coarse made several one handed trips while carrying more than needed tools in the other.
Since the roof was a little warm , the old dicor lap seal came off slicker than butter when I used a blade in the sawzall !.
Cordless drill and all the screws came out with ease.
Removed the old vent, set it aside cleaned up the remaining butyl tape and old sealant. Then cleaned it with some alcohol .
Next set the new Fantastic Fan in the whole.
Climbed down and went inside to check fit , looks good .
Next I removed the light that was next to the vent hole. Checked for power , so I pulled the fuse that was labeled inside lights , still had power , flipped off all the breakers still had power, went out and flipped the battery quick disconnect , went in and still had power .
Went out and removed the negative side main battery cable , went back in hey still had power ! (scratching head)
Forget it so I twisted the ends of the wires and screwed the electrical caps back over the exposed wires, kinda proud of myself that was easy !
I reach up and turn the fan switch to 1 nothing , 2 nothing , 3 still nothing.
I'm thinking what the heck ? So I went back out connected the main battery , connected the battery disconnect on the coach batteries and went in and flipped all the breakers back on and put the fuse back in.
Still nothing ! WTH !!! DOH the cover has to be raised up on the Fantastic Fan where as the MAXFANN you can turn it on with the cover closed !!
Raise the cover and turn the switch to 1 and she works even got a little faster on 2 and 3 :) I know ..
Ok back on the roof, lift the fan back out got the roll of Butyl tape and put a strip all 4 sides trying to line up the screw holes center of tape.
Flip the fan over sit it in nice and careful, climb back down checked from inside , plenty of room for the wires and bezel/trim piece.
Back up on the roof and put most of the screws in except the 4 for the FF Cover.
Here's where the problems started , I pull out the parts and one of the 4 brackets that has a pin through it and held in with the washer, one bracket is missing both the pin and washer !
So I'm kinda at a stand still , thinking some person had a bad day at the assembly plant putting these parts kits together and figured they would make somebody else have bad day !
Since CW was having a sale I ordered all this stuff online, I live about 10 miles from the CW in Rocklin , so I called the Rocklin store and spoke with a very rude person , once we got passed him being an #$@% he finally came back online and said they had the covers in stock , but didn't know if they could exchange it. I said I'd be right there.
A nice gal at the counter helped me out and was out of there in no time.
Got back home ,climbed back up on the roof , installed the brackets/screws and then finished up with the sealant . Coarse I thought the cover would go right on , but the front edge of the cover was laying down right in the middle of the bead of the sealant. I'll put it on tomorrow.
Got a brilliant idea of getting a bucket and rope , what took me 8 trips up and down went to two loads with the bucket and a little help from below.
I was hot , thirsty , tired , smelly and crud stuck to my knees etc. so I locked the rv up and will finish it up in the morning .
So far after figuring out as I went along , next one if I do I bet I could do it within an hour tops, instead of like today I started at 10:30 AM and through in the towel at 5:30 and went in and showered and went to dinner.
I say I still have about 1/2 hour left in the morning to finish it up .I have to cut the cover/trim piece that screws into the ceiling and then clean up the mess so it will probably be more like 2 hours ! lol
Thanks again for the replies , and if you read this you may save yourself some time and got a few laughs at my expense !
Things I learned what to do to install something on the roof of well almost anything !
1.Even tho its warm and you have a thinning hair line wear a hat !
2.Even tho it may be warm , either wear pants or put something down for your knees so you don't get crud stuck to your knees !
3. Get everything out and make sure ALL parts are there !
4. Read over the instructions for hidden things !
5. Put something down to both protect interior and catch whatever little things that might find their way through the open hole you now have/created!
6. Get a bucket and rope to haul stuff up and down.
While removing the inside bezel/trim piece lots of little bits of ? went everywhere bed top/floor.
Next climbed up on the roof , coarse made several one handed trips while carrying more than needed tools in the other.
Since the roof was a little warm , the old dicor lap seal came off slicker than butter when I used a blade in the sawzall !.
Cordless drill and all the screws came out with ease.
Removed the old vent, set it aside cleaned up the remaining butyl tape and old sealant. Then cleaned it with some alcohol .
Next set the new Fantastic Fan in the whole.
Climbed down and went inside to check fit , looks good .
Next I removed the light that was next to the vent hole. Checked for power , so I pulled the fuse that was labeled inside lights , still had power , flipped off all the breakers still had power, went out and flipped the battery quick disconnect , went in and still had power .
Went out and removed the negative side main battery cable , went back in hey still had power ! (scratching head)
Forget it so I twisted the ends of the wires and screwed the electrical caps back over the exposed wires, kinda proud of myself that was easy !
I reach up and turn the fan switch to 1 nothing , 2 nothing , 3 still nothing.
I'm thinking what the heck ? So I went back out connected the main battery , connected the battery disconnect on the coach batteries and went in and flipped all the breakers back on and put the fuse back in.
Still nothing ! WTH !!! DOH the cover has to be raised up on the Fantastic Fan where as the MAXFANN you can turn it on with the cover closed !!
Raise the cover and turn the switch to 1 and she works even got a little faster on 2 and 3 :) I know ..
Ok back on the roof, lift the fan back out got the roll of Butyl tape and put a strip all 4 sides trying to line up the screw holes center of tape.
Flip the fan over sit it in nice and careful, climb back down checked from inside , plenty of room for the wires and bezel/trim piece.
Back up on the roof and put most of the screws in except the 4 for the FF Cover.
Here's where the problems started , I pull out the parts and one of the 4 brackets that has a pin through it and held in with the washer, one bracket is missing both the pin and washer !
So I'm kinda at a stand still , thinking some person had a bad day at the assembly plant putting these parts kits together and figured they would make somebody else have bad day !
Since CW was having a sale I ordered all this stuff online, I live about 10 miles from the CW in Rocklin , so I called the Rocklin store and spoke with a very rude person , once we got passed him being an #$@% he finally came back online and said they had the covers in stock , but didn't know if they could exchange it. I said I'd be right there.
A nice gal at the counter helped me out and was out of there in no time.
Got back home ,climbed back up on the roof , installed the brackets/screws and then finished up with the sealant . Coarse I thought the cover would go right on , but the front edge of the cover was laying down right in the middle of the bead of the sealant. I'll put it on tomorrow.
Got a brilliant idea of getting a bucket and rope , what took me 8 trips up and down went to two loads with the bucket and a little help from below.
I was hot , thirsty , tired , smelly and crud stuck to my knees etc. so I locked the rv up and will finish it up in the morning .
So far after figuring out as I went along , next one if I do I bet I could do it within an hour tops, instead of like today I started at 10:30 AM and through in the towel at 5:30 and went in and showered and went to dinner.
I say I still have about 1/2 hour left in the morning to finish it up .I have to cut the cover/trim piece that screws into the ceiling and then clean up the mess so it will probably be more like 2 hours ! lol
Thanks again for the replies , and if you read this you may save yourself some time and got a few laughs at my expense !
