Bathroom fan replacement

Flinnro3

We put the fancy Maxxair 7500 fan in our 2019 T@G and it worked great... until it didn't. Got the green shutdown squeal of death that fan is known for. Maxxair replaced the control module, then the fan motor. I sold the camper to a new owner before new motor was installed so I don't know if the fan was ever really fixed or not. The remote and reversing and multi-speeds are nice... only if it works.

laetulos

Yikes, that is a $350 fan! So, just to be clear, you removed the old fan including the casing, caulking, screws, etc so that there was just a square whole in the roof and an electrical connection. Then replaced with the new one? The electrical connection was the same type as on the old bathroom fan?

I'd like to replace both the original fans, but $700 plus the hassle of taking off the old caulking seems like a bummer. Also, my front and rear windows are both in need of replacement, I don't want to know how much I've spent repairing this trailer. Sigh.

Thanks again for the help!  Lee

rh5555

You are correct on all your stated steps. Owning a trailer you're invested in is expensive short term, but will give enjoyment for decades.

B11

Is there a reason people are not installing the Dometic Fan-Tastic Ultra breeze vent cover over the existing Fan-Tastic fan instead of doing a full replacement with the Maxxaire Fan?  

Denny16

Hum, we already had the Dometic Fan-Tastic Ultra breeze vent cover over the existing Fan-Tastic fan in our TaB400, installed by original TaB dealer in SoCal.

I looked at replacing the Fan-Tasic fan with the sleeker looking Maxxaire Fan, which has lower clearance when retracted, but still allows venting and rain protection.  

But the cost was significantly higher, than just upgrading the existing fan to its higher end model with the mod, that gives 7-speeds, temp control on fan and auto open/close features of the Maxxaire Fan.  If I didn’t already have the top hood cover, replacing the fan with a Maxxaire Fan would have been less expensive, than adding the Dometic fan upgrade and top cover/hood, which was more expensive in the end. 

Adding the roof cover/hood unit or upgrading the existing fan with the Dometic kit is easier than replacing, but if doing both, replacing the unit becomes more attractive, which is why this is done more often than not.
 Cheers 

B11

@Denny16...Thank you. All makes perfect sense. I don't have my 2022 400bd yet so not sure it will have the vent cover. I plan to run the fan as much as possible during hot weather even if it is raining. Does the Ultra Breeze allow for fan operation during rain without letting water into the camper? 

Denny16

@B11 The vent cover is not a factory option, but ours was installed by the dealer.  Not sure about the Ultra Breeze unit.  Before your TaB leaves the factory, you can arrange to have the Maxxaire Fan installed by nüCamp after it comes off the assembly line, Your dealer can install,the new fan or install the roof hood on the Dometic fan, once they receive it from nuCamp.  

Edit:  Seems, nuCamp is no longer doing post production mods.  (See Sharon’s comment below)

If replacing the fan, keep the Dometic fan as a replacement for the shower fan, when it fails.
Cheers

TNOutback

Haloo said:

Yep, ours looks the same. Our fan quit working. I cleaned the contacts but still didn't work. Might be the switch. There is a fair amount of rust around the fan motor, switch, and anything else metal. 

The switch failed in our bathroom fan.  Cheap easy replacement on Amazon.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Denny16 - nuCamp is no longer doing after production add ons.  Owners need to have a dealer perform the work, or make an appointment through the nuCamp service department following delivery.

Denny16

@Sharon_is_SAM thanks for the update Sharon, nüCamp keeps changing what they will and will not do, hard to keep up.  I will edit my previous post.
cheers

qhumberd

ChrisFix said:

@Tundra57
You're correct in how it works.
With the vent in the Open position, the flaps that cover the side vents on the roof cover are down (as in your photo) and the fan is pushing air up and out of the bath through the vents in the cover.
With the vent in the Closed position, the flaps push up and close the vents in the cover. When in the Closed position, the fan pushes air up into the fan housing, and with nowhere to escape, recirculates downward mainly through the openings in the fan housing that are hidden underneath the flaps in your picture.
It creates the illusion of pulling air into the bath, but is just recirculating it.

I had the need to pull the stock fan on my 2019 T@B 400 as it failed. Found the fan in mine was a Dometic E Z Breeze and the motor mount posts failed in the same way that @Tundra57 had noted. The louver system has 3 positions but the fan is always pulling air from the bath area outside (exhausting). The VENT position gave me the impression that air was coming from outside but based upon the design that seems not likely. Here are the pictures with the airflow added to help clear this up.

OPEN mode is first and shows the louvers all the way down over the interior vents. Air exhausts up and out through the roof cover side vents




Next is CLOSED mode and louvers are up and sealing the roof cover side vents. Air goes up and then back down the interior vents.



Finally VENT mode has the louvers midway between open and closed so exhaust air can go out and some can go back down the interior vents



Thanks @ChrisFix for helping me understand this. This is a powerful little fan with just a bad mounting design that fails due to vibration and plastic aging it seems. Glad NuCamp figured that out. It has a standard 14 inch square opening which seems bounded by aluminum roof ribs on all sides but I will confirm. I'll post more later on the replacement MaxxAir I got and the steps. Seems very easy.

Hope this helps for what it is worth. 

B11

@Denny16 I was just informed that nuCamp won't be able to replace the Dometic with the Maxx Aire fan due to not letting them know soon enough. Apparently, our camper is on the line right now. We told our dealer a week and a half ago about wanting to make the fan switch. We'll be using the Dometic fan for a while.
Our dealer also said the Dometic fan should not be used as a replacement for the bathroom fan due to the bathroom fan having a circular hole and the Dometic fan hole being square. He said not to cut a square hole in the roof to make the modification. 

Denny16

Yes was referring to the older TaBs being able to use the Dometic fan in the washroom as original was a different model Dometic fan, with the same size hold.   I didn’t realize you have a new TaB on order, and the new TaBs have a much different washroom fan, no need to replace it as it is a round push up European type fan, replacing the older, larger fan.

You can always keep the Dometic fan, add a rain hood and/or do the fan upgrade kit to get the multiple fan speed control s d quieter operation.  I already had the hood, so adding the $150+/- upgrade was less expensive than replacing it with the MaxAir fan.  However, doing both mods, it is a wash in cost between modifications or replacement.  You might get your dealer to do the switch on their $, since it appears they messed up the order?

Cheers 

B11

@Denny16..Thanks for the clarifications. I appreciate it. Ya, no chance of getting the dealer to do the exchange on their $. They are so swamped with sales, that they don't even call back. I have to go into the dealership to possibly get answers. They also said I didn't give them enough time to make the change. Stated nuCamp needs at least 6 weeks' advanced notice to make a change prior to production. They also stated that getting the Maxxair would take too long. I checked today and can have one delivered overnight with added cost by tomorrow. I also could get it free shipped by Monday. I'll look into the cover or just use as is for a while and see how it goes.

Denny16

Sounds like a plan, tying out new things first is always a good idea.
 Cheers 

qhumberd

When looking back at the original post from @Michael49 from 2020 and the pictures of his fan vent cover on his 400, I was expecting a similar install on my 2019 when replacing the fan. It was not even close.

Here are three pictures of the removal of my stock EZ Breeze bath fan cover, which had 28 self tapping metal screws that secured to the aluminum frame that surrounds the fan standard 14 x14 opening. It took quite a while since the screws on the far side had to be located by feel



Here is a closer look at the roof that shows the aluminum angle which extends at least an inch all around the opening. Once cleaned up should be an easy drop in install for the basic MaxxFan exhaust fan I got. It only has 16 screws.

I was interested in the construction of the roof at this point but you can't see a lot. It appears to be the aluminum skin layer and then a thin insulation layer and then what looks like a ?thin composite or wood like layer on the inner roof. Anyone else know for sure the component materials here?  FYI the supply wires are 16 AWG here and the crimp connector is being used like a pigtail connector I am used to seeing in house wiring.



The new fan is next and will share some more install pictures in case it is helpful to anyone else having to do this themselves. We are many hours from the nearest dealer.

Sharon_is_SAM

The exterior roof skin is very thin aluminum, then a layer of bubble insulation (like Reflectix), then the aluminum cage frame with  foam block insulation.  The inside ceiling is a thin faux birch veneer. 

qhumberd

Sharon_is_SAM said:

The exterior roof skin is very thin aluminum, then a layer of bubble insulation (like Reflectix), then the aluminum cage frame with  foam block insulation.  The inside ceiling is a thin faux birch veneer. 

Perfect. I thought I was seeing a wood layer there. The new fan interior trim has screws that need to be held into something. So will have to take care as not a lot to hold to.

qhumberd

So one caution for those replacing the bath fan in the 400 (or 320 as the roof is the same). The dimensions of fans vary just enough to cause an issue with the roof. I noted the Maxxfan Deluxe models all state a minimum roof thickness of 1 1/8 inches. that appears to about the dimension of the T@B roof. The less expensive 4000 series MaxxFans have a minimum of 2 inches. To save on cost I got a 4301K Maxxfan and at the last step I noted that the fan was below the ceiling level in the bath. Not a lot but it is noticeable. Of course this is after I did all the drilling and such. It is around an inch and the trim ring will cover it but I was puzzled at why the other installs did not seem to have this issue. The less expensive Maxxfans do not use the mounting piece on the roof, and that gives the extra 7/8 inch height to the fan. So a note to pay attention to dimensions for us non engineers. But I love the fan and as it is in the bath not as likely that a head will hit it. Just will add the the story of our travels.







The comparison specs from E trailer are here and show the difference. Plus it mentions don't use in the bath?

Specs for less expensive 4301K and similar models



Deluxe specs for model numbers above 5000

Denny16

You can always add a bit of trim between the roof and the fan faceplate, to closeup the gap.  I would not leave that open and exposed to moisture.
 Cheers 

qhumberd

I sure don't want to leave the gap so working on some trim ideas now to cover. But I learned a lot and the fan works quite well. The roof height loss is not a problem for the size of our family either. I will certainly remember that the roof thickness of our T@Bs is right at 1 1/8 inches. Thanks.

Sharon_is_SAM

Here’s an idea: flexible, self adhesive tape.  Like caulk, only better for this application.  Should be easier to remove, too.

qhumberd

Thanks to @Denny16 and @Sharon_is_SAM for your thoughts. The forum as usual comes thru even when I made a mistake in checking dimensions. I won't do that again for sure! Thanks.

manyman297

@qhumberd

I had this exact issue when I installed a lower model Maxx Fan in our old popup camper. I ended up having to make a trim piece “extension” out of plywood that mirrored the footprint of the plastic trim and then mounting the plastic trim piece on that. Not fun but it worked. 

qhumberd

manyman297 said:

@qhumberd

I had this exact issue when I installed a lower model Maxx Fan in our old popup camper. I ended up having to make a trim piece “extension” out of plywood that mirrored the footprint of the plastic trim and then mounting the plastic trim piece on that. Not fun but it worked. 

All part of learning about the T@B. It just did not occur to me that RV fans would vary so that the roof thickness of 7/8 inch became an issue. I am waiting on some flexible trim to try first to seal the gap. Actually the only one that will notice will be me or any tall person I allow in the bath.

manyman297

Yeah, it was a totally unexpected thing when I ran into that issue. Mostly my fault for not paying attention to the specs but I also didn’t know how thick my roof was.