Fantastic Fan Upgrade to 7350 - dramatic improvement in efficiency

DenisP

@JeffroNC The lid can be manually opened and adjusted with the nob on the electric lift.  We often crack the lid to vent including during cold weather and in storage under a cover. The lid can be partially closed while the fan is running but will shut off the fan if the lid is closed too far.  The remote control also has lid adjustment to open or close the lid. 

ChrisK

Just installed mine today. The install is pretty easy. I ended up using the existing lift arm because the replacement arm had the roller on the wrong side. No biggie, they are the same part other than the roller.
The only thing I don't like is when you hit the open button, you can't stop in a mid position. Its all or none. You can open it manually but.....

ADRawli

@ChrisK I agree.  It would be nice if pushing the up/down button started the movement, with a second push stopping it where it is (partially open), and then a third reversing the direction as a second push does now.  That would allow for any position via the remote without adding a button. 

ChrisK

Agreed or just have 2 momentary buttons to raise or lower

klenger

Camping World had the MaxxFan Deluxe Remote (model 7500K) on sale for $231 back in mid-April so I ordered one knowing it would be back ordered.   It finally shipped and I should get it Monday, June 10th.  That was a very good price and they back ordered several hundred of them.  The current CW price is $349 and still on back order.   I really like the idea of being able to leave the vent open in the summer (AZ desert) knowing that it will automatically close if it rains.  Price on Amazon is around $280.

https://www.campingworld.com/maxxfan-deluxe-remote-control-rv-ventilator-system-smoke-lid-48934.html#q=maxxair+deluxe&start=1

DigitalSorceress

I am absolutely gobsmacked with the relative amount of power draw comparing the factory fan with the Fantastic..   When I saw this thread, I thought "oh, maybe folks do it for the noise" (that factory fan is a bit loud) but seeing these power numbers, I'm gong to order one TODAY.. the big medieval event I go to.. where I camp, we don't get a lot of direct sun, and gasoline generators are not allowed, so I need to be very mindful of power draw.

THANK YOU .. this forum is the most useful resource I could ask for.

DigitalSorceress

INFO: I just checked my 2019 320 S Boondock Edge and it has the cut-in corners.

Too bad too because I can see plenty of kits on Amazon for next day delivery without the corner cutouts.. 

It seems the one from etrailer someone linked earlier is the right one for my needs

I notice the kit seems to not include the fan motor and blades themselves.. so all the benefit comes from the enhanced motor controller I take it?

DigitalSorceress

@jkjenn may I ask how you got your numbers for your spreadsheet? did you put a meter on your battery and turn everything off and do them one by one? or did you collect the data from specs/posts?  both?

No matter how you did it, I gotta say.. it "speaks to me"  .. I've been a systems admin and a software engineer in my career and that attention to detail/documentation just fills me with glee. (I know I'm such a geek)

TerryV6

"INFO: I just checked my 2019 320 S Boondock Edge and it has the cut-in corners."

Question:  Is this design a change from earlier models?  I have a 2016 T@b....

DigitalSorceress

@TerryV6   - not sure if design change or a case of "what they had on hand" but previously in this thread, it was pointed out that there are two designs.. one with "cut corners" and one with "straight  corners"

The upgrade kit available on Amazon is the "straight corners" one

https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-Vent-807359-Screen-Upgrade/dp/B0027XIFA0/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=fantastic+7350&qid=1559918092&s=gateway&sr=8-8

The one with the cut corners was linked by a previous poster. .this is the one I need for my 2019 T@B 320 S Boondock Edge

https://www.etrailer.com/p-FV807357.html

I just went looking up at my vent and saw that it had the "cut corners" so That's the one I ordered

TerryV6

That is a great answer to a question that coulda been taken care of if I'd read the entire thread carefully.  Sometimes I get info overload reading stuff here.  There are so many threads and answers sometimes come in other threads.  

As far as Jenn's spreadsheet, she is a wizard with tons of info out there.  We've come to depend on people like her and others too (Dale and Brian) for info and ideas.  I am approached by my DW and told that Jenn has something... We need to get it..

  My wife told me we should buy a camper after 45 years.  That will simplify things... Yeah right.....  Of course, I'm keeping my brain (such as it is) limber with new stuff.  I have only so many brain cells and many of them are taken up with useless trivia like the lyrics to the Gilligan's Island song....  I could have filled them in with physics facts.  I could also get rid of those 80 column Hollerith card programming modules...

ChrisK

Got to use mine this weekend after having just installed it. I love this upgrade. Much quieter. I also absolutely love the thermostat control. Set a temp and it only comes on when it senses it is needed. That in itself is a power saver. We used to just leave the fan on. Now, we let it decide when it is needed. We ran the whole weekend on solar alone. We brough the generator but didn't need it.

JeffroNC

Just installed the kit. I like all the features but  it didn't fix the whining sound from the motor. I have a new motor to install next.

DigitalSorceress

I just installed mine.. I am glad the forum said something about the jumper.. not any mention of it in the instructions at all that I could find...

The one issue that REALLY bugs me: when the power to the RV is disconnected and reconnected (say when I switch from one battery to the other) or when for whatever reason power goes out then back.. the fan comes on at 100% .. I get that the dome down switch should kill the power but I have no dome switch.. This is super annoying.. I think I'm going to hack in a toggle switch to just manually power it off/on... I did the upgrade for the quiet/power saving anyway, but this is a bit kludgy

TerryV6

So if you use your battery power switch to to turn off power, then turn it on again, the fan start up?  Or are you saying that the fan speed setting goes back to 100 %?

My wife showed me a post on FB about someone putting in a max fan.  That was described as an easy install.  The price factor for an upgrade kit is certainly a factor too..

JEB

TerryV6 said:

So if you use your battery power switch to to turn off power, then turn it on again, the fan start up?  Or are you saying that the fan speed setting goes back to 100 %?

My wife showed me a post on FB about someone putting in a max fan.  That was described as an easy install.  The price factor for an upgrade kit is certainly a factor too..

It’s the former. When you cut power to the fan, it starts up automatically as soon as power is restored.  Another odd power feature is that if the rain sensor activates and closes the hood, the fan will continue to run until you turn it off manually. Both are because the stock fan has no pressure switch to keep the power off whenever the hood is closed and, unfortunately, no pressure switch can be installed retroactively. 

DigitalSorceress

@JEB Yes this is what I discovered.

I ran into the "cylinder fan needs jumper removed" scenerio and was VERY thankful for this forum as I have read the directions through a few times and found NO mention of it.. Had I not read this forum .. I'd have been thinking my fan was defective

ALSO the phone number in the manual was WRONG. Again, this forum had the correct number so thanks for that.

Now, Indeed, the idea is that in the upgrade kit you do not get the dome switch that cuts off power when it's closed.. The "fan turns on 100% when it receives power" isn't an issue in a system where the dome is closed because .. closed dome, no power.. open the dome manually and it powers up 100%

SO: my solution: the original did not have a fuse .. I assume the T@B default setup put a fuse in the fuse box.. so I removed the fuse from the fan and replaced it with a toggle switch..

I can simply hard disconnect the power (yes I could have done this with teh fuse but I'd surely have lost it had I kept that up)  when I want to ensure it doesn't run.. like when I'm switching from battery A to B  or if I"m disconnecting to prevent battery drain. .and I don't have to worry that I'll accidentally forget to go turn off the fan after it came back on automatically.

I also have a perm. housing over mine so I disabled the moisture switch.

This setup is good .. I really do notice the quieter run and it should let me run the fan much lower power when I don't need it on "OMG AIRBOAT" mode

Thanks to all on the forum .. Had I to do this again, I might just have put in a PWM controller instead of the whole "upgrade kit" I only did all this to have the energy saving modes.

DenisP

I had hoped to share an easy upgrade to the group based on my experience with my uneventful upgrade. I continue to be very happy with the upgrade. I am on a cross country trip with my 2018 400 and have only had power on one night out of seven and have had no battery close calls. Will be going to Madison Campground tomorrow for a couple days of dry camping and feel pretty confident it will be fine. The lower draw of the fan is very helpful and I don’t miss the fan noise. 

TerryV6

It's a great share @DenisP.  Thanks... 

JeffroNC

Any idea what the red LED light is for on the board? The fan and lift works OK. I noticed the light last night. If I take the fuse out, the light goes off.

jkjenn

JeffroNC said:

Any idea what the red LED light is for on the board? The fan and lift works OK. I noticed the light last night. If I take the fuse out, the light goes off.

I believe it is the rain sensor.

JeffroNC

Might be because I unplugged it? I read that it didn't work with the upgrade.

DigitalSorceress

I've now had a chance to use my fan and I really am happy with my solution (replaced fuse with toggle switch) and how much lower I can set the motor speed to get light ventilation with low power consumption and less noise.. It's a real win.

Also, as I get requests from friends to give them a "tour" (which often turns into basically a walk-through and sales pitch for NuCamp because OMG they love it) The fan is one of the things that gets the most attention.. they love the bourgeois motorized open/close.. LOL

ezusmanis

I have a 2019 TAB 400 and I purchased the FV807352 upgrade kit for it from etrailer. Installation went well except the cover arm that came with the kit did not work with my setup. I then temporary attached the cover motor to the original cover arm and it worked! Bottom line, if you have one of the newer fans, you don't need to install the cover arm that came with the kit.

Extremely pleased with the upgrade - not only the added features but the lower power consumption at lower speeds (we're boondock enthusiasts). I wonder why nuCamp doesn't install the upgraded fan as standard equipment?

By the way, the reason the new fan is so much more efficient that the original fan is because the original fan uses resistors (look like coils of wire) to reduce the fan speed. When you set the fan speed below 3, the power is split between the motor and the resistor (which dissipates the power in the form of heat).

The upgrade kit uses a microprocessor to adjust the amount of power sent to the fan with very little waste.

jkjenn

I just went back to tweak my upgrade kit. I pulled both the jumper and the rain sensor. The fan seems to hit all 10 speeds more consistently, now and lost the squeak it had. It might be user error but I still cannot seem to get it to reverse directions.

Somewherelse

I had my dealer install the 7350 fantastic fan. He installed it with the Max fan cover.  I can barely feel any air coming in, it is set to blow in.  The rain sensor doesn’t seem to do anything and I can only select manual for the setting. Maybe I was expecting a strong wind blowing inlike a regular fan, I’m getting barely a breeze. My hair doesn’t even move.  The fan turns (both ways) , it looks like it SHOULD work. I’m wondering if you don’t use the Max air cover with the 7350 or if this was installed wrong. I’ve opened the window to help it but no improvement. I’m missing the “dramatic improvement” everyone raves about unless that is only in how much power it uses vs how it actually feels. It sure wouldn’t keep me cool. 

DenisP

The advantages of the 7350 compared to the stock three speed Fantastic fan do not include a change in volume of air moved.  The 7350 has much improved power consumption at the lower speeds, It has 14 speeds as opposed to three, remote control, Temperature control in addition to manual setting and a rain sensor.  Since I had already installed a AeroVent cover I chose not to install the rain sensor since the hood would keep out rain.
I just checked my 400 and while it didn't move my hair with the windows on vent or open air movement is noticeable.  I typically exhaust the air out which draws air through the vented or open windows. 

[Deleted User]

@DenisP Thank You! The exhaust seems to work fine and it does suck hot air out. I guess I was expecting more like a powerful home fan that you could turn on and feel a strong breeze blowing to keep you cool. It's just not that kind of fan. 

[Deleted User]

I had the dealer do the FF 7350 upgrade. The rain sensor doesn’t work nor does the auto setting. He put ona Maxx fan cover now I’m wondering if he shouldn’t have put the Maxx fan cover over it. That actually seems to impede air flow. Maybe it affects the rain sensor. Just don’t know. 

DenisP

The fan has a really good warranty from Dometic but it should be right from the dealer. A thought about the rain sensor is that it shouldn’t be getting wet with the hood. The auto temperature setting should work.