Fantastic Fan Upgrade to 7350 - dramatic improvement in efficiency

Polanskyster

Excellent news @ChrisFix!  My upgrade arrives tomorrow,  hopefully the install will be as successful as yours.

Denny16

Good, glad you got it sorted Chris.  I missed the point you had a black and red fan monitor wire scheme, this did add to the confusion here.  I wish manufacturers would keep with a consistent wire color code scheme, black and white, where black is hot or better yet black and red, where red is hot, which used to be the industry standard for DC power leads.
cheers

ChrisFix

@Polanskyster
If you need any assistance in wiring it in, please just let me know. With the exception of the upgrade not being able to turn off the fan when the rain sensor closes the lid, all the other functions are working properly with the version of the Fantastic Vent installed in the 2021 T@B 400.
And the low speeds are MUCH quieter than the low setting of the original 3-speed control.
And while I haven't actually boondocked with my 400 Boondock...the power usage is apparently dramatically reduced - if that is important to you.

Polanskyster

Done.  I was shocked that everything worked on the first try.  Only thing that stumped me was the dome lift arm supplied with the new kit.  I ended up using the original lift arm.  Thanks for all your help.

Denny16

Yes, the supplied lift arm is the wrong way round.  I also ended up using the original arm after contacting etrailer.  They said the Oly difference was the lift cam orientation, and the original arm should work.  

Cheers

rhyno

I just ordered my FV807357 upgrade kit from etrailer this week and will install it this spring when we get our 400.

It is frustrating that etrailer will not even attempt to keep prices stable and it is a crapshoot to get a good price. The price had hit a low of $148 and I almost bit, but waited to see if it would drop further...then the price shot up to $193 the next day! It dropped down to $163 a few days later and I went ahead and pulled the trigger. Now the price is back up in the $180s. Although I got a better price than during the peak of last year's series of price gouges, I told etrailer support I was not happy with their business practice to have wild price fluctuations on a day-to-day basis. I would have bought elsewhere had they not been the only source for this item.

manyman297

I agree it sucks but it seems to be the norm everywhere online. Amazon prices can fluctuate daily. I think the pandemic made things even worse. We ordered a porta potti for $100 in May and within a few days it jumped up to $190...then was backordered. We finally received ours in August (after camping season basically).

rhyno

If anyone is interested, these are back down to the $150 range as of today...

https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Fantastic-Vent/FV807357.html#exp-productdetails=.reviews

Burgerson

I picked one up for just under 150 and am working on the install today.  Of course e-Trailer now has them for 121 (they got down to 115 a day or two ago).

I can't get my install to work.  I have a 2020 T@B 400.  I connected the red/blue wire from the new unit to the red fan line; I connected all the black lines together.  Our T@B does not have a plunger switch for the lid so I at first connected that white line on the new unit to the black fan line, but that blew a fuse, so I then connected it to the other white wires.  So - black from fan, black from new unit and black from T@B are all connected; dome line (white), white from T@B and white from new unit board are all connected.  The lid lift runs when I turn the battery power switch on, and the fan starts to run but immediately shuts off.  I try to run the fan from the controller (I put in new batteries) but I get no action from the fan.  I removed the jumper from the board since we don't have a lid switch.  The rain sensor is installed.

Any suggestions/thoughts on how to make this work?  Thanks in advance.

@Burgerson - photo deleted due to excessive size.  Moderator

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/47/what-size-should-my-posted-forum-photos-be#latest

rhyno

@Burgerson - etrailer will refund the difference plus tax for price drops on their own site for up to 30 days after purchase, and you can call the every time the price drops again. I bought mine at $163 plus tax on Jan 10th and have had refunds of $7.50, then $16 and then another $28 as the price continued to drop after each previous refund. Just be sure to call that day when you see the lower price and have your order number ready. It takes about 5 mins each time and I've had no pushback from etrailer so far. 

kmulh

I just ordered one from etrailer for $121 but they are now backordered until 3/1. Not a big deal for me but something to consider if you wanted it sooner.

ChrisFix

ChrisFix said:

@johnfconway @Polanskyster @jkjenn @Denny16
I realize there are different models of the Fantastic Vent that we are starting with and that has been a source of confusion, for me at least.
I had reached out to the forum two times asking where does the Black Fan Motor wire get connected, but never got an answer - because many of you didn't have a Black Fan Motor wire.
But my fan motor has a red wire and a black wire.
The incoming 12V power is Black for 12V+ and White for 12V-.
The fan motor is Red for 12V+ and Black for 12V-
...which was the source of the issues with my install as I had incorrectly assumed Black was 12V+ for all the wiring.
My 2021 T@B 400 (and I believe the 2021 T@B 320s) have a model of Fantastic Vent (1450) without a Dome switch, and I thought that meant the White wire with the bullet connector on the upgrade kit frame simply went unused...but it in fact needs to connect to the Fan Motor Black 12V- wire, so Black connects to White - but in this case it is Ground to Ground.
Without this connection, Reverse does not work, but with it connected, all the speeds work correctly, as does Reverse.
@jkjenn - I see you have a 2021 model, and thought this could be a possible reason why Reverse doesn't work on your fan upgrade kit...or it may be another issue all together.

I only puzzled this out after pulling the fan down again and putting my meter to the connections - Dometic was no help and the instructions for install were even less help.

@burgerson Take a look at my earlier post when I had problems getting the kit running correctly...Not all black wires are created equally!!

Burgerson

Thanks - I did see your post (thank you - it was helpful) and I connected the dome switch line (white) to the black fan line, but the fan just doesn't run.  The board on the upgrade unit beeps when I hit the controls, and the motor for the lid works, so power is getting through but the fan is just not running.  Guess I will have to give e-Trailer a call.  Maybe it is a bad board.

And I did call E-Trailer and got a refund for the difference in price - nice!

Burgerson

One last try before throwing in the towel here – can someone who successfully installed this upgrade in a T@B without an open/close switch for the cover confirm which wires went where?

This is where I am right now based on what I have read and seen:

Wires from Fan Motor:  Red to red/blue from the upgrade unit, and the black fan wire to the white wire that had the bullet connector for the cover switch (which my T@B does not have)

Black wire from T@B (power supply) to black wire from upgrade kit.  This goes to the integrated fuse on the upgrade kit.

White wire from T@B (power supply) to white wire from upgrade kit.

Cover lift motor wires connected black to black and red to red, all of which came with the upgrade kit (the original T@B fan was a manual lift)

Jumper removed from the board.

I have a red light on the circuit board that is always on when I turn on the power – is that true for you as well?  I read that this might relate to the rain sensor, but it stays on even if the rain sensor is disconnected from the board.

Thanks all – appreciate all of your help!

Carolyn

we have a 2009 T@da with the original Northern Breeze fan. We cannot afford to replace it with anything taller on the outside as we are at the extreme limits of our carport. Does anyone know what the height of the Fantastic Fan is on the outside of the trailer?

Burgerson

Got a replacement from E-Trailer and installed it, wired as noted above, and all works as it should.  Must have been a bad board.

Cheers!

TomCanada

Placed my order w/ E-Trailer today - thanks @ChrisFix for all your efforts figuring this out - I have my fingers crossed that  I get a working unit and get this all functional!

Has anyone determined how to rig up a proper lid switch that shuts off the fan when the motor closes the cover?

rhyno

I installed my upgrade kit this afternoon on our FV1250 with the lid shutoff switch. Everything worked great and it took about an hour and a half to complete. I may end up disabling the shutoff switch so we can run the fan with the lid closed. I put some bits of electrical tape over the multiple red LEDs on the circuit board. I like my cave dark at night and don't need a light show.

This may have already been mentioned by someone else, but I highly recommend hanging the kit with something from the motor housing rather than putting stress on the connectors. I used some old doorbell wire from the toolbox whilst hooking everything up and testing.

Denny16

@rhyno. Glad you got the Fantastic Fan upgrade installed OK.  However...

The top vent must be open at least 1-inch to turn the fan on.  You should not run the fan with the vent top lid closed, you can overheat the fan, according to the fan instructions.  This is why the interlock switch is there.
cheers

TomCanada

I ordered the upgrade kit from e-trailer a few weeks ago and they got back to me that they won't have stock until August!  Sounds like we're staying with the noisy standard fan until then!  Anyone having similar shipping times?  This is the kit we've ordered for the 400: https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Fantastic-Vent/FV807357.html

johnfconway

TomCanada said:

I ordered the upgrade kit from e-trailer a few weeks ago and they got back to me that they won't have stock until August!  Sounds like we're staying with the noisy standard fan until then!  Anyone having similar shipping times?  This is the kit we've ordered for the 400: https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Fantastic-Vent/FV807357.html

If you don't want to wait until August, get the more plentiful version with square corners. A Wiss snips cuts them cleanly off.

TomCanada

I just completed my installation of the upgrade kit on my 2021 Tab 400 - unlike @ChrisFix, my unit had the dome switch, and so my wires (see photo below) were white and red, rather than black and red like Chris's, so no need to make any modifications - everything works perfectly, including reverse/forward, and the fan shutting off when the dome is closed (either manually or via rain detector).  The instructions were brutal as can be expected - several references to unnecessary cutting, stripping, and crimping, as well as reference to included crimp connectors that weren't actually included (I ended up using a standard electrical twistie for the single connection I actually had to splice).  They also don't mention mounting/connecting up the actual dome motor anywhere in the directions (unless I missed a big section) though that part's pretty straight-forward.

For anyone taking on this project, read through and visualize every step of the instructions before you cut anything - it will save you trouble later.  As mentioned above, if your setup is like mine, there's only one wire splice you'll need to do (the white supply wire) - everything else you can use the existing mating connectors.  Have a second set of hands when you're ready to hoist everything up at the end. I also hung the new unit from the fan bracket while I made all the connections to avoid excess strain on the connectors.  

Overall this thing's like a 7/10 for a challenge - if you're not handy or adventurous you may want to pass this one by, but if you're willing to take a few hours to scratch your head about the instructions and read/watch instructions from others online, the price can't be beat - $160 USD for the upgrade kit, and it's quiet and smooth as butter

Now if someone could tell me how to avoid having the blasted thing start up at full speed, or not fully open the dome at power-on, that would be great.  For now, I'm leaving it 'on' at low speed, but closing the dome lid so it's not running, and then will crack the dome manually whenever I want some circulation, using the remote only if I want to change the speed..

Denny16

Tom, that is one approach.  The fan comes in a high speed, and motors like to startup at full power than idle down.  It would be nice to have the lower setting remembered, so,the fan slows down on its own to the low speeds selected.  As for coming on with the lid part way up, this is normal. So,you,can still get ventilation which out fully opening the cover.  This is especially useful during a light drizzle where rain will not get in with the lid part way up.

Normally, you do not have to remove the dome motor, so it is not in the instructions.  I didn’t and used the actuator arm that came with the original fan, as the replacement was the wrong way round.

I have noticed, especially after trailering the TaB, the remote control will not turn on the fan.  I discovered all you need to do, is push the fan direction/reverse button then the Uato/Manual fan on button and the fan comes back to life!
cheers

TomCanada

Thanks Denny, by dome motor I meant the opening/closing motor - which was included in a separate bag.

I had the same issue with the actuator arm being the wrong way around, but the existing one was identical and in the right orientation so I left it alone and it works fine.

I haven't played extensively with the remote, but on mine the auto/manual 'button' is actually the on/off switch.  Pressing the temp up/down switches to auto, whereas pressing speed up/down switches to manual.  This thing has some quirks but we'll figure out what hacks work best!

Denny16

OK Tom, thanks, I was thinking of the fan motor.  The opening/closing unit is a servo, not a regular motor, and mounting it was straight forward, if I remember correctly.  The top buttons open/close and turn on/off the fan all at the same time.  The bottom up/down button just loosens and closes the lid without Turing on the fan, and allows for natural ventilation.  I use this option more than the fan.
cheers

TomCanada

By the way, now that I'm playing with this fan more, I do notice a very faint wobbling noise as it turns - normal?

Denny16

Tom, are the fan blades turning evenly, and is it connected tightly to the fan motor?  Both could cause a slight wobbling. Mine turns smoothly, does make a little noise, more so at faster speeds, and this is normal.
cheers

rhyno

@TomCanada - my motor squeaked in one direction but ran silently in the opposite direction. A quick call to dometic and they sent me a free replacement motor that runs much better. 

Denny16

Dometic is very responsive in the support.  Glad you got your issue sorted rhyno.
cheers

ChrisFix

TomCanada said:

I just completed my installation of the upgrade kit on my 2021 Tab 400 - unlike @ChrisFix, my unit had the dome switch, and so my wires (see photo below) were white and red, rather than black and red like Chris's, so no need to make any modifications - everything works perfectly, including reverse/forward, and the fan shutting off when the dome is closed (either manually or via rain detector).  

Wish mine had come with a dome switch. Seems like Russian Roulette as to which version of the fan you get installed by nuCamp.