Ventilation best practices when it rains (T@b 400)

ecstatic

I was just curious, how do you maintain good airflow and ventilation and ensure the windows aren't fogging up while camping in the rain?  I'm assuming the main vent fan shouldn't be opened far enough for the fan to be operational during rain so do you just crack it and crack a window slightly?  Can the window over the table and the kitchen window both be cracked when it is raining?

Also, when it comes to the bathroom fan can that be in the open position in the rain?  The bathroom fan is confusing to me because I feel like the molded labeling for the open and closed position are backwards.   When I have it in the closed position it appears to be open and vice versa....

N7SHG_Ham

The bath fan is labeled correctly. All windows could be cracked if you desire. To run the main vent fan you would need a rain cover. Wished I had of thought to have a Maxair installed at the factory instead of the Fantastic, that is the best cure for that main fan, still can be done, just a few hundred bucks now!

VictoriaP

N7SHG_Ham said:

The bath fan is labeled correctly. All windows could be cracked if you desire. To run the main vent fan you would need a rain cover. Wished I had of thought to have a Maxair installed at the factory instead of the Fantastic, that is the best cure for that main fan, still can be done, just a few hundred bucks now!

The MaxxFan is worth every penny, whether you get the manual one or the one with the remote. Super quiet on all but the highest speeds, and no worries about weather. You can even use it as a ceiling fan with the vent closed.

@ecstatic No reason not to leave the side and front windows cracked, in all but heavy/sideways rain, they’ll be fine. Just be sure to secure them fully closed again for travel, it’s easy to forget because they may look closed.

dragonsdofly

@ecstatic, get a rain shield (cover for your fan). I had the maxxaire cover installed over my fantastic fan. The upgrade to maxxfan can come later, but with the cover in place the fan lid can be opened fully and the fan can stay idle just for ventilation or run at full speed while it's raining. Another fan cover is the aeroflow, and I'm sure other brands are available.

Amazonica

I've been in South Texas for a few months, and boy does it RAIN! Sideways, up, down, and with frog-strangling force. I use the "lock Open" position on the bed and kitchen windows, and open my main cabin vent. I find the top of the dinette window can somehow let in tiny droplets, so that one stays closed. The bathroom roof vent stays open all the time unless I'm towing. I installed the Maxxfan Deluxe, replacing the Fantastic Fan, by myself on my 400, in an RV Park with borrowed ladder and tools. Totally doable and worth the effort and money. There are several threads on installation, but I found B0atguy's had pictures and was 'step-by-step' enough for my level. https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/9490/2019-320s-oem-fantastic-fan-to-maxxair-installation-complete#latest
When open, it casts a very little bit of shadow on the solar panel at the top, but not enough to hinder it. Could be remedied by parking with the bed window directly facing south.

Mouseketab

We just crack the three windows. The fan stays closed all the time. We just don't use it.

jameskuzman

I thought the label was backwards on the bathroom fan as well until I took a closer look at how it works. In the open position, the visible slots in the bezel appear to be closed but those aren't actually the air intakes; the intakes are actually inside the fan housing and open up when the little plastic louvers flip down and cover the slots. In the closed position, the slots in the bezel get uncovered, but if you look inside, you can see they block the intakes. 

We have a couple of warranty items to get squared away here soon, so when it's at the factory we're going to have the Fantastic Fan replaced with the MaxxAir with the remote. There's a rain sensor with that one, so I'm not sure if we'll keep the MaxxAir cover we had installed or not. We may opt to move the Fantastic Fan and MaxxAir cover to the bathroom and get rid of the noisy original bathroom fan altogether. 

The MaxxAir cover does allow the Fantastic Fan to be used in the rain in exhaust mode (blowing air out), and we've never had any issues with rain coming in any of the windows if they're open a couple of inches unless it's literally raining sideways. 

Dalehelman

Try to Introduce  as little moisture as possible to the inside of the trailer like wet clothing and boiling water. Avoid showering. Use dry electric heat if possible.

Denny16

You do not need to replace the Fantastic Fan to get remote operation, rain sensor and more fan speeds.  Fantastic Fan has an upgrade kit that will give you all of this for around $150 and is quick (about a 20 or 30-min task including reading the instructions.  I have the hood on mine, added the upgrade kit, now the Fantastic Fan has the same features as the MaxAir fan without having to completely remove the fan or go out on the roof.  The upgrade also gives an Auto mode which you can preset a max temp and the fan will come on and vent if the max temp setting is reached.  The rain hood on top, allows the fan to work in the rain.  

If you do not have a rain hood, then the MaxAir, which has the hood built in, might be a less expensive option to upgrading and adding the hood.  I already had the hood, so the upgrade was the quick and easy way to go.
Cheers

jameskuzman

Denny16 said:

You do not need to replace the Fantastic Fan to get remote operation, rain sensor and more fan speeds.  Fantastic Fan has an upgrade kit that will give you all of this for around $150 and is quick (about a 20 or 30-min task including reading the instructions.  I have the hood on mine, added the upgrade kit, now the Fantastic Fan has the same features as the MaxAir fan without having to completely remove the fan or go out on the roof.  The upgrade also gives an Auto mode which you can preset a max temp and the fan will come on and vent if the max temp setting is reached.  The rain hood on top, allows the fan to work in the rain.  

If you do not have a rain hood, then the MaxAir, which has the hood built in, might be a less expensive option to upgrading and adding the hood.  I already had the hood, so the upgrade was the quick and easy way to go.
Cheers

You don’t say! I had no idea. I’ll have to dig into this. If I can replace a component instead of the entire fan and not feel like I spent money on a cover that’s now redundant, I’m in. Thanks @De@Denny16! 

jimcenname

@Denny16, I bought the 7350 fan retrofit for the Domestic 1450 that's in my 2019 T@B400. Wouldn't work. The 7350 had a white wire to be connected to the dome switch. The OEM 1450 doesn't have a dome switch since you raise the dome manually. I called fantastic, they said there is no retrofit for the 1450 that came in my tab. How did you deal with the dome switch wire on the retrofit fan?

Denny16

If you are referring to the top down safety switch, I unplugged it, as it is not used with the 7350 upgrade, as the Servo motor raises the top before the fan comes on automatically.
I had the TaB 400 Fanstic Fan Model 3350, and to have the remote, additional fan speeds and thermostat, I got the upgrade kit from ETrailer, which basically upgrades the fan to a 7350.  All you use from the old fan is the fan motor/blade assembly, clamp frame with the top.

The upgrade involves, removing the inner frame (not the outside clamp frame) which has two models, one with normal corners, and one with notches in the corners, so you need the right kit here.  Lowering this frame, pull the manual lower/raise Knob snd lock Knob first, drops the speed switches and reveals the wires.  All that is left is the fan motor assembly and the arm that raises and lowers the top, you change this out to with one in the kit.  The upgrade gives new co trolls, a motor the the raise/lower arm, which is already wired to the control board which is part of the new frame assembly.  The only wires you keep are the hot 12vdc and ground wire to repower the new upgrade, and reattach the fan wires to the new control board.  

Try contacting ETrailer customer service at victoriag@etrailer.com .  
Cheers

dsfdogs

While I still had the Fantastic Fan installed, I always had it open in the rain, maybe 45 degrees (?) and fan pulling air out of the trailer. I never had any problems with rain getting in! I would also open a side window or two. Depending on how warm it was, I've had them straight out open in the rain and never had rain come in. I'd say give it a shot and if rain is driven in through the fan, simple enough to close it.

Also, I have a 4" USB Opolar fan I LOVE and and often have that running for air circulation.