Vent fan installation

crowsnest
crowsnest Posts: 50
in Products and Accessories
Can I climb on the roof to replace fans? Can more than one person be there?

Comments

  • rfuss928
    rfuss928 Posts: 1,191
    No, no.

  • crowsnest
    crowsnest Posts: 50
    So how do you replace the fan?
  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Posts: 4,645
    What fan? What year and model trailer?  Lots of people have installed "fans", but "climbing on the roof" is an issue.  There are threads, but a little more info will help.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
  • crowsnest
    crowsnest Posts: 50
    2018 Tab 400. Replacing fantastic fan and bathroom fan 
  • Horigan
    Horigan Posts: 899
    edited May 2023
    I've replaced my main fan by putting a large folded towel down on the roof with the towel folds matching the curvature of the 400 to some degree, then put a wide board on that (1' x 3').  Sat on that with my feet over the edge while I turned around and did the upper installation work.  No damage to roof whatsoever.  The bathroom fan can be done from a ladder.
    Rich
    2019 T@b 400
    2025 Toyota Highlander 2.4L Turbo
    Bellingham WA
  • manyman297
    manyman297 Posts: 1,436
    If you install the maxxair fan you can install it through the hole in the roof. I did a post of my experience installing it but I can’t find the link. The only time you need to stretch across the roof is to tighten the screws that hold the fan to the trim/shroud on the left side. Just put down a bunch of blankets on the roof and you’ll be fine. 
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
  • AnOldUR
    AnOldUR Posts: 1,755
    I got lazy on this upgrade and had Miller in PA install ours. Absolutely no regrets. They did a great job. Very impressed with the sealing job.

    It has me wondering @manyman297. How hard would be to seal the fan working through the hole?


    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
    60,865 camping miles through the end of 2025
  • crowsnest
    crowsnest Posts: 50
    I agree. Putting on the sealant has to be done from the top
  • RTWCTS
    RTWCTS Posts: 209
    @crowsnest We recently installed a Dometic cover over our living area fan(2023 400). Working on the passenger side was easy enough from an 8' step ladder. Since the fan is offset on the roof, I had to lay quite a bit of weight on to the roof to reach from the driver side. Can't fathom doing your task myself with the amount of time the actual replacement would take (I'm too old and fat). I know our bathroom fan is different, but ours seemed easy enough to reach from the ladder. Looking forward to learning of your solution!

    'Racing the Wind and Chasing the Sun'

    In a 2023 T@B 400 (former T@B 320 owners)

    Relentlessly Pursuing a Silverado EV

    Homeport - Virginia Beach, VA

  • manyman297
    manyman297 Posts: 1,436
    @AnOldUR The hardest part about sealing the fan through the roof hole (assuming body size isn’t an issue) is removing the fan component. Even then it’s not hard if you have the height. Just unscrew the interior screws, remove the exterior screws holding the fan housing onto the fan base (reaching across the driver’s side could be hard to impossible depending on your height…long screwdriver is a necessity). From
    there you should be able to tip the fan housing with wires attached our and onto the roof. Then you can poke your head out from the top and have an up-close view or what you’re doing. 

    Your install looks good but keep an eye on those screws. They don’t look like they have a thick coat of lap sealant on them. If they did everything right you still have butyl tape under the flange to act as a backup for leaks but in my experience those thin spots of lap sealant will crack within a year. 
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 

Categories