Ghost In My Roof Vent

[CPT Davenport]

Anyone else being haunted by paranormal activity regarding their vent????? I always check the vents are closed before we get underway. Sometimes after driving I notice the vent over the bunk finds its way open about halfway. Today I drove 20 miles up the coast to paddle Pescadero marsh. When we arrived it was open. I closed it and we went on to play. After the paddle we drove to the general store 1.5 miles away and it was open again! We did bounce a bit down a muddy road to our launching spot, but come on now! It was raining off and on today and if I did not look up and catch it, the bed would have been soaked. Is there any aftermarket way to restrain the vent from randomly opening?

Thanks,
Sean

 

[m5040]

Yes, it is called an elastic band.

 

[CPT Davenport]

Yes, it is called an elastic band.

Is this a common problem with these vents? Mine is a on 2022 Hawk.

 

[rubberlegs]

We’re you driving fast? I’m asking to see if the vents might be pulled open due to pressure.

 

[CPT Davenport]

We’re you driving fast? I’m asking to see if the vents might be pulled open due to pressure.

Not fast at all, just back road country cruz'n. Vibration?

 

[Jon R]

I was going to say, “It’s a Hawk, right?” Then I saw your second message.

There was a thread maybe a year ago about Hawk owners having the opening mechanism fail (a part fracturing), and the consensus was that it was due to turbulence at highway speed subjecting the vent cover to enough buffeting that it eventually fatigues out one of the parts. You may be experiencing opening of the vent due to the same cause.

Apparently what’s unique about the Hawk relative to the similar campers is the distance from the front of the roof to the vent.

 

[CPT Davenport]

I was going to say, “It’s a Hawk, right?” Then I saw your second message.

There was a thread maybe a year ago about Hawk owners having the opening mechanism fail (a part fracturing), and the consensus was that it was due to turbulence at highway speed subjecting the vent cover to enough buffeting that it eventually fatigues out one of the parts. You may be experiencing opening of the vent due to the same cause.

Apparently what’s unique about the Hawk relative to the similar campers is the distance from the front of the roof to the vent.

Interesting, hmmm?????

 

[Jon R]

I tried to search for that thread but haven’t found it yet. I’ll try again when I get back on a laptop later.

 

[Jon R]

Here’s a related thread, but I’m not sure it’s the one I remember.

https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/18742-fantastic-fan-opens-itself-and-destroys-itself-easy-to-remove-and-replace-with-maxxair/?fromsearch=1

 

[fish more]

Bungee

 

[CPT Davenport]

Thank you for linking that thread Jon R. I'm wishing I opted for the second fan forward instead of the standard vent. I fear I'm now doomed the the aforementioned Bungee to secure my lid.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

In the older thread, I reported that my accidental shift to the domed version of the lid solved the problem. Can verify roughly 15000 miles later that we’re still good. I can only guess that it changes the wind dynamics. Technically, the dome is not a direct replacement for the flat, but I did a straight swap. There’s a slight catch as it closes, but then it lines up and all is well.

If yours opened at low speed, I would guess that the teeth on the cheap metal lifting mechanism are worn smooth from the vibration and opening. Customer service sent me a free kit to replace the part. When that one failed as well I shifted to the dome.

Good luck.

 

[CPT Davenport]

In the older thread, I reported that my accidental shift to the domed version of the lid solved the problem. Can verify roughly 15000 miles later that we’re still good. I can only guess that it changes the wind dynamics. Technically, the dome is not a direct replacement for the flat, but I did a straight swap. There’s a slight catch as it closes, but then it lines up and all is well.

If yours opened at low speed, I would guess that the teeth on the cheap metal lifting mechanism are worn smooth from the vibration and opening. Customer service sent me a free kit to replace the part. When that one failed as well I shifted to the dome.

Good luck.

Thank you. It looks like we will have a break in the rain this week and I can get up there and do a full inspection. It would be great if I could just replace some parts. I currently have the dome version lid. At first I thought it may be lifting due to the "wing effect" at high speeds and long distance. After yesterdays lift on such a short drive and max speed of 40 mph, I'm thinking stripped parts.

 

[rubberlegs]

Yeah you are probably right. It’d be interesting to try pulling it up from above your camper.

So how would a bungee work? Isn’t there a screen? I’m not sure what you would grasp.

 

[craig333]

Never happened to me on either of my vents.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

Yeah you are probably right. It’d be interesting to try pulling it up from above your camper.
So how would a bungee work? Isn’t there a screen? I’m not sure what you would grasp.

If mine had not healed, I was going to put a small glued anchor on the interior of the plastic vent cap and run a piece of monofilament through the screen and have a doohickey on the end that would hook to something on the interior trim of the fan housing. I think that would be enough to keep it down.

 

[Old Crow]

We had that problem occasionally on our previous van's Fantastic Vent.... a manually-operated model.

My wife just reminded me that we used one of those mini-bungies with light wire hooks. The tops of the knob arms were hollow. I drilled a hole in the end of one of the arms to put the hook into (from the back side of the hole). Later, we realized we didn't need the hole. Just hooking into the hollow of the arm worked fine as the hook would go to a corner and tension would keep it there.

I can't remember how I attached the other end of the mini-bungie. I'm guessing I just unscrewed a screw on the screen enough to put the hook under and screwed it back down. I probably bent the U of the hook on that end into a circle.

In thinking about this today, I couldn't remember the mini-bungie ever hanging down. And then I realized that was because we'd unhook the hook, change the knob setting, and put the hook back on a knob arm.

 

[Mthomas]

On the fantastic fans, there is a little plastic hook on the edge of the interior trim ring which does not appear to have a purpose. I was told it is to secure the crank handle and prevent the vent from opening during transport of camper/trailer when new. I think i got that from the guys at FWC Jackson. Maybe it was just what they did as a fix when transporting units from the factory.

 

[CPT Davenport]

I found the culprit, and ruled out the poltergeist! It is the little grey box attached in the photo. Since day one the vent has been temperamental with opening or closing. It only opened all the way up 3 times or so and now only opens maybe half way. We have lived with that, but now the self opening means that this system needs to be repaired or go all together. What ever gearing inside the box is stripped.

Can I just replace the little grey box? If so, are these prone to failure and I will have to deal with this again?

Should I just replace the whole enchilada with a fan like I have aft? If so is this an big undertaking to remove the goop from the old vent, and does the fan unit fit in the same hole? I notice that FWC has already ran two wires to the location.

As this unit is only and the camper are only 6 months old, should I seek compensation in some way from FWC?

For now I removed the screen and zip tied the unit closed to prevent any unwanted water from soaking the bunk.

 

[rubberlegs]

Definitely chat with FWC. Maybe they'll replace it? You never know. We had an issue that our dealer fixed it gratis (delam of some cabinetry edges), and that was about six months in.