Roof vents pre-wired?

[DesertDon]

Are the roof vents prewired for powered vents? I wish to install a Comfort-Air Vent (by Shur-flo) on my Grandby.

*** Go to message 17 (I think) for the answer and notes on the installation. (4/28/07) ***

 

[pvstoy]

Hi DesertDon,

What year is your Grandby? I ask because when Ben was the owner they prewired for those extra add on later. That was 2001 and before. If you have a newer model you can call Stan @ FWC and see if he can help. Look at this link to see some wiring under the skin:
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=355

 

[DesertDon]

I have a 2005. I'll check with FWC. I'm sure I can fish over to an overhead light if I have too.

 

[pvstoy]

I guess you could remove the vent and have a look around if FWC can't help you. There might be a truss in the way to the light from the vent.

 

[WarpathEngineering]

My '98 Grandby is wired at both openings.

 

[DesertDon]

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed but the housing for the Comfort Air vent looks a lot like the vent on the camper. Pull out the the old vent core on the inside and put in the new vent without working on the rook. That would be too cool.

The Comfort Air does not have a dome like the Fantasitc Fan. I'll post what I learn when I take on the project in a few weeks.

 

[HERR42]

no dome? the platinum series has a rain sensor and a motorized dome...i think.

 

[DesertDon]

You are correct. What I was trying to convey was that the outside profile of the Comfort Air is the same as a plain Jane vent. The Fantastic Fan has a large dome that can be left open in wet weather.

The Comfort Air must be closed during wet weather. The Platinum series has a sensor to close the vent during wet weather. I was to cheap to buy one of those and settled for the gold series vent.

 

[HERR42]

i am hopinng the the comfort-air will be really quiet as it is continuously variable.

 

[DesertDon]

That is my thinking. The fan blades are quite large. Should not take that much rpm to move air in a camper. What I am after is to draw the cool evening air in when the camper is warm.

 

[HERR42]

yup.....and do it quietly

 

[benburnett]

pre wire

Sorry I can't help you on that one. We did prewire our campers at both holes for the power vents. That would be from 2001 back a few years. I can ask Jeff in the morning and see what they were doing before he left.

 

[jimjxsn]

My 2000 Ranger was pre-wired. I just added a fantastic vent a couple of weeks ago.

The wiring was visible when I removed the interior trim piece so it shouldn't be too hard to check before you tackle the exterior.

Good luck!
Jim

 

[benburnett]

vent wiring

Just talked to Jeff and they were still prewired when he left FWC. Chances are that they are wired for you. Might still want to give Stan a call. His number is 800-242-1442

 

[pvstoy]

What year did Jeff leave? For future wiring questions that come up.

 

[pvstoy]

Talked to a Mike that deliveried a FWC Kestral here today.

He said he has been with FCW for a couple years and they are pre-wiring. So chances are good that you will find the wire you are looking for.

 

[benburnett]

wiring

Jeff left FWC sometime in 2004.

 

[DesertDon]

I installed the Comfort Air fan today. At first I was disappointed with some noise coming from the motor but after 4 hours of running in both directions the noise has subsided considerably. I expect after additional running things should be fine.

The fan makes little noise until running from medium to high speeds when the blades to beging to shred the air. At lower speeds the air movement is substantial and quiet.

Installation notes:

--The flashing on the vent is larger than the original vent. The predrilled screw holes miss the aluminum square tubing roof frame on two sides. Locating the screws 3/8" in will fixed this problem. Check this out before putting down caulk. Things get very messy.

--I used self leveling lap compound to seal the flashing and fill the unused holes.

--Be careful not to over tighten the screws. Snug is good enough. It is easy to strip the hole in the frame especially with a screw gun. I used the same type of screw that was used in the original installation.

--Inside was a different problem. The roof is 1/2" too thin for the fan unit to trim out without a filler. The simplest way may be to use a foam spacer to fill the gap. The original inside trim may be reused.

--The vent was prewired. There was room to install a blade type inline fuse holder in the gap between the the roof frame and the fan housing. The fuse will be accessable when the trim is removed. No drilling of the fan housing was necessary. The black wire is the ground wire. I would still check the polarity of the wire to prevent damage to the fan.

--Removing the old vent was the usual messy project. I used paint thinner to help in the removal of the old caulk and clean up of tools.

I'm satisfied that the fan is worth the time and money. Now I need to load up and hit the road.

BTW .. thanks for the help everyone.

 

[pvstoy]

I installed the Comfort Air fan today.
... There was room to install a blade type inline fuse holder in the gap between the the roof frame and the fan housing. The fuse will be accessable when the trim is removed...

Thanks for the update and glad the wire was there. If you sell the camper make sure the new owner knows where the fuse is if you can't see it.