How To Cut A Hole In Your RV Roof And Install A Vent Fan In New Location
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- CAUTION: Please be careful when working on the roof or your RV.
This video shows how to cut a 14" x 14" hole in your RV roof and install a powered vent fan in a location that did not previously have a vent hole. We chose the MaxxAir brand, Maxxfan Deluxe, although the procedure will be very similar for other brands or models of vent fans.
One of the most important parts of the job is carefully choosing the location for your new hole. It has to be free of structural components of the roof and electrical wiring. You will probably want to contact your RV manufacturer for a plan drawing of your particular rig, unless you know the layout of the roof super structure, to make sure the location you choose to cut a hole is free of any obstructions. My roof has steel cross members on the roof, so a strong magnet was very helpful in locating them. Your RV's building components might be different than mine.
You will need one tube of Dicor lap sealant, a roll of putty tape, some basic hand tools and a saw to cut the hole. We used a small sabre saw. It only took us a few hours to complete this job and we are very happy with the results. Good luck installing your new vent fan...you can do it!
Best install I’ve found so far.
Thanks for commenting! Still works great and no leaks.
Thanks for the great video! I purchased a 38 ft travel trailer with only one roof vent in the bathroom. Was getting WAY too hot when in storage. Felt much less anxious about cutting a new hole in the roof with your video under my belt!
Haha, I know the feeling. It feels a little crazy when you start to cut the hole. It's one of the best upgrades we have made to our rig, and we've had zero problems with it. Thanks for the comment!😄
@@TomandJulieMineExploring We're about to buy a destination trailer with a washer/dryer prep in a half bathroom. I'm thinking of making it into a shower so we have a full bath. The bathroom has no window or fan so I plan to add a vent fan in the ceiling. Your video is great and I'll talk to the manufacturer about diagrams first. Thank you for posting this. Any tips on connecting grey water drainage when I install the shower pan?
Thank you so much! Please don’t delete this video... It’s the best I’ve seen on installation. Clear instructions! Again, thank you 😊!!
Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
i guess I am quite off topic but does anyone know a good site to watch newly released series online ?
@Wesson Martin i use flixzone. You can find it by googling =)
@Alfred Merrick definitely, been watching on Flixzone for years myself =)
@Alfred Merrick Thank you, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) I appreciate it !!
This video looks like you are back in the northwest. Your install is one of the neatest I have ever seen. If I ever work wilt calking, I tend to have it from head to toe. You amazed me that you were able to get those cover screws in without a single drop on you. Good idea to use a piece of the carpet to cover the wire. Much better than trying to find a way to fish the wire under the carpet.
Yes, we are back home in central Oregon. I know what you mean about caulking, it can be a mess. The Dicor self leveling sealant never looks very neat when you apply it, just by the nature of the product. It's much different than regular caulking. I was going to try and fish the wires under the carpet but it is glued fast. Thanks for watching!
A fantastic job Tom. You will be cooler now. It had to be nerve wrecking while cutting the hole. When I bought this last motorhome I made the dealer install 2 extra fantastic fans as part of the package because I knew this would have made me nervous. LOL. Great job.
Thanks, John. Coming from an RV guy like yourself I'm glad you approve. I think it will be a nice upgrade.
Thoroughly shown and explained! Thank you so much, this is by far the best instructional video!!!
Thank you, Alfredo!
A tip for those having to cut styrofoam like this, one of the vibrating multitools will cut it cleanly and like butter. Works great on expanding foam also!
The Styrofoam cut like butter with the jigsaw.
Great video, I will be fitting one on Thursday in van. watching you from Camden Town, London England stay safe be lucky. Steve
Thank you, Lon. Good luck with your project.
Them MaxfAir folks should include a link to your video in their install instruction manual...nicely executed and Pickles inspected!...taker easy Tom...woods
That's a good idea. Maybe I should make a pitch to MaxAir and we can split any profits. Pickles always has to see what we're doing and usually approves my work. Thanks for the comment, woods.
The jigsaw was your best bet to cut down the trim ring.
The material is very light and the jigsaw would most likely have cracked it.
Great video! this is off topic and I see youre much more of a professional but I was reminded of the time I once saw a conversion van where someone had cut a hole in the side and bolted in an AC window unit lol
Maybe that will be my next RV upgrade video, or would that be a downgrade. Thanks for the comment.
Great step by step video! You made it seem easy! Happy travels!
Thank you, Yolanda. The job was not too hard and the fan has been working great. We love it.
Used to frame houses for a living. Second job was working on Fleetwoods === Really enjoyed this video
Thanks for watching, Matt. From someone who has worked for Fleetwood I'm glad you approve.
I worked in the prototype division. Actually was "picked" to work on a Fleetwood for "Uncle Melton" Melton Berle = a few years before he passed away.
That's a cool story.
Awesome video. Thank you.
Thank you! We love our power vent.
Great video! Thanks!
You are welcome. Good luck if you decide to put a vent in. We love our new vent!
Thank you. I like your helper.
It was a fun project and still working perfectly. My little helper, Pickles, passed away last fall at age 21 years and 5 weeks. She was one cool cat. Thanks for the comment, Brooke!👌🐈
Great job!
Thanks for the comment!
Nice Job
Thank you. Good luck with your job.
Lastly, since it was just styrofoam, I would have poked through to the light fixture area 18" away just above the plywood ceiling material and then fed the wire above the ceiling to keep it out of sight. Just about any pointed end would have made an opening to pass the wire through.
The foam is very dense so you can't just poke through it 18 inches. A long drill bit would work, though. Not bad tips. I look forward to seeing your video of this process.
I saw your cat in the video nice meow meow
Thanks, Eddie!
ah I would love to work on a boler one day
I hope you get your chance. It's fun to work on RV's. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for your video. I am planning to do this. My only question is how can we be sure there are not wires running through where the hole needs cut? I have lights and an AC unit nearby.
It's likely that you can get a wiring diagram from the manufacturer of your RV. I emailed Winnebago directly and got a framing and wiring diagram. You could also search for one online. Hope this helps.
I was thinking about installing an AC in my bedroom. I was going to use the Furrion AC because the mass of it sets more towards the back of it so it would be mostly on the stud. I was gonna cut a hole and frame it out
Sounds like that would work. Getting power to it might be the hardest part.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring at first I'm going to they to fish a wire to a hole I cut in the cabinet above the bed then down the wardrobe to the front cargo area the out the floor under the trailer to the back cargo area the put a male extension cord plug on the back side of the trailer to plug it in to the 20 amp outlet. If I can't get it fished to the cabinet I was going to have it run across the roof in watertight electrical conduit then down to the bottom behind the fridge. Thank you for posting a video sharing what you did, not too many people are brave enough to cut the roof. Before I order an AC I was going to cut a 4 inch hole in the roof to check out what's inside and I've bought a attic vent to cover the hole if something inside stopped me from being able to do it. Thanks for the video BTW.
@@All2Skitzd It sounds like you have a good plan. Cutting the hoke is not that difficult. Just make double sure it's where you want it and it's the correct size.
Is that a rubber roof? I turned away when you started trimming the putty tape with a blade!
Nice job on the magnet. Stud locator should work too.
This is a fiberglass roof not rubber. The magnet was a good way to locate the metal ribs of the super structure, very important little detail. I never tried a stud locator. I don't know if any RV roofs are made with wood framing but a stud locator would be useful in that case. Thanks for the comment!
Fingers crossed no electrical wire in that roof area LOL
I believe I looked up the electrical schematic on Winnebago's website to be sure. The fan is our favorite modification that we have made to the rv.
I am not following why you doubled up the butyl tape when the instructions says to do that for ribbed surfaces. It's referring to the roof, not the fan's mount ring.
The tape never referred to a specific ribbed surface. The flange is ribbed so I doubled it. I really just used all the putty tape that I had and it hasn't leaked one drop. You can certainly do it however you would like.
I'd prefer Eternabond tape to the 'putty tape' you used.
I haven't seen an Eternabond putty type bedding product, although I haven't looked for it. This is what the vent manufacturer recommended. Thanks for your input, Jo!
@@TomandJulieMineExploring They don't make a putty tape. Was the putty tape a butyl product? If so, you're probably good. I spent a decade in commercial roofing, and the weakness in any flat roof is the penetrations and how you seal them.
Yes, butyl putty. Thanks for the comment!
Use your jig saw to cut the trim,....... run the wire inside.
Go for it. The foam is very dense and carpet glued firmly to the wood.
Yes, I plan on doing the very same thing and have desperately been trying to figure out where the framing is.
I will try your magnet trick looks like my best option. I plan to do this on a 2010 27P Sunstar Winnebago. I think I read your home base is Central Oregon
I to live in Central Oregon.
@@camarogs1 Good luck with your fan. We spend the summers in CO.
I really wish I could see how you wired it to the light.
Hi Manny, while getting power for the fan from a light fixture isn't ideal it does work. The problem is that you have to have the light switch on to get power to the fan. That means your lights will be on when you want to run your fan. We were going to replace our light fixtures anyway so I put switches on the new light fixtures so I can turn the lights on and off and don't have to keep the lights on when I want to run the fan. When you wire the fan to the light connect the black wire from the fan to the positive lead from the light and the white to the negative. The wire that goes to the center of the bulb socket is the positive. The negative wire is the one that is on the base of the socket. You are only working with 12 volts so no worries about getting shocked. It is very simple wiring similar to auto electric systems. I have a video of the upgrade we made to new light fixtures that you might like to see. It shows our nicer lights and how I switched them so they aren't always on when the fan is on. I hope this helps.
Here is a link to the light fixture upgrade.
ua-cam.com/video/B7Nu7CKZpd4/v-deo.html
Wired directly to the neighboring light? Doing a similar install without the roof cutting (simply replacing a vent with a vent fan). Not scared of the instal; just the wiring part.
You might be smart to do more research on the wiring for different available options. Mine works fine, but I also was replacing my light fixtures at the same time, and I put switches in them to operate individually for more control since I need to have the light switch on to power the vent fan. Make sense?
Would you say the hole is exactly 14x14?
I have this idea …. to make the hole a standard 14x14 so it's compatible with popular vents, but plan to build a custom slightly reclined (like 5 inches) aluminum stand and then use Butyl tape and clamps (from the inside) after screwing it to a 20 x 26 solar panel frame to secure it down. there will be a good 3 - 5 inches of over hang to keep water out so it would have to be raining side ways and the frame itself will have a nice tight seal to stop running water. Also I would have a mosquito inside.
Can that fan run overnight on a newer 12 volt car battery overnight and still allow you to start your car and recharge?
Yes, the hole was right on 14x14 inches. Thanks for the comment and good luck with your project.
super like
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Welcome to my Channel
Can someone explain to me why RV vents have to be so bulky or even more than 2 inches above the roof, plz? I want one for my van but want it to be stealth and almost flat. With todays technology why cant I find a flat vent for my roof and have the machine under the surface?
I couldn't tell you. This one is not as tall on the outside as some though.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring🤔 I'm really considering developing the worlds flatest van, car, vent for stealth seekers.. I already have over the months brainstorming, I just need to test it. Thanks for responding 🕳 👈🏼🤯 I mean flat!
Go for it!
Great video. How many tubes of dicor did you use?
Thanks! Just one tube was used.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring thank you 👍👍
Aluminum ribs will not be detected by a magnet.
You Sir, are correct. Apparently they aren't aluminum. The whole front frame of my rig is steel and apparently so is the roof framing. Thanks for your input. The fan is one of the best upgrades we've made. It's on as we speak. 90° outside and comfortable inside with no AC running.
Honestly i wouldnt use a jigsaw..a boshe renovator tool is so much better to use.vibrating teeth just cuts like butter..
Since I don't have the Bosch tool my jigsaw saw worked good.
NICE VIDEO! JULIE IS A LITTLE "BABE" MORE OF HER PLEASE!
Hi Wes. Glad that you enjoyed the video. You can see her in our mine exploring videos. 👍
EXCELLENT! THANKS!