Top of the thread. There are pictures of what I did in each step.
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Looks great, I’d also love a link to the fan you purchased.
Thanks. The key for me wasn’t an actual “fan” that would cool me down but to keep the air from being stagnant in the tent - so far it’s worked great for that. Hoping once the weather cools down it’ll help with getting the condensation out of there as well.
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This is exactly why I want the fan - air movement especially when the temps drop to help mitigate condensation. I dislike the bigger maxx air fans and want something as minimal as possible.
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Typical me fashion and shot from the hip with a Montucky and the phone on Spotify, so no steps were documented.
Basically just lined out the center of the cap (left to right) and placed the foam pad on the roof as a template to see where the center hole needed cut and where I’d have clearance to the frame. Started a pilot hole with a drill bit and then tracked out the pencil line with a jigsaw. I knew I didn’t want to drill for the holes as I’d need to use bolts and washers to attach to the core roof so went with a double bead of silicone around the fan hole and set the unit. There hasn’t been a gully washer yet so I’m hopeful the cured silicone will mean that’s all it’ll take to keep it in place.
Trying to clarify in my head, is the fan mounted with just the silicone or did you drill the holes for the bolts.? Don’t see those in the pic above, looks “glued” in place. @pnwmountaineer
I ran a super scientific test of the Solatek Solar vent I installed.
Next week we’re supposed to get rain for 4 days. So, I’ll leave the tent up and see how it goes!
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I don’t know if you are asking me or @pnwmountaineer but, I used the screws. I tested them on the piece I cut out and the held pretty well.
It’s glued for the time being. If more “stick” is needed, I can always screw it down.
Post “hurricane” report. I left the tent open for a few hours during the rain, and took it done when the wind was “supposed” to get bad.
End result, no water incursion through the vent!
There was a fair amount of rain so if no water got in during that storm I’m not worried about it.
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Does the longevity of these fans seem like it’ll be reasonable? I read a few reviews of these fans that talked about them dying after a couple weeks; would just hate to cut a hole and fit one of these fans only to have them fail after a short time and need to be replaced.
If the lifespan ends up being pretty limited, that could get old quick and then you have a hole in your roof for a product that you’re sick of having to replace every few months, year, or even every couple of years.
Honestly, I don’t know. Mainly because people never post about how well something did. I was willing to take the risk. Worst case I go buy one of those Baroud $300 fans. It’s like when I was looking at putting 35" tires on my Colorado, do I want to take on the risk that my steering rack is going to fail? (I still haven’t decided)
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Yeah - I guess most modifications have at least a little risk/benefit analysis that needs to be done!
I bought the extra zipper and might try using that to vent the top before taking the leap and cutting the ceiling. Curious to know how the fan does though, I will probably go that direction if the zipper insert doesn’t work well enough.
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Anybody have a longevity report on the lifespan of the fan?
Mine’s still doing well 6 months later. No water intrusion. And no condensation inside!
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Has anyone installed the solar fan with the new turbonap? Wondering if it extrudes too much on the interior.
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I don’t see overall dimensions listed on the website, but I’m sure someone has posted them. If they’re the same as the Hest, there’s 16-18 inches of empty space where the mattresses are not as long as the camper bed panels. If you mounted the fan at the top of the tent, it would fit easily in this “empty” space.
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Just want to update that I did install the fan and it works fine with the turbonap! Keeps condesation out and is a great install.
Did you install the same one?
I should look at doing this.
Yeah same one. It works great I am extremely happy with it