Do you really need a roof vent?

[accrete]

Thom ,<br>Fantastic Fan makes a vent cover now .

<br><br>I put one on...<br>Wife saw it...<br>Her nick name for the Van?<br><br>Baluga<br><br>Cuz it looked like Baluga the whale was blowing his spout!<br><br>Off it came.<br><br>I will be replacing the existing fantastic fan with the MaxxAir MaxxFan 5100 manual opening vent in white with built in rain cover/system.

 

[rokguy]

<STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Hi,</SPAN></EM></STRONG><BR><STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">I found in hot areas (like Australia) a roof vent is really important hot air rises and is vented real easy at the roof. The ones I have always bought are the metal framed one (like Jensen) that will not leak cause they don't crack around the joined edge, under UV like the plastic ones do.</SPAN></EM></STRONG><BR><STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Maybe a solar vent is all you need they expel large volumes of air effectively.</SPAN></EM></STRONG><BR><BR><STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">A good idea I have used in all my conversions (boxtrucks) is cutting several round holes in the floor then fitting in a screw down portlight fitting found in boat chandlerys. They come in 3-4-5inch diameters with a threaded in plastic top. (you can even get clear ones) &nbsp;I go one step further and install a strong mesh in the opening to stop bugs getting in and so you can walk on them.&nbsp;<BR><BR>&nbsp;<IMG class=bbc_img src="http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/efxjc.dkzym/v/vspfiles/photos/6746-1.jpg?1353513360" rel="lightbox"> <BR></SPAN></EM></STRONG><BR><STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">These draw cold air in at night and no one will ever see them.&nbsp;In summer with a roof vent, they draw cool air up from underneath into the living area. Good way also to inspect tyre, brake hoses and suspension components. I wouldn't &nbsp;put them in your main walking area though.</SPAN></EM></STRONG><BR><BR><STRONG><EM><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">**WARNING** you don't drive with them open due to carbon monoxide. Remember to screw in the tops before driving off.<BR><BR>Geoff</SPAN></EM></STRONG>

 

[Cubey]

I installed a 9 inch vent from eBay. I always keep it open a crack so that the moisture from my breath can escape and it helps to prevent the front windows from streaming up (which is a huge sign that tells everyone that someone is sleeping inside). In the summer the vent has a quiet, low power computer case fan that that sucks out the hot air.

<br><br>The 9x9 square one? Thats what my Class B has factory. I had it replaced since the screen was damaged and it had a pull chain closer. Plus it didn't seal too well anymore. I wanted a 15x15 one but the RV shop wouldn't cut the hole bigger for one so I said put in a 9x9 instead. It has a better opener/closer and now seals properly.

 

[gman97005]

yes, you need a roof vent, there will be days/nights when there is no breeze and heat will just build and build..<br>no need to cut a hole in the roof, cut a rectangular opening on the backside close to the top, make an awning for it to keep rain out and epoxy some screen on the inside to keep bugs out..<br>or, cut a round/square (whatever) hole and mount a fan then build and awning for it and epoxy screen on one side or the other.. You will love it because it will pull cool air up from the floor and push hot air from the ceiling outside, imagine your building a desktop computer and you need to set it up so air flows in the front at the bottom and out the back at the top, this moves the air diagonally across the motherboard and cpu while minimizing turbulence, same concept with a van just a bigger desktop <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[ccbreder]

Yes, a vent. A round hole causes very little structural&nbsp;weakening&nbsp;compared to sharp angles.

 

[karen]

Hello all,

I'm not in a van yet, but I've been thinking a lot about ventilation, and I've decided that when I get my cargo van, I will cut into the floor and vent that way. I'd duct up to the highest spot in the van and have that get sucked out and down threw the floor hole via a squirl cage fan. That way I'd have stealth always.

 

[ccbreder]

Karen, sounds like a good idea. Just be careful of vehicle exhaust CO.

 

[Simran]

I'm guessing by the middle of the summer you'll know if you want&nbsp; vent or not. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>gus

 

[thin air]

I'm sure... there's a big difference between sleeping or not sleeping and overheated/drenched &lt;img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"&gt;

 

[She_websitetoolbox_import3114]

Does anybody know the cost of getting someone to put a 15 by 15 one in? Just a rough estimate. There's no way I can do that. Who would I ask? Body shop,regular mechanic.......Thanks

 

[thin air]

try craigslist for an rv tech... at alot of campgrounds there are mechanics/rv technicians who do onsite work. Stop by a campground and ask at the office, chances are they will know just who to call. Good thing is they will more than likely have plenty of experience and do it for bottom dollar because they have no overhead. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;they will determine what to charge you based on your rig too so that's a bonus... drive a big fancy class A, you're gonna get bent over.

 

[peacetara]

SO, I just thought I'd update.&nbsp; I'm currently in 86 degree (30C) weather, and inside the van it's 83 degrees (28C), and I have no roof vent.&nbsp; This is what I do:<br><br>The van is parked in full-sun.<br><br>I have a side window in the cargo area (on the passenger side), It is a "pop-open" type, so the bottom part of the window pop's open about 1"?<br><br>I have the cargo door open, into the main driving area, and I have the drivers side window open all the way, and I have a sunshade in the wind shield.<br><br>The fan is pointing towards the driver door window from within the cargo/house area.<br><br>It's still HOT, but at least I'm not any hotter than the outside temperature!

 

[MrNoodly]

I have a yet-to-be-tested hypothesis that stealth is not about keeping your roof uncluttered but, rather, about the type and style of things you clutter it with. If you want a work van to look like a work van, don't put RV or other consumer-ish things (like a Yakima box or satellite dish) up there.<br><br>So when it comes to vents, maybe we should use industrial looking stuff. Duct vents, vent caps, roof vents for buildings, inverted J-shaped pipes, cargo trailer vents... You get the idea.<br><br>Or we could find ways to make typical RV vents look like something else. Surround it with a louvered box, for example. People with roof racks usually put a sheet of plywood on the rack, so they could attach a couple of boards running lengthwise to the truck underneath the plywood so the vent isn't seen from the sides. Hide it between the rungs of a ladder. <br><br>And here's a wild idea. If you have the big PVC tube thing still on your rack, put a T coupling in the middle, connect it to a flange on the roof (all properly sealed to prevent leakage, of course, put another flange inside with a fan in it, then remove one or both of the end caps on the big ass PVC pipe. If you have the van situated the right way to the prevailing breeze, you might not need the fan.<br><br>Just thinkin'.

 

[peacetara]

I don't disagree with you MrNoodly, but I don't have a roof vent for 2 reasons:<br><br>&nbsp; 1) it's expensive<br>&nbsp; 2) I haven't a clue about how to do such a thing.<br><br>So, if I don't *NEED* it, I won't do it.&nbsp; I'd LOVE a sunroof up there (that opens), but that will be when I'm a rich girl <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>Stealth isn't something I really care about much.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

Edited.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Forum software does not seem to be compatible with the text I tried to cut and paste. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">

 

[James AKA Lynx]

When I had my boat I put a fan in the companionway and the outside temp was the same as the inside. In my van when the inside is to hot I turn on the van and crank the A/C. The inside temp is lower now. There is a cost curve on this of course. The roof vent will not be able to lower the temp lower than the outside. Too many nights and you can move North.<br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[MrNoodly]

Or be like our pre-AC ancestors and just tough it out.&nbsp;&lt;img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;By the way, I lived two years in northern Saskatchewan and central Alberta. The summers could get uncomfortably warm there, too. So north isn't always the answer. But higher altitude usually is.

 

[Seraphim]

We always appreciated a vent fan to move air the lengthwise of the van, with a second small vent on the other end of the van. Good for higher humidity

 

[travel]

There's a vent called the "Flettner" - it's popular in the UK, but not so much in the US or Canada. It's somewhat discrete and spins around (the more wind, the more it spins). I believe you need at least one window open for optimum ventilation, but I think it would work with windows closed, just not as well.<br><br>http://www.flettner.co.uk/<br><br>I'm in the process of converting my Astro van right now. Been thinking of what to do for ventilation. I've got hinged pop-out windows on the sides and on the rear barn doors. I could put screens on the inside attached with velcro or magnets to keep bugs out. But, an open window is a bit less stealthy. There are times when I will require stealth, so I'm really torn on what to do for ventilation. &nbsp;I also considered Karen's idea of an extractor vent that would exhaust the air through a duct in the floor and under the van (not while the van is in motion though). My van has a factory roof rack, which may help camoflauge my potential solar panel installation in future, and could possibly help take away attention from a roof vent (the vent wouldn't be the sole thing on the roof). Just thinking, a Fantastic or MaxxFan with the lid open would work so well, except for stealth. When closed, it's not so bad, but to get any benefit out of it, it needs to be open!

 

[MrNoodly]

One reason the Flettner vent isn't popular in the US is that there are only two distributors in North America, and they're both in Canada. Sure, you can still get them, there are just extra steps to the process.