Using 3d model of Chevy express to plan my dream conversion! (Question about hiding fan under solar panel)

[gsnz]

Hi all!

I've been using a to-scale 3d model of a chevy express to start blocking out the furniture/layout of my chevy express. I wanted to show what I have so far! I have even the ladder rack 3d modeled to scale accurate to the 1/8 inch!



I think I can tuck away my vent fan underneath the solar panel to avoid rain, but I'll need to make sure the one I get doesn't have a lid. Not seen in this image

Question for people who have lidless vent fans under their solar panels - Do you ever find that bugs collect at the fan's screen? Are there any disadvantages of using panels to cover fans from rain that I should expect if I go with this kind of design?



Note: I paid for the license from General Motors/Chevy to use this 3d model for the purpose of planning my van conversion and sharing images on the internet specifically at VanLivingForum.com. If these images were to end up somewhere else, they were done without my permission nor General Motors'. Also under this license, I cannot share the 3d model file for this van, but you can always find/pay for your own 3d model license with a quick google search.

 

[maki2]

You will want to have a cover of some type up on the roof. There are situations such a driving in rainstorms where the water could get blown into the opening. There is also a need to keep heat inside.

If you are a clever designer and metal fabricator you could design a sliding cover instead of a crank open cover that can fully open for airflow on hot days. But it would need to be motorized to open and close it.

But it is also possible to purchase one of those good quality roof top vent fan units in a configuration style designed for vertical mounting on the side of vehicles. That fan the “Fantastic fan”. It is also the quietest of the top two modern RV roof vent fans. Therefore you do have a choice of having a good fan with the same motors and controls and operable cover that does not need to be installed underneath your solar panels.

So a couple of options but installing a roof top RV fan without any external cover that seals over the opening is not a viable option.

 

[Carla618]

Is this too big?

Vent extends above roof:

• 2-3/8" Closed
• 3-1/4" Open
  
  https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Ventline/VP-543SP.html

 

[Carla618]

You might find this thread interesting. I did. It is not only about vents in fiberglass. They end up discussing several types of vents. At the Tacoma World forum.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/added-a-roof-vent-to-my-fiberglass-topper-shell.333187/

 

[gsnz]

Is this too big?

Vent extends above roof:

• 2-3/8" Closed
• 3-1/4" Open
  
  https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Ventline/VP-543SP.html

Wow! This could very well be what I need. I am pretty sure this would fit under the solar panel. I tend to get fixated on brands, which keep me from sometimes going for the most practical solution for my needs. I was so fixated on getting the maxxfan vent 14x14 that I never considered there were other styles of vents! Thank you!

 

[gsnz]

You might find this thread interesting. I did. It is not only about vents in fiberglass. They end up discussing several types of vents. At the Tacoma World forum.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/added-a-roof-vent-to-my-fiberglass-topper-shell.333187/

Very cool! I am definitely leaning towards these "can" style vents now!

 

[gsnz]

You will want to have a cover of some type up on the roof. There are situations such a driving in rainstorms where the water could get blown into the opening. There is also a need to keep heat inside.

If you are a clever designer and metal fabricator you could design a sliding cover instead of a crank open cover that can fully open for airflow on hot days. But it would need to be motorized to open and close it.

But it is also possible to purchase one of those good quality roof top vent fan units in a configuration style designed for vertical mounting on the side of vehicles. That fan the “Fantastic fan”. It is also the quietest of the top two modern RV roof vent fans. Therefore you do have a choice of having a good fan with the same motors and controls and operable cover that does not need to be installed underneath your solar panels.

So a couple of options but installing a roof top RV fan without any external cover that seals over the opening is not a viable option.

Thanks! Yea good call. Some others here are pointing out that there are some out-of-the-box low profile options for vents that I never considered. I considered the possibility of a horizontally-sliding maxxfan cover, but would have no idea what that would entail. Thanks for talking me out of this bad idea.

 

[LargeMarge]

Oops!
Semi-retired welder-fabricator here.
.
I saw '3-D model', and instantly presumed you built life-size cardboard furniture and cabinets.
I thought 'with your life-size models, you can immediately determine fit and interference'.
.
That is the way I do it in the shop.
.
Inevitably, my rare CAD experiments need tweaking after the initial 'finished product' is constructed.
A flat 2-D computer screen gives me so little 3-D feed-back, I might as well go right to cardboard.
But that is just me, old fumble fingers with the clutzy brains.

 

[maki2]

The interior renovation of my 50 year old fiberglass trailer including the design for a new steel frame under it were all done in 3D CAD. I am so used to translating 2D plans in to 3D reality that I can generally already see the object in my head. But I have been designing in 3D CAD looking at 3D CAD models since the 1980s so 3D visualization gives me no issues. But this stuff is life long experience. I was looking at 2D architecture plans as well as using sewing patterns way back in early elementary school. Sewing clothing is taking 2D plans and turning it into 3D objects. I had a job doing Architectural drafting in 1970. Since then there has never been any time gap in my making and designing stuff or working from measured drawings. One year I took a page of the drawing plans I was using for that week for the structural components I was installing at my job at Boeing to show to my ex who was an architect. The complexity of that drawing astounded my ex who at the time worked with drawings for large high rises.

Today I was cutting and packaging kits for miniature buildings that I designed in 3D CAD. It would be impossible to design them accurately with pencil and paper as the precision required is 0.0005”. Not much wrong with my brain yet except name recall issues if I get dehydrated on really hot days. Fortunately the fix for that is easy, drink more water with electrolytes and take a baby aspirin to thin my blood so I get more oxygen to my brain.

I can’t afford to have fumble fingers or a fumble brain either so being in my mid 70s I make sure to keep them both active with designing in 3D CAD and then making those items both large and small. If you don’t use it you will indeed lose it!


Remember Frank Lloyd Wright’s mother started him with building blocks in kindergarten and he fell in love with architecture and design early on. Education in 3D thinking begins at a very early age. Long live Legos!!!

 

[eDJ_]

I tend to start with creative concept sketches first, then refine that into floor plans, and from there to elevations. (like your 3D models from GM) Cylinder board or corrugated box board is suitable for some modeling if you want some shapes to work with. I believe INTJohn did this recently with his new Dodge build before actually building.

What I would like to know more about is the projected distance between the top of the fan housing and the bottom of the solar panel above it. If it isn't much it may seriously effect the air flow the fan you choose can provide. I think it would be a practical consideration to have some form of cover to seal the fan on the outside in the event of cold adverse weather. Or should the solar panel(s) be missing for some reason. (storms, road damage etc)
Access to the motor & fan from the inside may be worth considering too. Dead bugs on the exterior screen could be blown off from inside the rig using a piece of plastic tubing I'd believe.

In my travels I've seen a few damaged solar panels laying along the road side apparently from overhead obstructions.




I made these window screens from vinyl rain gutter strips, which have wire screen bonded to them. My rear doors have tilt out windows so there is a slight natural uphill ventilation when using them.

I'm not full timing yet but do travel and the heat of the 2023 summer has more than impressed me with the need for good ventilation or AC.

 

[KarlH]

@gsnz , did you use Blender to draw your additions? If so, did it work OK for that?