HOW TO: Completely Clean an RV Fantastic Vent Fan

Рет қаралды 104,110

13 жыл бұрын

We demonstrate how to remove, clean and reinstall a Fantastic vent fan in your RV. The fans are used so often, and move so much air, that they get really dirty. Once a year or so, we like to remove and super-clean ours. We'll show you how to make your Fantastic fans look like new.
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Having an exhaust fan in your motorhome, travel trailer or fifth wheel is terrific for saving on air conditioning use in the summer, and for removing moisture from the camper in colder weather. Removing and replacing the fans to give them a really good cleaning requires no special tools or knowledge, and can easily be completed in a half hour or less.
The piano music is my own performance of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag from 1899.
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Пікірлер: 91

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

We love RVing and don't want to discourage anyone who might be interested in trying it. That said, it can certainly be helpful to be at least a little bit handy when you're dealing with a large and complex piece of equipment. Repairs and maintenance can be done by a professional, but you still need to be able to handle your systems yourself. Hooking & unhooking, tank dumping, driving and general managing of your life on board are things you will need to learn. Not hard... just takes practice.

@TakeMeToYourLida 3 ай бұрын

Wow, I wouldn't have thought it was this easy. Thanks

@thomaslevy2119 7 жыл бұрын

Besides making the fan blades look prettier, cleaning them also increases the efficiency of the fan by reducing the drag on the blades. Years ago I cleaned the squirrel cage blower on the furnace of my mother's house. It had never been cleaned since the house was built in the 1950's. The blower's fins had a thick layer of accumulated dirt on them. After cleaning, the airflow from the blower almost doubled! That saved some money on natural gas since the furnace needed to run less to heat the house.

@RVgeeks 7 жыл бұрын

+Thomas Levy Excellent! Thanks for the great info, Thomas. 😊

@gypsybelle4757 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you, RV Geeks! Outstanding. The amount of dust and other allergens your technique removes will make a significant difference for anyone with seasonal allergies (hello!) or asthma. Adding this thorough clean version to my Spring Cleaning tasks. RV Geeks to the rescue once again!

@RVgeeks 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gypsy! So happy we could help reduce allergy problems.

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

This fan is manufactured by the Fantastic Vent Fan Company in the USA... details at fantasticvent(dot)com. It runs on 12-volt DC current and can move nearly 1000 cubic feet of air per minute. It's equipped with a thermostatic temperature control and a rain sensor, which turns the fan off and closes the lid when it begins raining.

@SkyRiverRVSales 10 жыл бұрын

I think it;s a great idea to look at your vents at the beginning of every season.

@Lorddarthvader1701 12 жыл бұрын

You guys need to put more videos up, these are good

@RVgeeks 12 жыл бұрын

@Lorddarthvader1701 lol Thanks! We actually have another one going up today about how to whiten a discolored or stained RV kitchen sink. Stay tuned!

@mikefoehr235 6 жыл бұрын

Those fans really kill a lot of bugs. That was a great video

@discerningmind 11 жыл бұрын

That was great how you propped the lid open. It's possible to remove the fan blade from inside the coach but the allen bolt is out of visibility. I can't say enough good about Fantastic Vent Fan Company. They're the nicest people to deal with if you need a part, or want to upgrade a feature.

@paulduggan2838 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. I’ll do that job on my 2008 Monaco Dynasty.

@RVgeeks 12 жыл бұрын

@brucebrod Our model of Fantastic fan has a manual control knob. You pull down on it, and then rotate it by hand to raise and lower the lid. When done, you push it back up to re-engage the motor that raises & lowers it automatically. Your fan may be different, as Fantastic has several different models (or maybe you have a different brand). Hope this helps.

@dkleath8697 Жыл бұрын

It helped me!! Thank you!

@caseybalvert3547 7 жыл бұрын

You have to go on the roof but much easier that taking the fan down from the bottom. Just did two of mine and the whole job was about a half an hour including washing the fan and support in the sink. Thanks for the tip.

@williamkowalski3816 6 жыл бұрын

Never thought of going in through the roof, easier then inside. Next time on the roof!

@RVgeeks 12 жыл бұрын

I think you've hit the nail on the head... all the other cheaper brands are... cheaper. Fantastic is the only real player in the RV fan market for a reason - they're the best. And if you should ever need a part or repair (unlikely) their customer service is legendary.

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

Hmmm. Not sure about that one. Here's a good resource though... try visiting the iRV2 forums, where TONS of RVers (and even some technicians) ask questions and share all kinds of great knowledge. Just go to irv2(dot)com. You can either read what's already there, searching for topics you're interested in, or sign up (it's free) and post your own questions. Hope this helps!

@larrysunderland8554 8 жыл бұрын

Thank you RVgeeks! I have the 3 speed Create-a-Breeze version in our little 6 year old class-C and today I was installing the 7350 upgrade kit to make it a full fledged Fantastic Fan. I wanted to remove fan blade for cleaning before completing the swap and the instructions talked about a screw in the end of the shaft holding the fan blade on. But that screw doesn't exist in mine. My fan blade is solid white not clear. So this video clued me in to the allen head set screw.

@RVgeeks 8 жыл бұрын

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. :)

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

It's listed as 25 watt, which is about 2 amps.

@dr.rebeccas.mielnik3837 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the great video and information. I appreciate it!

@siouxmacl 4 ай бұрын

I cleaned ours with Lysol wipes. They help reduce mold growth.

@RVgeeks 12 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately (or not, depending on your viewpoint lol), our roof vent fans are in good shape and do not need replacing. However, we just purchased a brand new skylight at the Newmar factory, and will be replacing that soon, with video coverage to follow, of course. :)

@sixfeetundertg 10 жыл бұрын

Thanks Fellas ! More great info.

@darrylb4048 3 жыл бұрын

Great demo.

@RVgeeks 10 жыл бұрын

There's a link to it at the top of the video description.

@dmichael2697 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks much! 3/32 Alan wrench. That's the key you gave to me! Happy trails

@dmichael2697 5 жыл бұрын

What I do is take paper towel, fold it square, half it twice, apply cleaner to one end, stuff it behind fan circle, then move around the circle to clean. Then pull out and using other clean end of towel, reapply cleaner, stuff it, hold stationary, rotate fan blade around. Bla, bla, bla: whatever works. Happy trails!

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

Sure thing! Check out our video overview of our system. I can't put links here in the comments, so I'll private message it to you.

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

How old is your RV? And with all due respect, how much does your husband weigh? ;-) RV's have pretty strong roofs, but a very old RV or an extreme amount of weight could theoretically be a problem. We've never heard of anything like this before though. If the RV isn't falling apart, and you husband is within normal weight range, the only thing he should be careful about is not falling off the roof. We know someone that happened to. Broken wrist was no fun, and sure could have been much worse.

@rickjohnston9553 4 жыл бұрын

Great video I also have fantastic fans very similar to yours I’m afraid to put a cover over mine for fear that something will break if the cover isn’t able to open all the way is there an adjustment for the lid so something doesn’t break

@RVgeeks 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Rick! Your concern makes sense, since the lid will indeed press against the cover when it opens. But you have nothing to worry about, since the lid-opening mechanism is designed to stop lifting when it senses pressure. So whether it stops because it's open as far as it can go, or because it touches the cover, the signal to stop is the same. We put covers on both our fans that slightly limit the amount the lids can open. But they touch and stop without any problem at all. You'll quickly get used to the sound they make when the lid touches, where you can hear them slow, then stop. No problem. Just to give you an idea how this is really no problem, both of our fans are the original 15-year-old units that came on our '05 Mountain Aire when we bought it new. Neither fan has missed a beat, with zero problems from either one in 15 long years of heavy full-time use, despite stopping against the covers every time we open them (and we use them a LOT)! And having covers is the BEST, since we often want one of both of the fans open even when it's pouring rain outside. So feel free to install them, with no worries about any fan adjustment needed, with no harm to them. FYI, these are our covers, and we LOVE them, partly because they swing right up for easy cleaning: amzn.to/2BlVGrh

@rocioangeljavier 11 жыл бұрын

I know this is another issue, but my a/c have a mildew smell. Can you give me some advise, thanks. I have a travel trailer. :)

@RVgeeks 11 жыл бұрын

I turned it on full speed for the video, so it probably seemed a bit loud. Normally, we don't even notice it being on.

@sb971 7 жыл бұрын

Does you fan cover open up all the way with the external case you added up top? We are replacing the cheap bathroom vent fan with a new fantastic fan. I like to leave that old vent open a bit most of the time so I installed a maxx air cover but that would be too short for the fantastic vent cover.

@RVgeeks 7 жыл бұрын

Hi Mookie! Our fan cover does not allow the fan lid to open all the way, but we're fine with that, and it's worked great for 12 years on both fans with no problem. The lid is designed to stop opening when the motor feels resistance, so touching the inside of the cover is not making it stop in a different manner than it should... just a little sooner. We never use it on the highest speeds, so have never worried about it not opening all the way, or any added resistance to air flow. The ability to easily open the cover for cleaning is our favorite feature, and we've always been happy with them.

@Nikolay244 11 жыл бұрын

How many Amps it take?

@pattithurlow4225 8 жыл бұрын

we have a 1995 terry camper and do not have this kind of access and would like to know if there is a way to clean the fan from the inside

@RVgeeks 8 жыл бұрын

+Patti Thurlow It's not essential to completely dismantle the fan to clean it. We only do that because it's accessible and we're anal retentive! LOL A perfectly acceptable job can be done from inside the RV by simply removing the screen.

@TCreatorO 10 жыл бұрын

how much was the rare white cover?

@kerrydean6340 2 ай бұрын

Never approached the most important item, Rain Sensor! Almost all malfunctions are a result of a dirty sensor. Add this step, and this video will be of value for all RV owners.

@RVgeeks 2 ай бұрын

You’re right about the rain sensor all right! At about the 6-minute mark, we were remiss in not mentioning that when we clean and wipe down the area surrounding the fan, before reinstalling it, we actually spent more time cleaning, including the rain sensor, than we showed. In attempting to avoid making the video too long, we neglected to stress how thoroughly we cleaned the entire surround, including the rain sensor. We do clean it really well though, but thanks for pointing that out. Very important indeed!

@Nikolay244 11 жыл бұрын

Tell me please all about this fan and fan motor

@MrLowsporh 10 жыл бұрын

My new travel trailer has a vent opening over the bed but is not wired there for a fantastic fan. However there is a 12volt light fixture nearby. Could I just pigtail off that fixture to obtain the power necessary to power a fan? We don't usually have all of our lights going at the same time but I'm concerned with the burden on the breaker system as these fans pull a good 3-4 amps at full boogie! What's your advice?

@RVgeeks 10 жыл бұрын

We suggest that you locate the 12-volt fuse for the lights nearby. If they are on a fuse that is at least as high in amperage as the fan requires, you should have no problem using that circuit. Since the fan should have its own fuse built in (our does), if the fuse for the lights is HIGHER than the fan calls for, the fan will still be protected by its own fuse. Unfortunately, the lights are likely to be on a smaller amp fuse and therefore might not enough to add the fan into it.

@MrLowsporh 10 жыл бұрын

Bummer! but I knew that might be your answer. I'll have to proceed to the next step and take off the trim ring to see if it's not pre-wired for such an upgrade. Maybe they were so happy to sell me, that they forgot to upsell me? Meanwhile the bathroom is wired for a little "fart fan" and that puppy has gotta go! I'll have at least one of those in my unit if I can< this after all frikken Aridzona I live in.

@RVgeeks 10 жыл бұрын

MrLowsporh Good idea to look for prewiring! Fantastic Fans rock!

@MrLowsporh 10 жыл бұрын

Just an Idea I had as when I discovered when I bought my travel trailer, that although my truck has a complete tow package, it did not have an electronic brake controller. I did know however, there was a plug and play pigtail behind the dash and in a few minutes install, we were good to go!

@kiwicomposer 7 жыл бұрын

Fan seemed noisy.. would a non-oily lubricant have been worth doing?

@RVgeeks 7 жыл бұрын

It's in the motor, so probably can't lubricate it. Just getting old (coming up on 12 years now)!

@dapappacn 11 жыл бұрын

Are you guys running any kind of solar or wind power on your motorhome?

@RVgeeks 10 жыл бұрын

It's $29.89 (free shipping). I just sent you a link to it via private message. :)

@projet2907 2 жыл бұрын

Hi guys:-0). I just read your excellent blog post on the 3 best Could I take off the rain sensor? Even though I have vent covers, they still close on their own when it is raining, or, in Florida, Just because it's very damp even if very sunny, they close. They also "fry" from salt water air then freak out making closing noise even if closed. Could I just cut and cap the sensor wires? will the fan still work?

@RVgeeks 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Julie! Hope your travels are going well since our encounter in Abbotsford. Our Fantastic fan has a switch to ovveride the rain sensor. If yours doesn't have that, there should be no reason it can't be permanently disabled anway. The way ours works is via a sensor that uses two lines of very fine wires that zig-zag alongside each other on a little circuit board. Whan a drop of rain lands on the board, it touches both wires, completing the circuit, which closes the fan. If you have a similar set-up, and can access the board (ours is visible from above, on the roof... in the lower right corner of the fan in this video), you can either snip one of the wires, or maybe even try placing a piece of tape over the little board and wires to prevent it all from getting wet. But disabling the rain sensor shouldn't have any effect on the normal operation of the fan. We'd just be sure to test that first before removing it completely. Hope this helps, and safe travels! - Peter & John

@projet2907 2 жыл бұрын

@@RVgeeks Yes, my travels have gone super well, I stopped by "our "spot on my way back to Quebec after my winter in Victoria. BC is soooooooo beautiful. I enjoyed so much driving through the many endless scenics roads. I Just now arrived in Florida. It is nice to see the Atlantic. My Fantastic Fan does not have an override for the rain sensor. My little sensor board looks just like Yours. I will begin by covering it with a strip of gafers tape. Super idea since there is not that much water falling on it, being somewhat protected by the fantastic vent covers. Thank you very for the excellent explanation of the rain sensor functioning. I appreciate your help always. See you again somewhere Sometimes. Safe travels, ☀🌈😊. Julie

@RVgeeks 2 жыл бұрын

Gaffers tape is perfect, and of course non-destructive. If for any reason that doesn’t work, simply snip one of the two wires going into the rain sensor, and it should never close on its own again. Enjoy Florida! Take good care.

@projet2907 2 жыл бұрын

@@RVgeeks Ok perfect. Thank You very. ♥️🐚🌊.

@projet2907 2 жыл бұрын

@@RVgeeks Update on the work done to kill the rain sensor; !! I finally unplugged the rain sensor at the electronic green board inside the fan. I unscrewed the square part at the ceiling 912 screws), then, the flat part with the handle, buttons, wiring, there I saw the rain sensor wires connected to what looks like the fan motherboard. I kept it in stock in case I would ever want to put it back. It was a bit of a task to put everything back together while working alone but not that bad. I also wanted to open it because the screws holding the handle mechanism were stripped, I wanted to see how it was holding inside. I ended up using longer screws. Two problems were solved plus a good cleaning of the fan. Now the other fan. maybe I just cut the wire 😅. It is so nice not to fight with the fan for it to stay open,, at last, peace after 4 years of discord. One thing I wonder is how to lubricate between the motor and the fan blades' middle hole. Mine does not have an Allen screw. I can just pull on it from inside too. But, it gets stuck on the motor pin. it is very hard to pull. I wonder what to put in between so it does not stick so much. All this is a bit difficult to describe in writing with my" French-glish", I hope it is clear enough:-0). Thank you for your precious help which always gives me courage and direction to go forward with my little projects.

@suzannedesnoyers221 2 жыл бұрын

Can you tell me what I did wrong I took the fan screen off to clean and when I put it back together the fan won't work

@RVgeeks 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a wiring issue, Suzanne. Check to make sure the connections are correct and snug, and that the fuse isn’t blown.

@johnsmithy9304 6 жыл бұрын

How to get rid of allergies in an RV if you get a cabin air filter from a Honda pilot two of them they do fit. I do that in my shops intake. RV geek I recommend that you attach the actual connections then where the clip is you can utelize pig tails from a Chevy Tahoe so it's watertight plug and play.

@RVgeeks 6 жыл бұрын

Cool idea!

@noeleenfalkner4557 4 жыл бұрын

HELP GOT A BEE STUCK IN MINE AND TRIED TO GET IT OUT WHILE IT WAS SPINNING BUT NOW ITS STOPPED ITS OPENING AND CLOSING HOW CAN I GET IT TO SPIN THANKS FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS

@RVgeeks 4 жыл бұрын

Oh no, Noeleen! Sorry to hear about that. It sounds like there might still be something stuck in the fan that's keeping it from spinning... so you might want to try removing the fan (like we did in this video) and make sure it's all clean. If that doesn't do it, it's possible that when you stopped it while trying to get the bee out that you damaged the motor. If that's the case, you can contact Fantastic Vent Fan to see if they'll send you a replacement (they used to be EXCELLENT about that, but times may have changed). Hope you get it resolved!

@noeleenfalkner4557 4 жыл бұрын

@@RVgeeks Thank you got the dust off the mesh today vacuumed it and they are working fine!

@Mr07008 6 жыл бұрын

Lol ! What was that loud noise at the very end ?? Sounds like something’s not on straight.

@RVgeeks 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Simon! If you're talking about the motor sound as the fan comes back on, that's the sound of the lid opening, and is normal. Just sounds loud on camera. Once the lid finishes opening, it stops.

@madel4902 3 жыл бұрын

Test before screwing everything back together.

@lass-inangeles7564 8 жыл бұрын

I think the fan needs some oiling! Good demo, many thanks!! However, I disagree with the Maxxair vent covers you have shown. Only cover that works with a Fantastic Fan vent is the pricier Fantastic Fan Vent Cover. This is sufficiently large to accomodate vent cover being open, and THE ONLY COVER that has been shown to allow full capacity operation of fan without impeding air flow. There is a KZfaq video demo on these covers that shows you how MAXXAIR and all the others impede full air flow.

@RVgeeks 8 жыл бұрын

That is exactly what Fantastic wants everyone to believe. We have been using our fans with these covers nearly every day for over 10 years with zero problem. If you typically run your fans at maximum speed, which we rarely have the need for, you will get more airflow with other covers, but ours have been great, and we love the easy access they provide for cleaning, not to mention how reasonably they're priced.

@lass-inangeles7564 8 жыл бұрын

+RVgeeks Ah, I stand informed. I was misled by FF. I tend to believe what I see, but videos can be misleading too. Thank you for stating this, because I was holding off on buying an FF cover which is pricey. I can now buy the cheaper one. Many thanks!!

@dstubby82 12 жыл бұрын

Why is the price of such a simple product so painfully high? Lowest I can find these for is $106 but there doesn't seem to be any budget items on the market of near the quality.

@Trevoc2 11 жыл бұрын

Not all of us can climb on roofs.

@azimmey 11 жыл бұрын

hate to be negative but why is the fan screaming after you cleaned it? Mine is 13 years old and quiet as can be.

@ronforster1130 6 жыл бұрын

That screaming that you heard at the end of the video was actually the automatic dome raising. After it was done raising the fan was as quiet as a mouse. Those little tiny motors they use to lift the dome are very noisy and grunt to get the dome up.

@2Peachcobler 7 жыл бұрын

You went to all that hard work to clean the fan but didn't clean the vent cover? Also I think the MaxAir vent is easier to take off, no screwdriver needed, just slide the brackets over and off it comes.

@RVgeeks 7 жыл бұрын

+B Cobler We always clean the cover, but this video is about how to dismantle and clean the fan, which isn't needed for the cover because it's obvious.

@MrSuzukiyamaha 8 жыл бұрын

Why so loud?

@garydietz8807 8 жыл бұрын

Why not just remove the 1 screw holding the fan blades to the motor? This can be done from the inside , you get the same access as what you did

@RVgeeks 8 жыл бұрын

+Gary Dietz Give that a try and you'll find that it would be very awkward to reach the Allen nut and the fan would be very hard to remove. We've tried it. 😉

@susannvinson7425 7 жыл бұрын

RVgeeks We just did it from inside. No problem getting fan loose , and everything can be reached. This fan obviously had not been cleaned in it's 16 years.

@ronforster1130 6 жыл бұрын

I can remove the single screw in the center and remove the blade from inside. But, my model is only a year old. Prior to 2014, the fans were slightly different. That might not have been an option on the this model in the video. It almost looked like the spindle mount was pressed into the plastic fan blade at one point in the video.

@supersaiyangoku3580 5 жыл бұрын

Plastic? Really? Plastic tends to get fragile when exposed to hot temperatures!

@RVgeeks 5 жыл бұрын

Our fans have worked flawlessly during the past 14 years of full time RVing, so the plastic must be up to the task.

@supersaiyangoku3580 5 жыл бұрын

@@RVgeeks The vent cover shouldn't be plastic actually

@raydeal5777 5 жыл бұрын

The music sucks! Reminds me of the Keystone Cops running around like rats... Good in information thank you

@RVgeeks 5 жыл бұрын

That’s me playing Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, which was published in 1899! There’s no accounting for musical taste, but we’re glad you liked the video. 😉