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Old 04-28-2022, 09:08 PM   #1
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Abbotsford, BC
Posts: 434
Heng's Vortex II install

Hello All,

I would like to put a fan above the bed in my 2106FBS Micro Minnie.

Currently their is no fan in this vent opening. Is it possible to install a Heng's Vortex II Fan in this location and mounting it to the current framing as per regular fan replacement instructions without replacing the exterior lid and frame.

I have read posts re running power from the light 8" away. Is their constant power to this light or only when the on off switch at the door is on?
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Old 04-30-2022, 08:11 AM   #2
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Rochester, MN
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The 2019 (and probably earlier) Micro-Minnies for sure had the front vent very close to an unswitched light for power. Here's mine:




Attached is a photo that shows the raw setup from a different angle. You can see how close the light is on the other side of the wood framing. I drilled a hole through that framing in the light's direction, probably smaller than necessary. When the light fixture is unscrewed, there is a reasonably big hole to grab the wire over as you push it through from the fan side. It works great and I've never blown a fuse at any fan level.

The newer models shifted the lights away from the fan so I believe the task of fishing wire is much more tricky. Perhaps someone who's done it can chime in. These lights are not switched, but there is one further back that is switched as an entry light.

You can get little borescope USB cameras that plug into your cell phone that you can use to peek around through the light's ceiling hole. The main obstacles up there are the A/C ducts, and you can kind of imagine how they go. They don't totally obstruct fishing wire, but they are certainly in the way of an easy shot if you have any real distance to go. I don't believe there is any 125v wiring up there, except at the air conditioner. I still wanted to look in case I drilled and hit wire, but I saw in advance there was no wire behind that framing.

Also, you might consider fishing wire before you even buy the fan. If you have a long distance to go, get two coathanger like lengths of wire and put a small L-shaped hook on each end. Then, working from both ends (a bigger drilled hole in framing, and the destination light), see if you can catch one onto the other. You can always pull a length of string through and button it up for a later install of a fan. If you get fed up, you won't have the expense of that fan to worry about. Alternatively, work the front fan first, knowing you can easily install it in the bathroom if you can't make the over-the-bed vent work out.
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2019 Micro Minnie 2108DS with upgrades and mods here
2020 Toyota Land Cruiser, RedArc TowPro-Elite, Andersen 3380 WDH
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Old 04-30-2022, 10:47 AM   #3
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Abbotsford, BC
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Thanks for the power info, I have the exact same light location.

That new fan looks like the Maxx I put in my old Kodiak, 10speed, reversible It's a good price for those looking for a white lid.

https://www.amazon.ca/Maxxair-00-040...1336881&sr=8-3

When you look for a black lid to match the rest of the covers the price goes crazy, thus the reason for looking at the Heng Vortex II and keep the Black roof cover intact.

https://www.amazon.ca/Hengs-Industri...ps%2C98&sr=8-1

Anyone have the Vortex II that can chime in here.

Thanks,
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Old 04-30-2022, 12:41 PM   #4
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Rochester, MN
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Yeah, I agree black looks best on the Micro-Minnie so it matches the other stuff. I have the black ("smoke") 6200K's which I installed almost 3 years ago. And wow...you aren't kidding about the price! It's +100 from 3 years ago.

Hopefully someone can comment on the Vortex II. At least your wiring will be easy. Also, if you do replace the cover, you won't have to worry about interference by solar connectors if yours is like mine. The new ones have that problem as well, though I sure wish my solar ran up there somewhere (yet another project).
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Old 05-07-2022, 03:33 PM   #5
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My 2022 2108FBS does not have that light location. But the wires for one of the lights on the door side of the TT goes right past the vent anyway.

I just installed both of my Heng's this morning. It was a little bit more work than I anticipated. It may have been easier if I wasn't doing it solo. I found it was easier to install the fans and then wire them from the roof.

I also have some Maxxair vent covers to install, but it was too windy today and I didn't want to be on the roof anymore after I finished the wiring.

I'm hoping the vent covers will reduce the shadows coming through the fans so I don't see the circuits and wiring. Otherwise I'll probably put some cardboard in them to block the shadowing.
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Old 05-07-2022, 08:01 PM   #6
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Rochester, MN
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Looks nice! I'd leave the wire shadows for now. I bet in a few weeks you'll totally forget about them
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Old 05-07-2022, 10:24 PM   #7
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
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Dave, looks good.

I have read, If your MaxxAir Covers are Black you likely wont see any shadows or light coming through. Many put Black over the bed and grey in bath.

I being picky, I would put black throughout to match rest of roof covers lol.

Let us know what you think of the noise level.

Do the screens fit tight enough to the fan body to keep out those pesky mosquitos.
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Old 05-08-2022, 09:54 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bcborn View Post
Dave, looks good.

I have read, If your MaxxAir Covers are Black you likely wont see any shadows or light coming through. Many put Black over the bed and grey in bath.

I being picky, I would put black throughout to match rest of roof covers lol.

Let us know what you think of the noise level.

Do the screens fit tight enough to the fan body to keep out those pesky mosquitos.
Thanks guys,

Unfortunately, my covers are white. I didn't consider wiring shadows bleeding through when I picked them out. I was only thinking about black vs white when it comes to heat. I've also designed a rack system for my flexible solar panels to get them 1" off of the roof for heat dissipation as well.

The shadows are not a big deal. A little cardboard in the backside of the fan molding will fix the issue if I'm not happy with it. The cardboard can be placed around the fan opening and will not be visible from below. Also, I'm pretty sure the sun was directly overhead when I took the pictures.

I forgot to mention that in my case the wires from the fan are not long enough to splice into the wires from the light. I didn't have any wire with me at the time so I had to take a trip to the Ace Hardware a few miles away and pick up some 14 gauge wire to splice them in. I also only had wire nuts with me. I'll probably switch them out for butt splices when I'm up there doing the vent covers. It just looks cleaner and I was thinking that the wire nuts would be hidden under the roof.

I can't comment on the noise level. I'm sure they are a little quieter than the stock bathroom fan. I suppose it really depends on the person. I can hear them running at max speed but I don't think they are overly loud. I read that the Maxxair fans are slightly less noisy at max speed. I was going to get them but I don't want to mess with the solar gland on my roof next to my front vent. I got 2x Heng's so they match.

(I am actually going to use the stock MC4 solar gland for my roof solar setup. I had to do a series-parallel setup to keep the amps low enough (~18a) to use the installed 10 gauge wiring. I'll have 715w on the roof and then another 800w from suitcases on the ground.)

I think the screens will keep out the bugs. I didn't notice any gaps larger than the holes in the screen. They do have a "twist to lock" installation so I suppose if there is a point of failure then it would be in the slots provided for the tabs on the screen molding to lock into. If that does become a point of failure I'm sure that I could figure out some way to seal up the slots.
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Old 05-08-2022, 12:09 PM   #9
Winnie-Wise
 
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Thanks Dave,

In my last trailer I had the MaxxAir 4000K with 10 speeds, it was nice and quiet, even on high. I too am not in the mood to change out the complete vent.

I like the remote control option (especially over the bed) of the higher end models. I might look at the remote control that I installed on my inverter (inexpensive) if it will work to power the fan on or off during the night.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6VO79M...uttons-20&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Mome...09N8K6R4P&th=1
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Old 05-08-2022, 03:23 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bcborn View Post
Thanks Dave,

In my last trailer I had the MaxxAir 4000K with 10 speeds, it was nice and quiet, even on high. I too am not in the mood to change out the complete vent.

I like the remote control option (especially over the bed) of the higher end models. I might look at the remote control that I installed on my inverter (inexpensive) if it will work to power the fan on or off during the night.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6VO79M...uttons-20&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Mome...09N8K6R4P&th=1
Yeah, that's a good idea. Something like that should work to turn the fan on and off. It appears that you would still have manually change the desired speed or direction of the fan though. Unless they have something out there which will change the voltage/amperage/polarity as well to control the speed and direction of the fan, which they may have. I think they have something like that for ceiling fans.

I have no desire to mess with the roof. My solar panel racks are going to be attached with double-sided Eternabond tape because I don't want to put holes in the roof. I'm planning to also use Eternabond tape over all of the Dicor so I never have to worry about it again. I'll wait to see if I like the Heng's before I seal the vents though, in case I want to replace them with something else. Once I put the tape down I don't want to pull it up.
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Old 05-14-2022, 06:37 AM   #11
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I installed my Maxxair vent covers yesterday. It was fairly easy. It's almost always windy here in NW Iowa, which makes it tedious to work on the roof of the TT. If I set anything down the wind will send it sailing away. So yesterday I took advantage of the lower wind speeds (5-10 mph). I'll have the TT stored inside soon, which will make it easier to work on.

I did take a look at the slots for the screen installation on the Heng's fans and bugs could certainly crawl in through those slots. I can clearly see through the slot as I show in the pic. It's a few times larger than the holes in the screen. It would have to be a small bug though. The bug would also have to come through the vent cover first as well. Which wouldn't be hard as the vent cover is not sealed against the roof and the "screen" has rather larger holes.

If it becomes an issue I'll fill the slots with something. Maybe paper, tape or even silicone, lol. If I place cardboard on the top side of the fans to block the shadows then sealing the edges of the cardboard would block the slots too.
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Old 05-14-2022, 09:50 AM   #12
Winnie-Wise
 
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If I can remember right regarding the gap. Maxxair had a nice way of attaching their screen to the fan.

And yes, it's a lot more work installing a Maxxair.
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Old 05-14-2022, 11:41 AM   #13
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Abbotsford, BC
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Dave I agree, put something in the slot if it is the only area thats open. I take it the rest of the round screen fits tight in the groove.

The Maxxair screen overlapped the opening and was held in place by 4 clips. Thats an option here too, alter the Heng clip (not sure what that looks like), fill in the slot and install 4 of these clips
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