My ex-B came with FFan with the rain sensor. The first time it rained when it was open, it broke the unit and from then on I had to crank it open/closed manually. And, this was the unit which had the detachable crank. It was inconvenient to say the least. That said, I called Fantastic Fan who told me how to get it working (it was stuck on grind slowly) and even offered to send the parts special delivery down to Mazatlan where I was at the time. I told them I could live with it until I got home and they sent the new fan there - one with the built in crank for any new problem situations. It worked fine after that, but I swore that my next fan wouldn't have the rain sensor.
When I put my new FFan in my Bminus, I got the cheapest one with 3 speeds and in/out capability... manual open and close. Just what I needed. With my low ceiling, no remote needed.
I think the "Low AMP draw (0.2 - 1.9)" coupled with "High speed air flow 920 SCFM" is suggestive. It makes you think that it’ll achieve air flow of 920 SCFM at 1.9 amps.
At least that’s what I thought it meant when I first read it. The highest amp draw of this unit would be 1.9 which would be a phenomenal improvement over the 3 amps on other models (on high).
Now I think that, on the LOW setting, the amp draw is .02 to 1.9 amp hrs. because there are so many speed settings. On its highest setting (full HIGH) the amp draw will still be 3 amp hrs.
Also, whenever your coach battery is enabled the remote receiver will be “listening” and therefore always drawing a little bit of power.
I installed the fan upgrade last year in our 2000 Roadtrek 190P. Love the extra low speed settings. Very quiet.
We set the sensor shut-off switch to the on position when leaving the campsite for a while. We prefer to turn the shut-off switch off at night and just manually crank the vent open a little with fan on manual low setting for those possibly rainy nights. Didn't especially like being woken up by the unit whining as it automatically cranked the dome cover shut and open a while later.
The only problem we had was that the controller occasionally got stuck in a confused state and lost control of the fan unit. Had to pop the batteries out and back in to fix the problem.
We have been off camping this weekend, but just got back and noted some of the questions here.
The upgrade kit does include the rain sensor override switch.
It also includes the reversing switch.
I had to go on top to put in the rain sensor. If you already have one, you won't have to go up top, the linkage will go in from the bottom.
I had the same questions on the amp draw, as straight through on the old setup should equal staight through on the new one. I just went out and did an amp draw on mine. Here is what I got:
At minimum speed set manually .125 amps, at full speed set manually 2.55 amps, at 55% .92 amps.
I expect all of these are a bit low because of meter error. They are way on the low end of the scale, and it has not been through a calibration in a long time. I checked it against an led light spec and it was also low. The given spec of .19 on the low end is probably what I am getting and the 3.0 amps on the top. Don't know how they do the 1.9 they talk about, but I never run at full speed anyway, so the very low speed is what I was looking for anyway. The old setup was over 2 amps at the lowest setting.
For anyone who wants to check their amp draw, there is a VERY easy way to do it if you have the newer, blade style fuses. All you do is find the fuse for the fan, and make sure everything other than the fan on that circuit is off. Take a spare fuse and intentionally blow it by shorting it on a battery. Replace the fuse for the fan with the blown one. The fuse will have test wires near the surface of the fuse on the plastic end, so put your ammeter across the test wires and you have all the current through the meter. Have someone run the fan and you can see the amps on the meter. Really quick and you don't have to disassemble the fan to get to the wires.
We did not get the rain sensor as we have a vent cover that protects the fan from the rain, so it is open all the time. We like the temperature control, we set it to start the fan at about 75-77. It keeps the temp from getting too hot inside when we are not there.
Bob & Nadine 1984 Allegro 23 feet, always at home!
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I'm at the Escapes Rally in Missouri now and discussed my problem with the FANTASTIC Reps. The told me how to temporarily disable the rain sensor - all is GOOD !
Dave W. AKA "Toyman"
KE5GOH - On 146.52
RV's ? What RV's ???
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Finally got the upgrade kit installed. It went pretty well, the instructions supplied didn't really match my conversion but reading through them while comparing my application, I was able to get an idea of what needed to be done. When I had accumulated a list of about five questions, I called their helpline. Nice people, very helpful, they were able to talk me through the issues I'd identified. Because I'd already worked through the problem areas, I just wanted verification my conclusions were correct (really didn't want to fry that printed circuit board) which they were able to do. I finished the installation; put the fuse back in and pushed the start button; nothing happened. Completely dead. Ran through all the functions, nothing. Reread the instructions, did it again, zippo. Now I'm starting to wonder if I blew a fuse or something; I know all my connections were solid, I triple checked them, and then checked them again before I screwed down the cover. So, just in case, I flipped all the switches off and on a few times and tried it again. What a genious I must be , this time everything worked perfectly, so I ran it through all its functions multiple times and then let it sit for a couple of hours and did it again. Don't know why it was being stubborn, but everything is great now. I love it .
The only disappointment: the lift knob extends 1 1/4 inches below the fan frame. I know I'll lose some scalp skin on that sooner or later as it's right in front of the toilet. I'm now thinking about what I can put over it to protect myself. Not coming up with anything practical, so I will probably just hang a little decoration at about eye level to remind me to beware.
I have to call them tomorrow. I don't have a "red" wire from the fan, (it's suppose to be the reverse wire) and the new lift arm assembly wont work on my model, the roller on the arm is on the wrong side. They really need to improve their directions.
Rodger: those were two of my questions, also. I figured it had to be the blue wire, which they confirmed, and I also figured I had to reuse my old lift arm because there was no way the new one would work, especially with the new slide they supplied. I did move the pin and cotter (which was the only difference, other than the reversal of the roller). It stops the vent cover at about three quarters open and seems to stabilize it significantly. Luckily the hole for the pin was already in place, because the technician suggested drilling a hole through the lift arm base to install the pin. That does not sound like an easy task.
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, this time everything worked perfectly, so I ran it through all its functions multiple times and then let it sit for a couple of hours and did it again. Don't know why it was being stubborn, but everything is great now. I love it 
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