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Old 08-31-2018, 10:07 AM   #1
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Quieter Interstate ventilation ideas?

Our place in the Canadian woods is so quiet that when our 43 dB Vitrifrigo fridge compressor kicks on, it sounds like a fighter jet engine has suddenly roared to life.

It's so quiet that it is routinely possible to hear every word that someone utters in a normal tone of voice when they are a hundred meters away.

It's a precious thing to have periodic access to this kind of intensely peaceful environment, which exists almost nowhere on earth (certainly not in any urban areas).

For this reason, we are motivated to identify a supplemental van ventilation method that doesn't make appreciable noise. We don't need the large number of air exchanges that a cacophonic device like a Fantastic fan was intentionally designed to deliver. But for those nights when there's a risk of rain and we can't leave the back door open, it would be nice to install some air moving device that could sustain some appropriate lesser level of maintenance ventilation without an associated noise burden.

Anyone have any ideas in this regard?

LB_3 is tossing around a few designs in his head, but I thought I'd also put the question out there for wider quiet contemplation.

Shhhhhh....

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Old 08-31-2018, 10:13 AM   #2
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LB-3 should be able to devise a circuit to selectively drop the effective voltage for the Fantastic fan, either by lowering the voltage or by chopping the 12v input. Put a pot or a toggle on the inside fan shroud to select one or more lower speed settings.
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Old 08-31-2018, 10:16 AM   #3
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Opening the vent, minus fan, and the windows on the sliding door in addition to those in the rear works pretty well....

Maggie
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Old 08-31-2018, 12:27 PM   #4
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Opening the vent, minus fan, and the windows on the sliding door in addition to those in the rear works pretty well....



Maggie


Not well enough, especially near 100 percent humidity. We leave those open continuously as it is.

I’ve gotten in the habit of running the Fantastic for about three minutes at every half time (= when I get up in the middle of the night to use the head) just to cycle through the air mass in here. There’s a superior option somewhere out there.

One of the Sprinter Forum vendors (not Joel) sells a brace designed for cracking open a rear door of an NCV3 securely, for ventilation purposes. I asked whether it would fit a T1N but he didn’t know.
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Old 08-31-2018, 01:15 PM   #5
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My me to me Interstate came with a 12 volt fan, that can clip onto something or stand on the counter.

I haven’t used it yet, but those types of fans are pretty quiet, so that may be a possibility...

Googling these, there are lots of options and some even oscillate.


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Old 08-31-2018, 01:39 PM   #6
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There are lots of small fans which take D batteries, and we are moving in that direction, using rechargeable batteries and a dedicated solar battery charger. All the old traditional D battery appliances make this approach attractive IMO. [radios, flashlights, hurricane lamps, etc. ] Will post links later when I get back home.

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Old 08-31-2018, 02:12 PM   #7
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I have talked about these small and pretty quiet USB fans before: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They work pretty well.

As to OP, I too am thinking about a ventilation system that is super quiet but also does not let the outside noise in. We were at this great beachside RV resort but was right next to a road that kept us up all night with the vent/window open.
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Old 08-31-2018, 02:15 PM   #8
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This is the first D-fan we bought a couple of years ago, and it works great!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Adjustable angle, 2 speeds, and it folds up into a compact shape which is easy to store. The battery life is incredible especially on low speed. It is also very quiet, and makes just enough of a breeze to help a confined space become comfortable, well, maybe bearable.

They are on sale for $7.88 ea. right now! [in some colors]

This charger is untried but had OK reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This larger fan by the same company is probably good too IMO:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H583DJ4...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Have a good Labor Day weekend!

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Old 08-31-2018, 02:18 PM   #9
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I have talked about these small and pretty quiet USB fans before . . .
. . .
The Milwaukee M12 battery system would work great with these IMO, as it has a USB charging adapter. The lithium batteries hold a charge forever. The M12 tools are great.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ls-170188.html
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-49-...rds=49-24-2310

Also, the Goal Zero lithium battery system is in a few threads here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=goal...=airforums.com

. . . and has some interesting fans and lights as accessories:

https://www.goalzero.com/shop/accessories/other/

Peter
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Old 08-31-2018, 02:31 PM   #10
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The trouble with small inside fans is that they just move body-heated humid air. I would prefer to slow down the ceiling-mounted fan and pull outside air through the coach.

It doesn't take much engineering to slow down 12v fans.
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Old 08-31-2018, 02:36 PM   #11
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Agreed, but the D-fans could be rigged just inside a screened window opening, to blow in one window, and out another. There are lots of different fans at the bottom of the Amazon pages linked before.

Peter
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Old 08-31-2018, 05:21 PM   #12
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The trouble with small inside fans is that they just move body-heated humid air. I would prefer to slow down the ceiling-mounted fan and pull outside air through the coach.
I put it in the windowsill and it nicely pulls the air in and blows it on us where we sit. And we power it from USB port right next to it so it runs forever that way.
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Old 08-31-2018, 06:48 PM   #13
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I bought this for the hubs for fathers day. It's great. Got another one for me, and also one for my office. Silent. 2 speeds.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 09-07-2018, 05:28 AM   #14
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Further research on this...

I was surprised to find so few marine alternatives. Boaters appear to be in the ventilation dark ages. The belief seems to be that boat cabins can't be cooled below the temperature of the water that the boat is sitting in, so why bother trying? They appear to be using hatch vents which stick on using suction cups (e.g., the Caframo Taku 7620 12V Hatch Fan) or passive devices (e.g., the Windscoop).

For drawing air out of a vehicle, there are a number of ventilation devices that slip over the top of one of the cab windows. However, they require being positioned on top of the glass, which is then raised to form a seal. According to some users, it's very easy to break the raising mechanism because the window is expecting to go all the way up to the top, and it is difficult to manually stop the motor in time before it grinds its gears or breaks its components. This is a risk I don't need, especially given the T1N Sprinter's tendency to break its window-raising mechanisms even without such assistance.

The most desirable and logical alternative at this point seems to be an improved vent fan either in the form of a modified Fantastic or perhaps a modified SOB.

I sent an email to ARV, asking them if they have any plans to pursue improvements in this area. They brought a quiet a/c to the American market. Why not a quiet vent fan?

FWLIW, here's someone's side-by-side rating of current vent fans. Our off-the-shelf choices essentially boil down to standard-issue RV crap, or standard-issue RV crap.

https://kempoo.com/rv/best-vent-fans/
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Old 09-07-2018, 10:13 AM   #15
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Having had both Maxxair and Fantastic fans. I have to differ with the assessment above that rates the Fantastic much better. Airstream installs non-reversible Fanstastics, though I installed a kit on my last trailer to make the front fan reversible.

I had 3 Airstream trailers with Fantastics, and they were fine My present 2014.5 AI has the Maxxair and I love it. No rain sensor, but it has been open in monsoon-quality rains without a drop coming inside. The rain shield does the job.

I have the Endless Breeze mentioned in the review. Great fan that requires a cigarette-lighter type socket for power. Bad thing about it that it tips easily because of the short rotatable legs. The legs break very easily. I had to replace legs several times; a bump on the fan and the thin plastic where the legs pivot on the case breaks. The fan is in the garage at the moment with a broken leg and I intend to fashion unbreakable hardwood legs for it. For use in an AI, the fan is a bit bulky.
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Old 09-07-2018, 11:59 AM   #16
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The newer model of Fantastic must have a lower speed setting than yours. When we are sleeping with our on lowest I can't hear it. When sitting up front with it on low I can hear it, but it does not cause me to have to raise my voice to speak over it.
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Old 09-07-2018, 03:48 PM   #17
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LB-3 should be able to devise a circuit to selectively drop the effective voltage for the Fantastic fan, either by lowering the voltage or by chopping the 12v input. Put a pot or a toggle on the inside fan shroud to select one or more lower speed settings.
I prefer pulse width modulation over reducing the voltage but the concept is the same.

I’m toying with the idea of replacing the Fantastic Fan’s fan (not the vent cover, shroud, etc.) with 4 of the quietest computer fans on the market. At full blast they shouldn't produce more than 45dba total and will move as much air as the Fantastic when set on 2. At lower speeds they should be nearly silent.
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Old 09-07-2018, 05:06 PM   #18
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The Fantastic Fan in my new to me Interstate reverses, and it’s lowest speed is almost silent, so they’re out there.

Maggie
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Old 09-07-2018, 05:27 PM   #19
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The newer model of Fantastic must have a lower speed setting than yours. When we are sleeping with our on lowest I can't hear it. When sitting up front with it on low I can hear it, but it does not cause me to have to raise my voice to speak over it.

Same for my 10-speed Maxxfan. Got to get over 4th or 5th speed to really hear it. I understand the more quiet the environment, the more you'll notice fan noise. In our case, however, if get to an environment where noise is totally absent, we understand the saying "The silence is deafening!".

We just find the soft whir of a fan (even the medium whir of a fan) is pleasant, preferable to tinnitus, and actually helps us sleep.


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Old 09-08-2018, 07:55 AM   #20
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....
We just find the soft whir of a fan (even the medium whir of a fan) is pleasant, preferable to tinnitus, and actually helps us sleep.
...
In urban environments, I agree. It helps to cancel out the background noise.

I'm intrigued by reports that newer fans are quieter. I've a mind to pop over to Holiday World and fire up some roof fans in some of their stock units, to see what they sound like.
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