|
|
08-31-2018, 10:07 AM
|
#1
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
|
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....
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 10:13 AM
|
#2
|
Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
|
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.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 10:16 AM
|
#3
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,067
|
Opening the vent, minus fan, and the windows on the sliding door in addition to those in the rear works pretty well....
Maggie
__________________
🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 12:27 PM
|
#4
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lily&Me
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.
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 01:15 PM
|
#5
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,067
|
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.
Maggie
__________________
🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 01:39 PM
|
#6
|
Rivet Master
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor
, New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
|
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.
Peter
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 02:12 PM
|
#7
|
Rivet Master
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue
, Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
|
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.
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 02:15 PM
|
#8
|
Rivet Master
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor
, New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
|
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!
Peter
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 02:31 PM
|
#10
|
Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
|
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.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 02:36 PM
|
#11
|
Rivet Master
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor
, New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
|
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
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 05:21 PM
|
#12
|
Rivet Master
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue
, Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pahaska
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.
|
|
|
08-31-2018, 06:48 PM
|
#13
|
Rivet Master
2019 27' Flying Cloud
Kansas City
, Missouri
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,967
|
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
__________________
Piggy Bank
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 05:28 AM
|
#14
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
|
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/
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 10:13 AM
|
#15
|
Contributing Member
2018 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Austin (Hays County)
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,164
|
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.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 11:59 AM
|
#16
|
Rivet Master
2013 Interstate Coach
Waterloo
, Iowa
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,598
|
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.
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 03:48 PM
|
#17
|
Rivet Master
2006 22' Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 698
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pahaska
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.
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 05:06 PM
|
#18
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,067
|
The Fantastic Fan in my new to me Interstate reverses, and it’s lowest speed is almost silent, so they’re out there.
Maggie
__________________
🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
|
|
|
09-07-2018, 05:27 PM
|
#19
|
Rivet Master
2012 Avenue Coach
Corpus Christi
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,719
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
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.
.
|
|
|
09-08-2018, 07:55 AM
|
#20
|
Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rowiebowie
....
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.
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|