Fantastic fan does not work in reverse

[djpierce]

I have 2006 Bambi with the Fantastic fan with thermostat and reverse rocker switch. No matter what I try the fan always spins the same way and only does exhaust direction. The manual says put the rocker in the neutral center position but it will only rocker one side to the other. Some way to test if this rocker is bad? I assume the rocker just reverses the polarity so the fan goes the other way? Any suggestions would be appreciated

[Al - K4GLU]

Unless it has been modified by someone after it left the factory the fan will only blow out.

[djpierce]

So why does the manual discuss the reverse option and I do have the rocker switch installed as described in the manual?

[Pahaska]

The manual covers many models of the fans. There are two rocker switches on many Fantastic fans. The reversing switch has a center-off position. The switch you see is the on-off switch. Airstream, since about 2004, only installs blow-out fans. I got a kit from Fantastic to install the in-out switch on my front fan. My rear fan still blows out only. With both fans on, I can provide an airflow through the trailer for my cats without opening windows.

You can probably get a kit from Fantastic like I did. Not too hard to install. Make sure you have the fan model in hand when you call them.

[Gene]

To get a fan to reverse direction, you can unscrew the plate on the inside to get access to the wiring. Trace the wires from the motor and see where they are attached and reverse them—one was too short, so I had to lengthen it. I did this on the rear fan on ours since we have two. It now only blows in and this allows air to move from rear to front.

If you want the fan to blow either way, you have to get a switch that can do that and rewire the switch. Check with Fantastic Fan about that.

I did not want to reverse the front one because it is close to the bathroom vent and might suck bad odors inside. So, if your fan is close to the vent, it should only blow out.

Gene

[djpierce]

Thanks to all. I will see about a switch. What is really odd is there are two rocker switches. One clearly turns the fan on/off..
The other rocker switch just has little icons showing open or blocked -I think. But this switch does not do anything. I guess it is time to pull it out to determine how it is wired.

[Gene]

If you have a problem with a Fantastic Fan and it is out of warranty, they are pretty good about sending you replacement parts for the cost of shipping. Call them.

Gene

[idroba]

You will need the reversing switch kit from FF. About $25 each. They will email you the instructions as to how to do it. The instructions also have the wiring schematic. It is hard to understand without that sheet.

If the little rocker switch which shows open or blocked does not do anything, you have another problem with the motor or wiring which controls the automatic opening sequence and rain sensor if you have one of those.

[A W Warn]

Look at the model number that is printed on the side of the fan motor. Then compare that number to the models shown at Fantastic Vents webpage (FanTastic Vent - Home Page)
From there you can figure out what functions your fan should have.

I have just this week been in contact with a customer service rep by both email and telephone. They are quick to respond (next day to email and immediately to phone during business hours). I lost one of the dome covers while traveling this week. They sent replacement lids for both of my 12 year old fans at no charge. I paid shipping only.

[djpierce]

Thanks all.
That may be the case where that rocker is for the rain sensor.
I will call them on Monday to get the skinny on this device.

[Gene]

It is easy to get confused with all the controls on ours—temperature sensor, rain sensor, fan speeds, etc. Your sounds similar. I find myself squinting into the sun to see what does what every time we take the trailer out because I forget what they do. Maybe Apple should have designed the controls.

Gene

[Kosm1o]

Originally Posted by Gene

It is easy to get confused with all the controls on ours—temperature sensor, rain sensor, fan speeds, etc. Your sounds similar. I find myself squinting into the sun to see what does what every time we take the trailer out because I forget what they do. Maybe Apple should have designed the controls.

Gene

And then, after you figure it out again, don't let your wife touch it. All the switches will be out of sync :-)

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Kosm1o

And then, after you figure it out again, don't let your wife touch it. All the switches will be out of sync :-)

She remembers it better than me. Like lights she turns them on and I turn them off. Perfect relationship.

Gene

[mstephens]

Originally Posted by Gene

It is easy to get confused with all the controls on ours—temperature sensor, rain sensor, fan speeds, etc.

Gene

Ya think? LOL I still have no idea what my controls mean, and I have to twiddle and fiddle to figure out how to get what I want. I now leave it to my wife. I think the use of "glyphs" instead of words is a BIG MISTAKE. I know everyone LOVES these, but I think the design of the controls is very poor.

[djpierce]

Well my wife is too short to reach this so I need to understand it.
I did call their support and yes you were correct they were very helpful. I had found that the rocker switch was for the automatic open/close when you turn the fan on. Reason it did not work was because the motor to activate the door opening had sheared the pin (on one side) to allow it to use the motor to open/close. I could still open using the manual position. I just tapped the pin outwards enough and now it works. Apparently, now you when you buy the upgrade kit for the reverse option it includes the motor. So the price is now more like $50. Support said you cannot just purchase the pin, have to buy the motor. I have to decide if I want to spend $50 just to have the reverse option. Not sure yet how often I will want air to be forced in rather than forcing out.

[lsbrodsky]

There is a kit without the motor for reverse. This is a recent note from Fantastic and I bought one for my AS:

Larry: Please call 800-521-0298 to order PN 9001-09 @ $12.05 plus $12.95 shipping.
Jerr


Larry

[Gene]

Originally Posted by djpierce

Well my wife is too short to reach this so I need to understand it.

Get her something to stand on so you can relax and engage in mindless activities.

What I find dumb about the controls besides the difficulty reading what each does (since I forget what they do quickly), is that some things seem to require a couple of switches to be switched before they work and other things don't. The temperature knob is set so it has no effect—one less thing to bother with.

I wanted to get the remote, but you have to buy lots of stuff for it to work and it cost too much—at least if I had a remote I wouldn't have to look up into the bright sky trying to read what the switches say. I'm sure many of you think the fan is simple to use, so I must be too old for these things, pre-senile or I just don't care that much. I showed my wife what I knew and she took it from there, though I can use the on/off switch pretty well. And I did re-wire one of them to reverse the fan. I'm not ready for the rest home quite yet.

Gene

[arktos55343]

It would be even harder to remember what does what, if the rocker switches were the same size (fortunately, they are not). I can't possibly tilt my head back far enough to be able to read the icons and what-nots through the bi-focal of my glasses. LOL.

So, having just recently hooked up my fans to power, and getting used to using them, I'm just memorizing that the little rocker opens and closes....the big rocker determines direction of flow. As for the temp dial....I'll deal with that when the fan fails to operate as expected because it is set too cool or too warm.

So far, so good. But we have yet to receive enough rain to activate the auto-close feature....I'm waiting for that....

[Phoenix]

Just a quick note to advise that Atwood Mobile is still providing free Fantastic Fan replacement parts, like the original owners did. Contact info appears below:

E-mail: ftvservice@atwoodmobile.com

Note: Extracted from FanTastic Vent - Contact Us.