So.. It's time I cut a hole in my roof and let a little fresh air in. I've been putting this project off as long as I can but seeing as how I'm in AZ it is getting too darn hot in this thing to go without it. I've read all the different posts on how people have installed their fans and I am going to go with jethadens plan of using VHB tape to hold it down without putting any screw holes in the roof. I'm planning on two days so that after I cut the hole in the roof I am going to use some JB Weld to flatten out the front and back part of the roof cut out so that the fan will have a much flatter surface to adhere to. I've read through his post a few times and it seems pretty straight forward. But if anyone has any last minute advice then I am all ears to hear it. Because once I make that first cut then I'm committed to getting it done. I'll take as many pictures as I can and do a post on how it comes out. Here's hoping this weekend goes well!!!
Installing MaxxFan this weekend
1 - 20 of 82 Posts
Mine is still holding fine after 6000 miles. Including Florida heat. I would not change anything I did. I would make sure you maximize the VHB surface on the fan base by filling in the groves with something to make it smooth. Otherwise actual VHB surface area on fan base is limited. Adhesive caulk on inside is useful extra insurance to lock in base to roof, probably even more effective than VHB.
Thanks for the response. I'm planning to follow your install just as you posted it. I will definitely fill in the base with some epoxy. As for using an adhesive caulk I have a tube of 3M 5200 (strong I know) as well as some silicone II adhesive (the unpaintable kind). A little undecided on which one to go with. Not sure if the 3M 5200 is overkill or not. I really can't imagine this fan ever coming out of the van (at least as long as I have it) so I'm leaning towards the 5200 just for the extra strength as well as insuring from any future leaks.
Also.. did you put in any supports under the fan on the inside. You noted it as optional on your post. If so what did you use and did you do anything specific to adhere it to the inside of the roof? Thanks for the help.
I ended up putting pieces of epoxy coated 12 mm ply fore-aft on either side of flange just to stiffen the roof a bit. I attached it to steel with adhesive caulk (5200 equivalent). I would use 5200 over silicone every day. Silicone only seals, 5200 glues. You can remove 5200 by using a heat gun to permanently soften it (I forget temperature, may destroy plastic flange at same time) or by cutting. So, under flange outside would be hard to remove, but a bead inside between roof and fan base could be easily cut out.
In case you only read the write up on this site, see also pictures and comments at https://www.flickr.com/photos/jethaden/sets/72157650537232552/ .
Day one of the Maxx Fan install is complete. Everything went good but a little slow. Heres what I accomplished today in list form:
1. Made a template out of 1/2'' plywood that was 14'' x 14"
2. I am using a knockout Punch for the corners so I followed Ortons template plan and drilled holes in the corners 7/16'' in from the edges.
3. Attached template in place with a screw and a piece of scrap wood.
4. Drilled pilot holes in the four corners of the template to go through the roof (this is where there is no going back).
5. With the pilot holes drilled I then went through all my drill bits one at a time to make the holes larger until I had four 1/2'' holes in the corners.
6. Made quick work with the 1/2'' knockout punch to enlarge the holes. I believe this punch makes a 7/8'' hole which matches the rounded corners of the
Maxx Fan corners.
7. With the corners done it was just a matter of making some straight lines in-between the holes and then making sure to have plenty of painters tape
down so that my jigsaw would not scratch the paint. Also at this point i also had a big piece of plastic tarp covering most of the van as well as a trash
bag taped up (I used agents as well) to catch all the little pieces of metal falling into the van.
8. I then used my jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut the square out. After each cut I would then put some extra tape on that section so that it
would hold the piece of metal up while I made the other cuts.
9. Cleaned up any rough edges with a file and some sandpaper.
10. Everything up to this point proved to be relatively easy. Now comes the hard part. I cleaned out the foam that sits between the roof and the support
bracket under it. I am going with jethadens plan of using epoxy to bring these two pieced of metal together which will flatten out the top part of the
roof and make it much easier for the flange to sit more flush against the roof. Even if you were to go with the normal route of installing the fan.
Using wood supports underneath and screwing down through the flange into the roof it would make much sense to do this step first to put much
less stress on the fan's flange and lessen the likelihood of it cracking. With that said... Getting the foam out is easy. Getting all the glue out was a
pain in the a**. I ended up using goof off that is made for removing foam and adhesive. It comes in a gel. Found it at Home Depot. It has to sit for
a while to work its way through the glue. I'm not sure if jethaden had this problem or not. But I was worried about not having a good surface to
bond to. After the goof off I then used sand paper to clean it all up. Then a wet rag followed up with some Isopropyl Alcohol for a clean surface. So
in the end this part took way longer then I planned for but the glue residue gave up and I have a clean surface to epoxy.
11. I used some JB Weld to do the deed. I bought two packs of the regular stuff (not the stuff that sets up in five minutes). I was worried about getting
it mixed in time and this has a much longer set up time. So I mixed it all up and smeared it between the roof metal and the support bracket. I then
put a piece of wood on the top section of the roof to spread the load and clapped it all down with four clamps. It should take about 15 hours to fully
cure which is about when I will start up again tomorrow.
So far, so good. I accomplished what I had planned for the day although it took much longer then I anticipated. The only thing I didn't do was to paint
over the cut metal edges with epoxy paint. I would have done so today if the foam cleaning didn't take so long. I will touch up the exposed metal first
thing in the morning before proceeding with the install. If all goes well I should be posting pictures of the completed fan install tomorrow night. Heres some pictures of what I got done today.
One of the things I was unsure of when the day started was how to reach the top of the van without denting it. I ended up using my Little Giant ladder which can be configured a few different ways. In the picture you can see how I just made one side longer then the other so one side of the ladder was on the ground and the other was in the van. It worked surprisingly well an was very easy to reach the work area without having to put any pressure on the van roof.
1. Made a template out of 1/2'' plywood that was 14'' x 14"
2. I am using a knockout Punch for the corners so I followed Ortons template plan and drilled holes in the corners 7/16'' in from the edges.
3. Attached template in place with a screw and a piece of scrap wood.
4. Drilled pilot holes in the four corners of the template to go through the roof (this is where there is no going back).
5. With the pilot holes drilled I then went through all my drill bits one at a time to make the holes larger until I had four 1/2'' holes in the corners.
6. Made quick work with the 1/2'' knockout punch to enlarge the holes. I believe this punch makes a 7/8'' hole which matches the rounded corners of the
Maxx Fan corners.
7. With the corners done it was just a matter of making some straight lines in-between the holes and then making sure to have plenty of painters tape
down so that my jigsaw would not scratch the paint. Also at this point i also had a big piece of plastic tarp covering most of the van as well as a trash
bag taped up (I used agents as well) to catch all the little pieces of metal falling into the van.
8. I then used my jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut the square out. After each cut I would then put some extra tape on that section so that it
would hold the piece of metal up while I made the other cuts.
9. Cleaned up any rough edges with a file and some sandpaper.
10. Everything up to this point proved to be relatively easy. Now comes the hard part. I cleaned out the foam that sits between the roof and the support
bracket under it. I am going with jethadens plan of using epoxy to bring these two pieced of metal together which will flatten out the top part of the
roof and make it much easier for the flange to sit more flush against the roof. Even if you were to go with the normal route of installing the fan.
Using wood supports underneath and screwing down through the flange into the roof it would make much sense to do this step first to put much
less stress on the fan's flange and lessen the likelihood of it cracking. With that said... Getting the foam out is easy. Getting all the glue out was a
pain in the a**. I ended up using goof off that is made for removing foam and adhesive. It comes in a gel. Found it at Home Depot. It has to sit for
a while to work its way through the glue. I'm not sure if jethaden had this problem or not. But I was worried about not having a good surface to
bond to. After the goof off I then used sand paper to clean it all up. Then a wet rag followed up with some Isopropyl Alcohol for a clean surface. So
in the end this part took way longer then I planned for but the glue residue gave up and I have a clean surface to epoxy.
11. I used some JB Weld to do the deed. I bought two packs of the regular stuff (not the stuff that sets up in five minutes). I was worried about getting
it mixed in time and this has a much longer set up time. So I mixed it all up and smeared it between the roof metal and the support bracket. I then
put a piece of wood on the top section of the roof to spread the load and clapped it all down with four clamps. It should take about 15 hours to fully
cure which is about when I will start up again tomorrow.
So far, so good. I accomplished what I had planned for the day although it took much longer then I anticipated. The only thing I didn't do was to paint
over the cut metal edges with epoxy paint. I would have done so today if the foam cleaning didn't take so long. I will touch up the exposed metal first
thing in the morning before proceeding with the install. If all goes well I should be posting pictures of the completed fan install tomorrow night. Heres some pictures of what I got done today.
One of the things I was unsure of when the day started was how to reach the top of the van without denting it. I ended up using my Little Giant ladder which can be configured a few different ways. In the picture you can see how I just made one side longer then the other so one side of the ladder was on the ground and the other was in the van. It worked surprisingly well an was very easy to reach the work area without having to put any pressure on the van roof.
Attachments
As far as roof access, I put down a good protection layer, for and aft of cut out, I used some drop cloths and then a plywood support. Good support for working and absolutely no dents or scratch paint damage.
I basically did similar to Orton, but just drilled holes in corners and cut with jig saw. Never understood using a knock out cutter.
I'm very happy with the results. Was much more work than the one I put in there sprinter.
Today I finished installing my Aluminess nerf bars. I like the look and the profile, but the step area is a little small., mainly due to the ford side trim at bottom protruding into the area. Now it's on to cutting and welding up my rear bed/storage/bench supports.
Amazingly I've spent way too much on this conversion .. And more to go.
I basically did similar to Orton, but just drilled holes in corners and cut with jig saw. Never understood using a knock out cutter.
I'm very happy with the results. Was much more work than the one I put in there sprinter.
Today I finished installing my Aluminess nerf bars. I like the look and the profile, but the step area is a little small., mainly due to the ford side trim at bottom protruding into the area. Now it's on to cutting and welding up my rear bed/storage/bench supports.
Amazingly I've spent way too much on this conversion .. And more to go.
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68 Posts
I attached mine with VHB as well. I just used multiple layers VHB where it was needed to help level things out. I then clamped it in place overnight. I also put some 5200 3M marine sealant around the outside to seal it. It has worked great. Very easy and clean install.
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1,537 Posts
Great write up and photos, Deadwood. Perhaps a little late in the process for you but I am working on an adapter flange to take up the space between the vent flange and roof providing a flat surface for the vent. As mentioned, VHB tape and sealant would also work.
Update: A couple photos of the first article CNC'd just minutes ago.
14" x 14" opening. 16.75" x 16.75" outside with 1 1/8" corner radii.
Test fit positioned towards back of a 148WB high roof:
![]()
Test fit at front of a 148WB high roof:
![]()
Update: A couple photos of the first article CNC'd just minutes ago.
14" x 14" opening. 16.75" x 16.75" outside with 1 1/8" corner radii.
Test fit positioned towards back of a 148WB high roof:
Test fit at front of a 148WB high roof:
I simply cleaned out the foam in the gap with a flat head screw driver. Not sure if 2016 are different/better built. I also filled the gap with adhesive caulk rather than epoxy (not sure if my steps were unclear, sorry if they were), clamped, let harden for a day, and then epoxied the cut edge to prevent rust. I prefer epoxy on the edge versus epoxy paint since epoxy is thicker (syrup consistency) than paint so will cover the sharp edge better than paint. Multiple paint coats would be required on sharp edge. Its just the way the paint flows on sharp edges. Anyway, your epoxy method would work fine too.
Ok.. So I finished the Maxx Fan install today. Kinda had to considering I had a big hole in my roof. If I had know that Hein was making an adapter to fit the contours of the roof I probably would have waited for it. With that said here's what I did today.
1. Woke up to find that the epoxy I used to flatten out the roof worked perfectly. Jethaden I'm not sure what the foam looked like when you scraped yours out but on my 2016 it didn't come out very easily and it left a lot of glue residue in the gap. I didn't think the epoxy would be able to get a clean enough surface so I did spend some extra time cleaning it all out with adhesive remover (goof off) and then sanded it down with some sandpaper. All I can say is that by taking this extra step in makes a huge difference with how the fan's flange mounts to the roof. I took an after picture but wish I would have gotten a before picture to show the difference. For anyone considering a fan install be it VHB tape or screwing through the roof into some wood supports it would make a huge difference of how the fan sits on the roof. But at this point if you're almost ready to install I would seriously be looking at what Hein is developing to make this a step that can be skipped altogether.
2. With the epoxy holding beautifully I then filed and sanded the edges smooth and then proceeded to cover all the cut edges with epoxy paint that I picked up at Home Depot. Pretty easy step but very important not to forget.
3. Because of using VHB tape to do the install I had to make sure that the bottom of the fan's mounting flange was filled in with epoxy. It has the holes going around it so that it can be screwed into the roof as well as little ridges all around it. I filled that all in with epoxy and let it cure and then sanded any rough parts so that when I put on the VHB tape it would have the best possible surface to bond to.
4. The test fit went perfectly so after cleaning the area around the vent hole with Isopropyl Alcohol I went ahead and started with the VHB tape. I wasn't sure if there was an advantage of putting it on the flange or putting it on the van roof around the vent hole. I opted for putting it on the vans roof because I could then see how the thickness was building up to be level. Just as Jethaden said in his post it took 3 layers on the sides and one layer on the front and back portions. With the tape ready I place the flange onto the tape. To get the best bond possible I used the same blocks of wood and clamps that I used when I used the epoxy to flatten out the top of the roof to hold down the VHB taped flange. I figured that by spreading even pressure it would get better adhesion. While that sat for while I went in and enjoyed a nice lunch (grilled cheese and bacon if you're wondering). Yum.
5 At this point I don't think the mounting flange is coming up off the tape unless it breaks in pieces. Dang.. this is some strong stuff. But just in case I went ahead and but a bead of caulk around it with some trusty
3M 5200. I also put a bead of the 5200 around the inside where the flange meets the inside roof. Once this cures I don't see how this if ever coming off let alone how water is ever going to leak in. Of course I haven't checked for leaks yet. I'll give it a week or so to cure then plan to put a coating of Dicor Lap Seal around the whole edge just for good measure. Then I'll test for leaks.
6. With everything in place it was time to put the fan in it's place. I wish I would have read through Jethadens post again at this point. I missed the part about taking the fan blade out and pulling the housing down with a clamp to match it up to the holes. I ended up getting to see half of the hole where the screw goes into. By starting the screw it did grab and go into the hole and pulling the fan housing down where it belongs. Not sure why this step has to be so difficult. It sure didn't say anything about it in the instructions.
7. The final step. Take those ugly decals off the sides of the fan.
So that was my weekend fan install. Not that any part of it was difficult but it was time consuming. I'm glad I did it and I'm much gladder that it is done. I planned on two days to do it and day two was much shorter then day one. But I took a lot of time to think over every step as day one is the cutting a big hole in my new van part. I don't think I would change the way I did it if I had to do it again. Between the VHB tape and the 3M 5200 I don't think that fan is going anywhere. But only time will tell. I didn't take that many pictures today because most of the day it looked just like yesterdays pic's. But I think the important one to see is how the mounting flange sits pretty flat across the roof after the the roof was epoxied onto the support bracket in the van.
On a side note: As I was waiting for some of the epoxy on the fans flange to dry today I made some kick ass drapes to separate the cab from the cargo area. They look great but more importantly they block out any light that might come from the front windows. I'll also be trying them out this week to see if it makes the air conditioner work better up in the cab area. I'm in AZ and yes it's already time to drive with the AC on. I'll try and do a full post on it tomorrow. Just too tired to do anything else tonight.
Second side note: I really like the smoke colored lid on the fan but I dislike that the sides of the fan are white. Has anyone painted the white part of the fan?? I might go ahead and try and paint it either black or find a dark gray to match the vans paint job. I know this is a minor detail but having OCD does come with it's issues. I think with it painted it would give it a much more stealthy look to it. Just curious if anyone else feels the same way or more importantly if anyone has already painted there's.
1. Woke up to find that the epoxy I used to flatten out the roof worked perfectly. Jethaden I'm not sure what the foam looked like when you scraped yours out but on my 2016 it didn't come out very easily and it left a lot of glue residue in the gap. I didn't think the epoxy would be able to get a clean enough surface so I did spend some extra time cleaning it all out with adhesive remover (goof off) and then sanded it down with some sandpaper. All I can say is that by taking this extra step in makes a huge difference with how the fan's flange mounts to the roof. I took an after picture but wish I would have gotten a before picture to show the difference. For anyone considering a fan install be it VHB tape or screwing through the roof into some wood supports it would make a huge difference of how the fan sits on the roof. But at this point if you're almost ready to install I would seriously be looking at what Hein is developing to make this a step that can be skipped altogether.
2. With the epoxy holding beautifully I then filed and sanded the edges smooth and then proceeded to cover all the cut edges with epoxy paint that I picked up at Home Depot. Pretty easy step but very important not to forget.
3. Because of using VHB tape to do the install I had to make sure that the bottom of the fan's mounting flange was filled in with epoxy. It has the holes going around it so that it can be screwed into the roof as well as little ridges all around it. I filled that all in with epoxy and let it cure and then sanded any rough parts so that when I put on the VHB tape it would have the best possible surface to bond to.
4. The test fit went perfectly so after cleaning the area around the vent hole with Isopropyl Alcohol I went ahead and started with the VHB tape. I wasn't sure if there was an advantage of putting it on the flange or putting it on the van roof around the vent hole. I opted for putting it on the vans roof because I could then see how the thickness was building up to be level. Just as Jethaden said in his post it took 3 layers on the sides and one layer on the front and back portions. With the tape ready I place the flange onto the tape. To get the best bond possible I used the same blocks of wood and clamps that I used when I used the epoxy to flatten out the top of the roof to hold down the VHB taped flange. I figured that by spreading even pressure it would get better adhesion. While that sat for while I went in and enjoyed a nice lunch (grilled cheese and bacon if you're wondering). Yum.
5 At this point I don't think the mounting flange is coming up off the tape unless it breaks in pieces. Dang.. this is some strong stuff. But just in case I went ahead and but a bead of caulk around it with some trusty
3M 5200. I also put a bead of the 5200 around the inside where the flange meets the inside roof. Once this cures I don't see how this if ever coming off let alone how water is ever going to leak in. Of course I haven't checked for leaks yet. I'll give it a week or so to cure then plan to put a coating of Dicor Lap Seal around the whole edge just for good measure. Then I'll test for leaks.
6. With everything in place it was time to put the fan in it's place. I wish I would have read through Jethadens post again at this point. I missed the part about taking the fan blade out and pulling the housing down with a clamp to match it up to the holes. I ended up getting to see half of the hole where the screw goes into. By starting the screw it did grab and go into the hole and pulling the fan housing down where it belongs. Not sure why this step has to be so difficult. It sure didn't say anything about it in the instructions.
7. The final step. Take those ugly decals off the sides of the fan.
So that was my weekend fan install. Not that any part of it was difficult but it was time consuming. I'm glad I did it and I'm much gladder that it is done. I planned on two days to do it and day two was much shorter then day one. But I took a lot of time to think over every step as day one is the cutting a big hole in my new van part. I don't think I would change the way I did it if I had to do it again. Between the VHB tape and the 3M 5200 I don't think that fan is going anywhere. But only time will tell. I didn't take that many pictures today because most of the day it looked just like yesterdays pic's. But I think the important one to see is how the mounting flange sits pretty flat across the roof after the the roof was epoxied onto the support bracket in the van.
On a side note: As I was waiting for some of the epoxy on the fans flange to dry today I made some kick ass drapes to separate the cab from the cargo area. They look great but more importantly they block out any light that might come from the front windows. I'll also be trying them out this week to see if it makes the air conditioner work better up in the cab area. I'm in AZ and yes it's already time to drive with the AC on. I'll try and do a full post on it tomorrow. Just too tired to do anything else tonight.
Second side note: I really like the smoke colored lid on the fan but I dislike that the sides of the fan are white. Has anyone painted the white part of the fan?? I might go ahead and try and paint it either black or find a dark gray to match the vans paint job. I know this is a minor detail but having OCD does come with it's issues. I think with it painted it would give it a much more stealthy look to it. Just curious if anyone else feels the same way or more importantly if anyone has already painted there's.
Attachments
Nice install. Regarding getting the four screws started, this is what I discovered (from my fan install post):
Oh, also I read a few guys were having trouble getting the four screws in that attach the fan unit. I figured out if you go below once the fan is sitting on the gasket and take a long thin screwdriver you can push up on the clips (speed nuts) and get the holes to line up. The clips get pushed down when you jiggle the fan into position.
JP
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Oh, also I read a few guys were having trouble getting the four screws in that attach the fan unit. I figured out if you go below once the fan is sitting on the gasket and take a long thin screwdriver you can push up on the clips (speed nuts) and get the holes to line up. The clips get pushed down when you jiggle the fan into position.
JP
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Paint with?:
http://www.rustoleumspraypaint.com/product/peel-coat/
If you do it, let us know how well it works. I will do the same.
http://www.rustoleumspraypaint.com/product/peel-coat/
If you do it, let us know how well it works. I will do the same.
Dave. That Rustoleum looks just like the plasti dip I used on my silver hubcaps. I think it would work on the fan housing but I might just go with Rustoleums regular spay paint that works well on plastic. The plasti dip looks great on my wheels but I don't think it is a very good long term solution. I think over time it will start to peel off on its own. I think regular spay paint will last much longer and I only want to be back up on the roof painting it once. If I would have know how much the white was going to show I probably would have painted all the white showing on the fan housing as well as the flange before I installed it. I'm not to keen on taking the fan out again so I will first try and see about painting it while it is still up on the roof. If that proves to difficult then I'll have to pull the fan out again and just paint it while it's on the ground.
Yeah.. I missed reading about how to adjust the metal clips to make it easier to put the screws into the fan housing. I still got it done but your way would have been easier. Hopefully anyone still having to install their roof vent fan will glean just a little more useful information from these posts and make it easier for them. The fan install looks a little daunting to start but going one step at a time it really isn't all the tough to do. But picking up little tips like how to align the screw with the housing definitely makes it go much easier. What I learned by reading everyone else's post about their installs gave me the confidence to do mine.
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572 Posts
I had mentioned in another post that my Maxx Air 7500 rattles loudly when in the closed position. I can tell it is coming from the arms by listening as I tap around on it. I have it mounted in about the center of the van which means it is getting a little more flex than if mounted back where the ribs are closer to together.
This morning I called the Maxx Air service number and talked to a design engineer and found out the the earlier models did indeed have a tendency to do this particularly when in cargo vans. They have since modified the arms with some bushings to help resolve and stiffen them up. He is sending me an arm upgrade kit along with some additional rubber insulation in case the lid is touching the sides which he said could also cause some noise. I installed mine last summer but could have been older stock I suppose.
Anyways very good customer service experience, fingers crossed this does solve my problem.
Dean
This morning I called the Maxx Air service number and talked to a design engineer and found out the the earlier models did indeed have a tendency to do this particularly when in cargo vans. They have since modified the arms with some bushings to help resolve and stiffen them up. He is sending me an arm upgrade kit along with some additional rubber insulation in case the lid is touching the sides which he said could also cause some noise. I installed mine last summer but could have been older stock I suppose.
Anyways very good customer service experience, fingers crossed this does solve my problem.
Dean
Link to a picture of the revised design:
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=220494&postcount=21
The white bushing was added to eliminate the metal to metal contact. If you have the white bushing then you have the revision.
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=220494&postcount=21
The white bushing was added to eliminate the metal to metal contact. If you have the white bushing then you have the revision.
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572 Posts
Thanks for the pics. Well I do have those white bushings, My noise is coming from outside of those, if that make sense. Pressing on the arms or bushings really does not eliminate at it. Maybe it is the lid hitting the outside of the frame. He is sending some stick on trim to stop that too.
Thanks
Dean
Thanks
Dean
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572 Posts
I did some tinkering around and fixed most of the rattle, if not all of it. I used some small rubber O-rings as a washer to remove some play in this small pivot point. Snapped right under the head and 2 firmed it up but still allows it to move as it opens or closes.
$2 fix with enough left over to fix a lot more
$2 fix with enough left over to fix a lot more
Attachments
The easy fixes are always the best. I haven't driven mine much since the fan install. I will keep an eye out for it. Do you usually drive with the fan open or closed. I know that the Maxx Fan is supposed to be able to be driven with the fan open. I was just wonder if people do drive with it open and if so could it cause any problems.
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