Which do you prefer for a Roof Exhaust Fan in your bus?

I have been using Fantastic Fans for years and love them.  Last year when one of my Fantastic Fans started acting up. I replaced it with a MaxxFan as several people were bragging about them. 

I soon discovered that when I went to install the MaxxFan in the same 14" square hole I removed the Fantastic Fan from, the roof footprint was larger.  The MaxxFan needs more real estate on the roof behind the fan, about 4" more, for the cover to fold down.  That required me to move a solar panel, which I had not planned on when I bought the fan, requiring new holes in my roof, to relocate a solar panel.

The MaxxFan will remember the last speed setting so that is a plus.  With the Fantastic fan, I have to adjust the fan speed each time I turn it on. I usually run my vent fans at about 30% speed as they run a bit quieter that way, so that is always an extra step.

The MaxxFans may be a tad quieter, but it is pretty hard for me to tell, as I seldom run my fans at full speed anyway.

One annoying thing about the MaxxFan is that it takes a bit of foreplay every time you turn it on. You must hit the Power button twice.  I guess once to wake it up, and a second time to tell it what to do.  That seems a bit annoying and unnecessary to me.

I have always had two exhaust fans in my buses, one in the kitchen to exhaust kitchen fumes, and a fart van in the bathroom to exhaust odors and draw out moisture after showering. 

Because I have two fans, I will sometimes reverse one of the fans to draw air into the bus, especially when I do not want to open the windows, like maybe in a low-level dusty condition, or in a light rain.

The MaxxFan came with a built-in rain cover that allows the fan to operate in the rain. The Fantastic fan does not have one as it has a rain sensor that closes the cover at the first hint of moisture.  However, I have always used an auxiliary cover over my Fantastic fans as I like the option to operate the fan in the rain, and not have to worry about leaving them open if I leave the bus on a day when it may start raining later.

Also, if you leave these covers open whilst traveling down the road, over time, the wind tends to break them off due to sun exposure and fatigue of the construction materials.  The extra cover prevents this from happening and will make your fan unit last longer.

The MaxxFan will also operate with the cover fully closed to circulate the air inside the bus, but that never made sense to me, so I never use that feature.

Both fans, at least the models on the higher end, have remote controls and brackets to mount them on the wall.  This is very helpful if you have a raised roof, or are a vertically challenged individual.  It could also be advantageous if you had kids that may want to control the fan.  I always buy the higher-end models which come with a remote control, a thermostat on the Fantastic Fan, and a motorized lid.  Both fans are also reversible.

That being said, on a shorter bus or a van, one fan may be necessary, but I have found on longer buses, two fans are better.

BTW, I was looking at these fans online recently and noticed they have skyrocketed in price.  Either of these fans now costs over $350 for the deluxe model, but when you look up these units on Amazon now, a couple of other brands pop up such as Starvent and RVlovent which look almost the same for about half the price of the name brand units.

So the question is, if you were to convert another bus from scratch, would you buy Fantastic Fans, MaxxFans, or one of the other brands now popping up on the internet?

Post by: Glennman 

I opted for the MaxxAir for my main fan (kitchen/dining area). With the configuration of my solar panels, the extra real estate wasn't a problem. However, the bath fan that I have yet to install (some say two fans aren't necessary, but I want one dedicated to the restroom) will be either a Fantastic fan or the MaxxAir fan that doesn't need the extra real estate.

I believe MaxxAir has a 2012 model (?) that is around $229 and doesn't have the bells and whistles that my other one has. You are correct about the need to push the button twice to turn it on. That is strange to me. Also, I made the mistake of installing the remote control holder about three feet away. It will not operate automatically from there, so I need to remove it from the holder and point it directly toward the fan. I'll have to relocate it and figure something else out to cover the holes.

Post by: chessie4905

Fantastic fan. I used one for years and used a standard footprint and hole pattern. I prefer to use the overcover. That way it will work in pouring rain while travelling down the road. I always have the bathroom vent open at least an inch year-round. I prefer the 3-speed model. I don't need reverse or sensors.  These are just more things to go bad.     

                      Post by: muldoonman                      

The MaxxFan has two lift arms instead of one. Or at least the old Fantastic fans did. I hit one gust of wind that broke the arm off when driving along the coast once. At that point, I went with the MaxxFan.

              Post by: luvrbus                

I use the Fantastic fan. Things have changed now since the kids sold off Fantastic to Dometic when their dad passed away.  They don't give you anything extra now.  The covers have always been free, now they want $50 for the cover.  I never liked the looks of MaxxFan inside or outside.  I've never had an arm break on a Fantastic Fan cover.                                  

Post by: dtcerrato

We have neither of these fans. We have three vintage Hehr motorized vents that suck lots of air out. Love the dome going up all the way, not hinged. Good old vents that continue to serve us well.
                                   

Post by: Dave5Cs    

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/blog/how-to-maintain-and-repair-a-hehr-vent-from-1950s-and-1960s-travel-trailers

Post by: Dave5Cs 

Fantastic. We have three forward and three reverse speeds. When it gets cooler at night, we just set the fan on reverse, bringing in the cool night air. If it’s hot in the daytime it will be on all day.  I set it on forward three, and it pulls out the heat or a lot of it. If I eat Mexican food?  Well, you know.                                    

Post by: windtrader

Timely topic. Yesterday and today, I replaced the broken fan cover on an older Fantastic Fan. I love the fan; it’s quiet and moves plenty of air.  A while back, the extra cover over the popup got whacked off.  In time, the pop-up cover got nailed.  Rather than just buy an OEM replacement, later finding out they are $75 via Amazon, I found a pair of generic fans that were the same dimensions on FB marketplace for ten bucks.

It took several tries as the original was gone, and I had no reference for the installation. With some fabrication and modifications, I was able to get it installed.  The modifications were mainly working the bracket to fit. But it got mounted and the fan is working well. 

Post by: luvrbus 

Yes, Dometic prices are really high.  Back in the day at the FMCA rallies, the owner of Fantastic Fans would send his crew out to replace the cover even if you told him your cover was getting cloudy.  They would check everything including switches, seals, screens, and motors, and replace them if needed at no charge to the customer.  They serviced their product, and the owner honored his lifetime warranty.   In addition, he was a nice guy.

Post by: epreto  

I have four MaxxFans; three domes and one full-size. I’m impressed with the domes. I have one in the toilet room, one in the shower room, and one over the stove.  The one in the shower is directly over the shower head. I keep a humidistat in there and it usually only rises three points.  The one over the stove evacuates smoke with no problem. Steam not so much.

My uncle found a new Fantastic Fan at Goodwill for eight bucks. I’ll keep that as a backup.                                 

Post by: RJ

I’m a MaxxFan person.

When the Fantastic fan in my coach started screeching because the motor was going out, I found a MaxxFan Deluxe 7500K at a vendor booth in Quartzsite steeply discounted because it was packaged in an OEM installation box (“plain brown wrapper!”), rather than the fancy graphics found with the typical RV store packaging.

Installation was a breeze (pun intended), fit right into the existing cutout for the previous fan, hooked up the wiring per the instructions, put batteries in the remote, and haven't looked back.

I like the fact it operates with the cover closed, a nice feature once you figure out how to set it up to work that way. I will leave it closed on low speed (10%) when it's raining outside to help keep condensation at bay - you can't even hear it running at that setting.

Open a window on the shady side of the coach, crank the speed up to 50% - 60% and I haven't had to turn on the A/C until 3:30 - 4:00 in the afternoon when it's 80 degrees outside. Nice. (But I do have to dust more often!)

One other tip: I found a thick square pillow that fits the fan opening. That, and a bungee cord to keep it in place, helps keep out the cold during winter months.                                   

Post by: Van

Not really a fan (no pun intended) of either.  Both are expensive and cheaply made. I installed many of each and installed the un-Fantastic fan on ours because it performs the poorest.                            

Post by: chessie4905

Check your installation procedure, as both brands are pretty durable as far as fan, motor, and shell. Our experience is they have worked for years with no issues, except maybe covers vs. tree branches.  

Post by: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM  

One other tip: I found a thick square pillow that fits the fan opening. That, and a bungee cord to keep it in place, helps keep out the cold during winter months.

FWIW & HTH. . .  

Post by: RJ

I gave up the pillow and went to a Velcro-type attachment on insulated reflective material. It is easier to store whilst not in use for us full-timers.

"Winter months?" What are those?