BCM Community
Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: grantgoold on January 11, 2009, 06:45:41 AM
-
The bathroom walls went in yesterday and I have a switch for the bathroom exhaust. I have seen several different exhaust systems and want to check in with the bathroom exhaust guru's to get an idea of what has been done in their buses. I am looking for ideas and suggestions.
Remember that I have a serious aversion to cutting holes in the roof of my bus! ;D ;D ;D
Thanks again to everyone for their help.
Grant
Citrus Heights
-
Grant, I know about cutting holes in the roof but this one place I did, a Fantastic Fan is the only way to go for me it serves a triple purpose venting,lighting and cooling good luck
-
If you wish to vent with DC voltage
Buy a RV vent fan and a ac bathroom vent. Put the DC fan in the ac unit
then duct the exhaust where ever convienent.
Opens up a lot of options for placement.
Last year when we were house shopping one house had a venting system that was piped
to each toilette plus a reg bathrrom vent.
FWIW
Skip
-
The easyest way to run a through the roof vent is to use a flexable swiming pool pump hose it can be routed easy and put in a wall easy and not take up much space and you don't have the problem of PVC connection to make it fit nice. Fred N.F.B.C.
-
A Fantastic Fan with the rain sensor is the ultimate in utility. As a additional vent I will install a ex fan ducted to the toilet seat height with an ex out the floor and the fan below decks.
A word of caution: The black tank is adequately vented to the exterior. If you get a proper ex fan going and flush the toilet you will get a big pulse of BLACK WATER TANK air injected into the bath. That experience will make you wish that breathing is optional. Don't ask me how I know this.
John
-
luvr's idea to put a vent over the toilet makes so much sense that I don't know why I didn't think of it long ago??
I've been considering a roof vent for a while and now I know where to put it. It can vent the whole bus there as well as anywhere else. The only thing stopping me is I hate holes in the roof.
-
Gus,
Prior to the rain sensor a really neat trick was to put the vent directly over the "shower". So who cares if it rains while you are out if the fan is left on if its installed in that spot. I think that is still a valid location as it will exhaust the steam from the shower. neat, Huh?
John
-
What vent? Been using mine for 4 years and no vent! Been meaning to get one in but haven't yet!
-
I don't have a vent either,,, never had a problem.
However, I often thought, how would one work on the floor, venting to the bay. ???
Bill
-
I have a Fantastic fan directly above the toilet to remove odors and humidity from the bathroom. As others have mentioned, the vent if running while flushing can draw in bad odors. It is good to run the vent while showering to remove excess humidity.
My problem is horrendous odor coming into the bathroom and the bus when flushing the toilet while driving regardless if the fantastic fan is running. I even put an RV360 vent on the vent stack to see if that would help which it doesn't really. It got so bad on a trip home last summer that we banned use of the toilet.
I really need to go to a local bus rally to see if I get some help with my venting problem.
-
Belfert,
For some reason, there is a negative air pressure in your bus when traveling. If such a negative pressure exist, air is going to sucked from anywhere available to feed it. If you find why you have that negative pressure and neutralize it or better, go slightly positive, you will not suck air in through the toilet.
-
John,
That is a very good idea but won't work for me. For a complete bathroom it is the best idea yet. Luckily I haven't had a toilet odor problem so far.
However, my bus came with the shower, toilet and wash basin in three separate locations. I'm happy about this because three people can use them at the same time without having to try to move around one another in a confined space.
I have folding doors separating various sections of the bus so privacy is not a problem.
-
Belfert
Have you tried running the fan so it sucks air in while flushing the toilet the pressure in may solve your problem
Just a thought -- remember they are free
Melbo
-
Just stick the ABS vent pipe for the toilet thru the roof (where is should be) and cut a 45 degree angle on it (outside) aiming to the rear. When driving it acts like a venturi and keeps the potty tanks at a MUCH lower pressure than the interior of the bus, and nothing stinks when you flush. Worked on three buses of mine, perfectly...
Poor drawing but you get the idea...
(http://www.heartmagic.com/busvent.jpg)
-
Have you tried running the fan so it sucks air in while flushing the toilet the pressure in may solve your problem
I cheaped out and saved like $30 by buying the "Create a Breeze" Fantastic Vent that only blows out. I figured a bathroom would only need exhaust and not intake. I believe the unit can be upgraded without replacing the whole vent.
I wonder if the fan blowing in would pull in odors from the plumbing vent on the roof? The other issue might be pushing the stink out of the bathroom into the rest of the bus.
For Boggiethecat, I do have the plumbing vent through the roof with an RV360 vent cap.
-
I just would like to know why it HAS to be thru the roof? Mine goes thru the floor and it has worked great with NO smell at any time! If mine works, why does it HAVE to go thru the roof?
Just curious!
Ace
-
Brian, reversing the polarity on the motor will probably be all it takes to reverse the fan.
For what it's worth.
Tom Caffrey
-
That RV 360 vent cap looks interesting. It supposedly turns with the direction of the wind. One would think that it would have the whole toward the back when heading down the road. But just in case something weird is going on, maybe you could fix it in place. I don't think your real concern is when docked anyway.
-
I had an RV 360 vent cap, it lasted for five years then the plastic swivel broke. It's on the highway somewhere between Abilene and Eisenhower State Park. ::)
They look neat but I didn't like the fact that it didn't last very long. I just installed a 1 1/2" pvc el in it's place.
FWIW,
Paul
-
;)
-
this is confusing to me I thought Grant was asking about something to remove the moister and the smell from the bathroom not venting the tank, then Belfert made the statement that his Fantastic Fan doesn't work and later he tells us he has one of the small RV power vents, help the guy don't confuse him good luck
-
this is confusing to me I thought Grant was asking about something to remove the moister and the smell from the bathroom not venting the tank, then Belfert made the statement that his Fantastic Fan doesn't work and later he tells us he has one of the small RV power vents, help the guy don't confuse him good luck
I don't have any sort of power vent for my plumbing vent. I do have a Fantastic Vent in my bathroom.
-
sorry Belfert It didn't come out right I thought you talking about one the vents fans in the pipe, I love the Fansatic Fans good luck
-
After a couple of other bathroom vents that proved unsatisfactory, I finally got the right one. It's a quality product and works fine. I mounted the remote switch on the wall where I can reach it from the sitting position. I turn it on when I sit down, and off before I flush. Works as the name applies, "fantastic."
http://www.rvvent.com/b2000r.htm
tg
-
"IF" I could get the same air volume exhausted and take the air from the top of the room with a "thru the floor vent" "thru the wall", there is no way in hell I would punch a hole in my roof. No way! Due to the ducting needed and their inherent resistance to air flow, the fan would NEED to be a squirrel cage to get any flow/volume. A speed control and thermostat would be ideal. No need for a rain sensor....DUH ::)
Consider that with a squirrel cage you could locate the fan in the bay. Important option, maybe.
Of course my Fantastic fan is also a skylight and a source of "cheering" ;D light. I guess you could do that with a thru the floor vent but you would have to use a lot mirrors. ???
HTH ;D ;D
John
-
We opted for the maxxair vent instead of the fantastic vent for a couple of reasons, it already has a shroud that is weather proof but the primary reason is that it has 12 inch fan mounted outside and away from the ceiling opening, it's fully reversable with 3 speeds and quite powerfull, ours set blowing out on low, actually creates a breeze coming in the windows.all that is required besides a 12 volt line to it is a standard rv ceiling vent, the kind that a person would find in most travel trailers or campers, the shroud mounts around it and over it so the vent can be left open in the rain or traveling down the road with or without the fan running, a thrmostatically controled unit is also available, either way both fans are good, but the maxxair unit better suited our needs. http://www.maxxair.com/Products/Turbo-Maxx.aspx
-
Cody,
I think the max air would be superior to the Fantastic Fan....if the Max had anywhere near the air flow. My FF makes a lot of noise on hi but I seldom need that speed...still, if the Max has a quieter fan located outside that is a real advantage. On low, my FF is whisper quiet.
Good point you made.
John
-
Grant,
I ended using a hi volume house type exhaust fan that is vented down, works great.
Like you I wanted to minimize my ceiling holes.
I may, before I am done, vent it out the side, even though the down pipe works great.
I made a space between the back of my bathroom and shower where all the pipes, vents run.
By pulling out the wall closet(four screws in back corners), behind and above the toilet(built as one piece, including front)I can access everything for those two spaces.
On the vent pipe as others were mentioning: I tried several types of venting, RV360, cut pipe, but the one that works flawlessly was by putting a PVC tee facing fore-aft and reducing it from 1 1/2 to 3/4 on the front facing end. The venturi effect absolutely stopped any odors from entering the cabin while underway. YMMV
Cliff
-
John if you check the spec sheet you'll find the maxxair has a lot more air flow than the fantastic vent, the specs for the fantastic vent according to their website is 478, 653, and 920, at low, medium and high, for the maxxair they are 500, 680, and 982 for low, medium and high, I wasn't sure which vent you were refering to so I used the 8000 series, that appeared to be the most powerfull, the maxxair I used was the turbomaxx, thats the one I listed and the one I have, like I said either one would be great but the maxxair moves more air according to the spec sheet, the decible rating for the maxxair wasn't listed but I do know that mine can't be heard on low and is whisper quiet on medium and very reasonable on high.
-
Boogie,
There is always the possibility that more than one method of venting works well just like there is usually more than one way to do something.
-
We have one fantastic fan in the kitchen with a hood over it for weather protection. As I remember it, the Maxxair is a pretty easy install over any existing vent hole. That's a big plus.
I agree with Florida. Our last bus's tank vent had a PVC tee facing fore/aft and it worked fine. However, if the existing FF in the bathroom is installed facing front/rear, one could put a permanent hood over it and leave the skylight cracked when on the road. This may create a negative pressure. Another stop gap thing is using tank chemicals so the stink is not as serious. We also found that if we left a window open, particularly in the back of the coach, while traveling, we were likely to draw tank smells into the cabin.
-
Cody, the Maxxair does move more air but the amp draw is quite a bit more than the Fantastic Fan good luck
-
Yep, for the most part your right, the fantastic vent amp draws are 1.86, 2.29 and 3.00 for low, medium and high, the maxxair is 1.40, 2.45 and 4.0, for low, medium and high, the maxxair actually draws less amps at the low setting but more at medium and high. I think all things concidered either would work great but the maxxair fit our needs better and we liked the idea of not having to worry about running and closing it when it rained on the road.
-
That must a newer fan than what my daughters has on her 5th wheel I looked at amp draw on hers it shows 5amps at 957,3.8 at 800 and 2.5 at 480 they must make different models of the fans but like you say both will work good luck
-
I took the numbers off the 2 websites, my maxxair is probably 5 years old and I don't know what the amperage or flow rates are for mine, all I used were the numbers provided by the websites, the older ones could very well be different, I don't know, both systems have excellent ratings and I feel both have excellent support backing them, I know that with mine, it developed a chirping sound after around 3 years of use, I contacted maxxair to see what they thought it might be and to see what I could do to correct it, they asked for my address and then mailed me a complete new fan motor, fan and control unit at no charge to me, I've since heard that fantastic vent will also do the same, customer satisfaction is extremely important to both of them.
-
Gus,
There ya go again. ??? Always talking about SEX. ::)
Cody,
Thanks for the info.
John
-
Ace,
Pretty much my feeling too.
No response so far though!!
-
Yea Gus I don't understand why so many people have the problems they have. It might be because they create them by trying to re-create the wheel! I used the KISS method and I haven't had any problems going thru the floor while sitting or traveling! Why put a potential leak in a roof if you don't need to and then worry about water coming in? Heck I don't even have a roof vent of any kind although I have thought about one in the bathroom OVER the shower just in case I got lazy and forgot to close it and it rains! Of course the rain water would go in the shower and eventually into the holding tank! Better there than in the walls, I would say!
Some people you just can't persuade!
Ace
-
Ace,
It's called "Do It Your Way"
Not everyone will agree on anything, that's why they call us "Bus Nuts"! ::)
We have two Fantastic Fans, one regular vent, three roof airs, vent for the black tank/plumbing and no leaks! ;)
It was that way when I bought the coach, not going to change that at this point!
Paul
-
It's always a good idea to try to minimize the future potential for problems, any opening in the roof has a potential for leaks at some point as gaskets or sealers dry out over time. Our tanks are vented down thru the floor and work just fine that way but on the roof we have several openings that I tryed to seal properly and at this time they are holding just fine, no leaks, no runs, no errors lol. Our heat pumps/ac are thru the roof, the tv antenna required a hole and the maxxair vent needed a hole, I try to monitor any openings but with a machine, movement can create problems, that just part of the program.
-
Ace,
Where is your fridge vent?
-
Gus, What fridge vent?
Ace
-
For roof penetrations I use butyl rubber tape and Eternabond tape around the edge to seal things. So far my roof penetrations don't leak.
As far as fridge vents go, they are only necessary for RV type fridges. Many of us use household fridgs that don't require vents.
-
All fridges vent heat, even electric household ones. This is nice in winter but not so good in summer.
However, an LP fridge needs an outside vent for CO safety which I'm sure everybody knows.
-
Ours is a Sears home type and we have never noticed any heat from it but then again I DO have it set on a angle with plenty of room behind it!
Ace
-
It's not hard to vent the refrigerators, mine is a household type but it's got the added feature of having a microwave mounted on top of it, we added a thermostatically controled fan to exhaust the heat if it built up and reached a given point. Because it is all built into a cabinet venting it made sence.
-
Ace,
Heat removed from inside the fridge has to go someplace inside the bus if there is no vent.
At least there is no CO problem though.
-
If you check the label on the refer you will find a wattage number. That is the heat you are dumping inside the coach that AC must deal with in the summer. Winter it's great! Maybe a controlable exhaust duct?
This is fundamental but some don't know it. Rule: any time you have a flame touching metal you will generate carbon monoxide in some quantity. Gas refrigerators were very popular way back. Sooooo many consumers were killing themselves that the Fed made them illegal for domestic use. I guess RV's are an exception. Industry still favors absorption cooling where it is appropriate. Ya gotta vent the gas fridges or they won't work well and they will kill you. Convection air flow for the vent means you must vent thru the roof. You can't rely on a power vent for gas.
John
-
A friend installed a RV type refrigerator in his eagle and installed the top vent in the wall right below the roof (Manufacturer said this was acceptable). He had trouble with the refrigerator cooling properly and added an electric fan inside the wall mounted top vent to push the hot air out. This made a big difference in cooling ability. He later installed a roof mounted vent (without the electric fan) and has had no problems since. Just reporting an actual case, YMMV Jack
-
Norcold says a side vent can be used but advises against it.
If used the specs for the air duct are very specific.
Even then they say it isn't as efficient as the top vent.
The top vent duct dimensions are also quite critical for good exhausting.
I've had no problems with mine, it works better on gas than on AC. Hardly works at all on DC.