[VAC] New Roof vent fan (Fantastic)

[John Anderson <janderson@xxxxxxxx>]

Today the first of 2 new Fantastic Roof vent vans went into my 66 Sovereign.
Thanks to the good experience-based advice from this list, it went pretty smoothly,
and--out of character for me--nothing had to be reworked.  Of course, the ultimate
test of an all-day downpour with 50 MPH winds is yet to come, but the installation
was straightforward and I am pleased with the result.

Now some lessons learned to share and also confirm some other's experience:

    Removal of the old rivets for the original vent was the hardest part of the
job.  After trying the drill and the dremel tool, the best approach (for me) was a
hammer and an old wood chisel.

    The roof bearing my weight was not a problem, and I am over 250#.  I found I
could just keep my weight over one of the structural members.  I contemplated
several platform ideas combined with padding beneath, but concluded it was
unnecessary.

    I was concerned that the curvature of the roof would create a fit-up problem
with the flat flange of the Fanatastic fan.  Not a problem at all.  Where the vent
sits in the center/top of the roof, the curvature is virtually nonexistent.  The
supplied gasket was more than sufficient, although I used Vulkem between the gasket
and the roof surface, as well as on each screw and around the perimeter of the
gasketed flange.

    Preparation of the new gasketed flange surface is obviously important to a
leak-tight installation.  I took extra time to fuss a little over scraping the old
caulk off, cleaning the aluminum, and ensuring that there were no pieces of rivet
or metal shavings to affect the gasket seal.

    Speaking of cleaning the aluminum, I took a small bucket of soapy water and a
sponge up on the roof to clean the gasket area, and I was surprised at how much of
what I thought was--on my un-polished trailer--aluminum oxidation, just washed away
with a little elbow grease.  So a followup to this project will be a good soap and
water cleaning of the skin, while I  continue to put off the big polish job to
"someday."

    I didn't initially think it would be necessary nor desirable to remove the
original interior ceiling trim around the old fan, but I found the new fan housing
just would not fit in the opening with the trim still there; so out it came.  I had
thought leaving it in place would provide some rigidity to the ceiling, but it
isn't necessary; and cosmetically, the new trim entirely covers the area in
question.

    One problem--which only affects the new interior trim, not the fan
installation--is that the galley ceiling light (original) is located close enough
to the fan opening that it interferes with the new trim. So the light has to come
out; this will be my chance to start replacing the old incandescants with new
fluorescent lights. So one project leads nicely into another!

    This is one upgrade I am really going to enjoy.  The old vent I am sure was
great in its day, but this fan is far superior, IMHO.

Again thanks for the good counsel.

John Anderson
1966 Sovereign