Solar Powered Attic Vent

Here is a idea I implemented in my Sprinter Van motor home that could be done to a TM. I took a solar powered attic vent designed to install on the roof of a house, modified it, and installed it in place of one of the roof vent tops on my motorhome.

I have used it since last July and it works very well. When the van is parked for a long time, the interior temp is exactly equal to the outside temp. This makes for a quicker air conditioner cool down and more comfort. Prior to the installation, I was seeing temp as high as 135 degrees inside the van on a 100 degree day in Ft Worth, TX.

I never crack a window so the powered vent will draw air thought the cabin air filter in the van. On a TM you might need to crack a window or another roof vent to provide supply air to the vent.

It is silent running. For dry camping, it would be a major improvement.

SunRiseSolar.pdf

[grill-n-go]

Cool

Hey photoadjuster,

Nice job and I like the concept of free energy, does yours have the thermostat ?

Have you driven in a hard rain then check for inflow or drips???? I really like the idea of an solar vent and have looked at the marine type which is round, but it also has an opening that does not close if water is present. (I'm retired Submariner and like the wet stuff on the outside) hahahaha

I'm just thinking out loud here so don't think I'm going high and right I'm just wondering.

Thanks
Bob

P.S. I like your sprinter setup and have noticed quite a few in neighbor hoods around here with company logos on them since seeing yours here. Very cool.

First of all, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY !

< does yours have the thermostat ? >

No, I want it to run anytime the sun is shining. Since it is a motorhome with a toilet and since it is always full of sweaty bodies and dirty socks . . .Fresh air is good. (that is why I bought the TM last month, now the dirty socks have been moved from the motorhome to the TM

< Have you driven in a hard rain then checked for inflow or drips>

Had a minor leak once when parked. Finally figured out that the vent is designed to install on a pitched roof rather than flat. I sealed off the solar panel with LP1 to solve that problem.


< I really like the idea of an solar vent and have looked at the marine type which is round, but it also has an opening that does not close if water is present. >

Don't bother with the small marine vents. They don't move enough CFM to notice. They are not much better than the junky solar vents you buy at K-mart that you roll up in a side window.

The solar attic roof vents are a failure when used on a house roof because thay are not mounted 90 degree to the sun and they do not track the sun. The motor is 37 volts. The panel produces 37 volts only when directly facing the sun, when facing perfectly, the fan really moves enough air to keep a attic cooler. Since it is mounted flat, the motor does not received the full voltage. This is bad on a house roof, but is PERFECT ON A MOTORHOME OR TM. When receiving partial voltage, you move all of the air you need. With full voltage it would suck your hair and hat off.

< I'm retired Submariner and like the wet stuff on the outside >

When the idiot blew up the Murrow Building in Oklahoma city, I was under the pacific on the USS LaJolla as a guest father. We did not know about it until midnight. I kept hearing the crew call the sub a boat. I asked my son " I thought you called everything a boat until it got really long and then you called it a ship" - his reply - "Dad, we call the sub a boat, every thing else is called a target"

If you want to try one of these solar powered attic vents, I have several more. I bought 4 of them that had been removed when replacing a roof after a hail storm. The owner put back electric vents. They have been hailed on, but still work. He paid 600.00 for each one. I gave him $ 100 each. I used one in the motorhome any will need one for the TM. That leaves 2 available. I will take 100 plus freight for each one. The hardest part of the installation was removing the shingles that were stuck to the base in order to get a flat face to slide the saw to cut the base down to fit the existing vent opening in the RV.

I would like to add a controller and switch so the I could either run the fan or charge the battery. It would make a nice package if it could be done.

Hey Photoadjuster,

Thanks I loved serving time the fun way!!! Not everyone's cup of tea being sunk on purpose.

I'd like to try one of those solar vents, after the first of the month I'll PM you for details. Oh boy more toys. hahahahaha

Thanks
Bob