Fantastic Fan is intermittant...

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John Andrews - 18 Sep 2006 02:18 GMT

Hi all,

My RV has been sitting in the side yard all summer while we flew
to California and spent $3.00 per gallon on gas while there.
The Fantastic Fan has been on, set up pretty high, just to keep
some ventilation going. I checked yesterday and it was not
running. Nothing I could do would make it run. I removed the
screen and pushed the blades and no motion. I checked the fuse
and it was OK. Multiple ON/OFF did not change anything.
Rotating the thermostat knob did not change anything, whether
the fan motor was in the IN position or the OUT position.
Temperature was normal warm, not hot, about 85 deg F. The
thermostat clicks when it rotates past the set point. I can
hear it. (Thats nice because I am pretty deaf.) Checking the
Winnebago parts book, there may be 20 or so of these things all
designed for different installations. Each has a model number.
I cannot see a model number on this unit.

Checked it again. The fan ran. Twiddled with the knob and it
quit. Couldn't get it to run.

To day I looked and it was running.

What do I do? Looks like I need to replace some part that is a
problem. Any help on the access to things, or testing
protocols. I have not checked with mfg yet. It is the weekend.

John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

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GBinNC - 18 Sep 2006 03:37 GMT

>What do I do? Looks like I need to replace some part that is a
>problem. Any help on the access to things, or testing
>protocols. I have not checked with mfg yet. It is the weekend.

John, rather than worry about it, just call the company at 800/521-0298
in the morning. They have outstanding customer service, as you'll soon
discover.

Let us know what you find out....

GB in NC

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HD in NY - 18 Sep 2006 04:04 GMT

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

Before you call, don't make the same mistake I did. Thinking I had a
FF, I called them and described a problem I was having with the fan in
our Award. The guy was most helpful and after listening for a bit, he
asked me to describe the physical appearance of it. He then told me it
was a Ventline fan <g> and there was nothing he could do to help. I
apologized and he assured me I wasn't the first person to be mistaken.
FF has a lifetime warranty and they are most helpful.
Hugh

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Jud Hardcastle - 18 Sep 2006 16:01 GMT

> Hi all,
>
> My RV has been sitting in the side yard all summer while we flew
> to California and spent $3.00 per gallon on gas while there.
> The Fantastic Fan has been on, set up pretty high, just to keep
> some ventilation going. I checked yesterday and it was not

Please don't be offended if I ask if you checked the obvious. Is the RV
plugged into AC, I.e. converter/battery charger running? A marginal
battery might cause intermittent problems like you describe.

Signature

Jud
Dallas TX USA

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John Andrews - 18 Sep 2006 22:43 GMT

>> Hi all,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> plugged into AC, I.e. converter/battery charger running? A marginal
> battery might cause intermittent problems like you describe.

Yeah, it is plugged in to my new 30 amp circuit box. The
batteries are up, the converter is brand new; I just changed out
the old one. The new one works fine. However, I will go and
check voltages on the DC side at the battery bank.

I will give the factory a call at 800/521-0298 as GB in NC
suggested. Didn't get around to it today, busy working in the
garden. Retired, you know... Old, like Will, just nicer :-).

John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

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b b - 23 Sep 2006 02:28 GMT

> Yeah, it is plugged in to my new 30 amp circuit box. The
> batteries are up, the converter is brand new; I just changed out
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

Ours had the fuse holder break. The failure was complete, but I can see
how it could go intermittent too. I fixed ours with epoxy, as I did not
want to wait for a part from the factory. The fuse holder in our 99
model is rather fragile, and the plastic fractured up inside the unit,
allowing the spring to push the end away from contact. A new fuse
holder would be a better fix, but ours has held for at least 3 years.

Good luck,
Barrie B

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Dean Van Praotl - 26 Sep 2006 04:57 GMT

I can't tell you what part to replace, but I'll share my similar
experience. One of my Fantastic fans has on a couple of
occasions decided not to run. It has most of the bells and
whistles (thermostat, reverse, switch on the vent lid) so
there are several possible points of failure. In my case,
after I took everything apart the first time it then decided
to work. Since then, cycling the vent lid a couple of times
seems to make it go, so I assume there's some corrosion
on the contacts on that switch. YMMV.

John Andrews <andrewsjp@chartertn.net> apparently said:

>Checked it again. The fan ran. Twiddled with the knob and it
>quit. Couldn't get it to run.
>
>To day I looked and it was running.

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John Andrews - 26 Sep 2006 05:50 GMT

> I can't tell you what part to replace, but I'll share my similar
> experience. One of my Fantastic fans has on a couple of
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>>
>> To day I looked and it was running.

You are probably right about corrosion. I checked it today and
it was not running. I rotated the thermostat switch and I could
hear it clicking, but it did not turn on. I tapped hard on the
face of the fan near the switch and it turned on! It must be a
bad switch on the thermostat. At least I know where it is, now.

Tell me how to get it apart to get in there if you did it
before. I will call Fantastic and see if I can get a new switch.

John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

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Dapper Dave - 28 Sep 2006 15:06 GMT

>John Andrews <andrewsjp@chartertn.net> wrote:

>> I can't tell you what part to replace, but I'll share my similar
>> experience. One of my Fantastic fans has on a couple of
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
>John Andrews, Knoxville, Tennessee

I called them about a fan that squeaked. They simply asked me to
describe the fan and sent me a new one. Free. No question about how old
it was.

Signature

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GBinNC - 26 Sep 2006 11:57 GMT

>One of my Fantastic fans has on a couple of
>occasions decided not to run. It has most of the bells and
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>seems to make it go, so I assume there's some corrosion
>on the contacts on that switch. YMMV.

Suggestion: Pick up a phone and call Fantastic Vent at 800/521-0298.

They have some of the best customer service in the world (I'm not
exaggerating). Their technicians will cheerfully diagnose your problem
for you and arrange to send you the needed replacement parts along with
clear instructions for installation.

Depending on the situation, they may not even charge for them.

GB in NC

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