Where to tap into power for Fantastic Fan?

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99dart

99dart

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Posts
277
Location
Wenatchee, WA The hot side of the state
I bought a Fantastic fan for our MH, but I don't see an access to a constant 12v source. One light switch for several cabin lights is nice, but you can't tap into their 12v power. Any of you guys that have done the install, where did you get your power source?
 
I guess we have a simple ceiling in our fiver - there is a ceiling light near the original vent openings into which we placed our Fantastic Vents - we used the hot wire from the ceiling light for the install. Because of the way our ceiling is insulated with Styrofoam, I did not see a way to fish wires and would have had to surface mount them in decorator channels.
 
99dart said:
I bought a Fantastic fan for our MH, but I don't see an access to a constant 12v source. One light switch for several cabin lights is nice, but you can't tap into their 12v power. Any of you guys that have done the install, where did you get your power source?
Click to expand...

Remove the inside trim for the vent you have now and see if there is already a power source there. Some manufacturers run wires just for that reason.
 
I dropped the vent trim first thing. There is wiring for the lights, but of course no power until you turn on the lights. I actually tried creating a channel in the styrofoam from an adjacent vent opening to the cupboard above the entry door. That's where the usb plugs are, and a 12v power supply. No joy yet with that idea. It SHOULDN'T be this HARD! Dang! This is a very popular addition to our coaches.
 
Indeed; when I did the research into installing the fans, most people were using the hot leg from an adjacent light fixture. However, this only works if the switch is built into the light and is not a separate wall switch.
 
pz said:
Indeed; when I did the research into installing the fans, most people were using the hot leg from an adjacent light fixture. However, this only works if the switch is built into the light and is not a separate wall switch.
Click to expand...

I'm no electrician but would this work?  If there are 2 wires going by the switch, one of the leads probably is connected to the switch. That would be the hot lead. The other wire is probably the ground.  You won't get power to the light until you turn on the switch. What if you disconnected that lead and put the switch in the ground lead then connected the ends the hot leads. This way you'll get continuous power to the light but it won't go on till you turn the switch on making continuity to the ground wire going to the light. Then you could tap into the light for the new fan. Would that work and is it legal?
 
Most likely the cheap low volume fan in the bathroom can be replaced with a Fantastic fan.  The 12 volt wiring is already there.

That is what I did.  Then where ever you want ventilation open a window near there and run the Fantastic in exhaust mode.
 
lavarock1210 said:
Most likely the cheap low volume fan in the bathroom can be replaced with a Fantastic fan.  The 12 volt wiring is already there.

That is what I did.  Then where ever you want ventilation open a window near there and run the Fantastic in exhaust mode.
Click to expand...

I agree but they didn't say it was for their bathroom.
 
Yep, you were suggesting replacing an existing fan with a Fantastic instead of putting a Fantastic fans where there is no wiring. Do I win a prize? ;D
 
Rene T said:
I'm no electrician but would this work?  If there are 2 wires going by the switch, one of the leads probably is connected to the switch. That would be the hot lead. The other wire is probably the ground.  You won't get power to the light until you turn on the switch. What if you disconnected that lead and put the switch in the ground lead then connected the ends the hot leads. This way you'll get continuous power to the light but it won't go on till you turn the switch on making continuity to the ground wire going to the light. Then you could tap into the light for the new fan. Would that work and is it legal?
Click to expand...


I don't know how legal it is, but after watching several YouTube videos on Fantastic Vent install, I felt comfortable that the method works. I simply tapped into the positive and negative wires going to the light fixture so the fixture and fan are wired in parallel. Both the fan and the light receive power all the time, but turn on only when switched on.


One thing to do is to be clear which is the hot lead and which is the ground - my rig does not have the usual black for hot and white for ground, so I test with a volt meter with every change I make.
 
lavarock1210 said:
Curious did you read all of my post?
Click to expand...

Yes I did and you're the only one who mentioned a bathroom fan.
You said " Most likely the cheap low volume fan in the bathroom can be replaced with a Fantastic fan".
What I was getting to was the OP never mentioned they were replacing a bathroom fan with a Fantastic fan.
 
lavarock1210 said:
Most likely the cheap low volume fan in the bathroom can be replaced with a Fantastic fan.  The 12 volt wiring is already there.

That is what I did.  Then where ever you want ventilation open a window near there and run the Fantastic in exhaust mode.
Click to expand...

I wish it was that easy. Having the new fan in our bathroom wouldn't do much good. With the door closed (as it usually is) there wouldn't be any coach air to move.
 
You will be surprised how much air those fans can pull. In our rig the rear bathroom has a sliding door. With fan on I can feel the air being drawn in below the door. There is a gap there. Those fans work pretty good!!!
 
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