Wiring a Fantastic Fan /vent Question.

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Capt.Tony

Capt.Tony

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Joined
Feb 1, 2011
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58
  Hello forum,  I just purchased a new 5th wheel and the vent in the kitchen ceiling is non powered and too high to be opened manually without a small ladder. I wish to install a remote controlled fantastic fan in the same opening.  There is no pre-wired power for this , however there is a ceiling light a few inches away and i have located these wires to connect to my new fan......  My concern is that the light is one of 3 on the ceiling and are controlled by a switch in the main control, panel. I'm not electrically inclined and hoping someone would be able to tell me how to connect the fan to those wires and have it HOT at all times. Is that even possible ? I,m sure i would want to leave the vent fan on, without all the ceiling lights being on at the same time. Any input would be appreciated . Thanks in advance.
 
Tony, I would contact the manufacturer, if they are still in business which they probably are because it's a new RV, and see if you can get your hands on a wiring diagram for your RV. Did you take a real good look all-around the vent opening just to make sure it's not pre wired? You may need to pull the ceiling down just a bit to find the wiring.  Most times the manufacturer will run the wires just so the customer can do exactly what you want to do especially where the ceiling is so high and requires a ladder to reach it.
 
Since the ceiling lights are switched, odds are strong that there is no permanently hot wire there. Certainly the wires to the lights themselves are not, esle the lights would stay on! You need to find an unswitched source.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
Since the ceiling lights are switched, odds are strong that there is no permanently hot wire there. Certainly the wires to the lights themselves are not, esle the lights would stay on! You need to find an unswitched source.
Click to expand...

If this is the case, you could remove all the bulbs from the three lights and use the light switch to get power to the vent area. You'd have to leave the switch on all the time and you'd be loosing three lights.  I couldn't imagine doing it this way.
Once again, check with the manufacturer or maybe the dealer you purchased it from.  If it's a brand and model they sell a lot of, I'm sure other people wanted to do the same thing as you.
 
You need a voltmeter to check the wiring in the ceiling. Sometimes they are wired light to light with a switch leg down to the switch. Other times they are wired switch to switch with a switch leg up to the light. What you need to do is to turn off the light switch and see if there is still power into the light box. If there is then it will be simple to run a wire to your fan. If not you would need to run the power from the light switch. You would probably have to hire an electrician to run the wire using wire mold or something like that.
 
Tom, He did say "I'm not electrically inclined". So I guess he's better off getting a electrician like you said.
 
:) Rene T...... I do have a tester. I purchased it to sort thru the wiring of my water heater in my old Cougar. I'm set on doing this myself. Trial and error until i get it done the way i want.  I checked the entire accecibel area around the vent hole, there are no wires other than the ones that go to the ceiling fixture.  I'll check them anyway. My other option i guess is to FISH wires from the bathroom vent fan that does have power, is accessible by reaching up and it has a switch on the fan itself. That might be doable.  Thanks Forum Members for responding. Great resource
 
Today i used a fiberglass fishing rod to snake the wires from the bath fan that had power to the kitchen vent that had no power. It was actually very easy and only took a few minutes. 8)  Tomorrow i will remove the vent from the roof and install the new fan, wiring and the whole caboodle  :) . 
 
You might take off the decorative trim panel to your existing vent and see if there are wires tucked behind.  Many times the manufacturer will include the wires in case the customer wants to upgrade.  That was the case with my TT with a vent over the bed, so I was easily able to add a powered vent fan.
 
Thanks GIZMO :eek:, there were no wires there.  Snaked what i needed from the bath fan. Not a big deal.  Finished the entire install, including removal of the old vent and the self leveling caulk in 4 hours working alone.  Worst part is removal of the dicor caulk... Terrible
Done and looks/ works great. :)
 
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