Replacing a Roof Vent

It was time to replace our original MaxxFan, and the new brushless AirPlus fan looked like a good replacement. One of its selling points is that uses the exact same housing & footprint as the original MaxxFan, so it's just a simple drop-in. I found that to almost be the case. Here's what I did.

I removed the four screws in the bezel of the MaxxFan.

I pulled the excess wire out of the ceiling and checked the polarity. Note that the ceiling material is comprised of fiberglass, and the fibers are very loose and will drive your skin crazy for a few days - - use gloves when dealing with the ceiling panel back here.

On the roof, I removed four screws on the side of the fan that attach the fan assembly to the body of the van.

At this point I was able to lift the fan out of its housing. This white housing is identical between the MaxxFan and the AirPlus, allowing the new fan to be a drop-in. I just reused the housing, so no adhesive or cutting was required.

The lid of the AirPlus extends about .5" further forward than the MaxxFan, so for vans with tight tolerances, this can be a problem. In my case, it was impeded by a slat on my roof rack, so I had to cut the slat out of the way. Bummer.

I replaced the 4 screws in identical locations, attaching the AirPlus to the van again.

I used butt connectors for the power leads. In my 2018 Revel, yellow is positive, and I attached it to the fan's red wire.

I connected the three other harnesses from the interior touch panel to the fan itself. They are all different sizes, so it's not possible to do this wrong.

The last step is to attach the internal touch panel to the ceiling of the van with four screws. Fortunately, Winnebago had a solid wood frame in place for the MaxxFan, so I just reused that. I found that overtightening the screws caused the fan to have difficulties lifting the lid, so I backed the torque off, and it worked fine.

This fan has LEDs that are not overly bright.

It also has a built-in shade, which is nice, but note that you can no longer remove the screen (and blade) for cleaning. This is definitely suboptimal, in my opinion.

Eight years with the old fan has caused indentations and screw holes from the MaxxFan, and they are now exposed with the AirPlus. It would be nice if there were a trim plate or flange available for this.

All in all, it has some nice features and feels like a step forward from a design that is probably 30-40 years old (MaxxFan). However, it won't be easy to clean, and seems to be even more reliant on the remote control than the MaxxFan was.

April 25, 2026

Cabin Vents for Front Windows

The cabin can get extremely hot and airless, so I've looked for a few ways to securely vent that area. I've recently gotten some Overland Screens for the van, and they seem to work well, so far.

Note: I previously tried these and decided to not continue using them - - too much hassle to install and remove.

17-May-2021

Bug Screens for the Cab Windows

Sometimes it gets too hot in the front seats when we're parked at camp, so I wanted to find a way to get some ventilation through the cab without letting bugs in.  The horribly named Skreenz offers a 'screened pouch' that you can drop over your door, allowing you to open the front windows without bugs entering.  They also have a velcro drawstring to tighten the screens around the mirrors, along with magnets to keep the screens from moving around. I haven't found either of them to be necessary, so far.

They're a somewhat expensive addition to the van, and I don't use them all the time, but on a hot day in the front seats at camp, they can be pretty handy.

NOTE: I discontinued using these screens in lieu of a simpler vent found here.


May-17-2020

Vent Cover with Snaps

Our 2018 Revel has a 2nd roof vent instead of air conditioning, and that's been great for us. However, it's clear that it's a source of heat loss in the winter, and there are times when we'd like to block the light that comes through the vent cover.

I bought an Adco 18" Vent Cover, but didn't like the velcro patches that they shipped with it - - it was prone to falling off the vent.

It seemed to me that some snaps would be better, so I got some simple snaps for the job.

I used the existing screws in the vent, but added snap heads to them.

I added snaps to the vent cover, using an awl to align & punch the holes, and now it's a tighter, more secure fit. An easy job, it took about 45 minutes or so.