Roof Vent Removal

[LtDan]

I think most all of the non power vent covers are pretty crappy. Remember all the FEMA trailers the government went bonkers buying after hurricane Katrina? Many of these were never used and ended up on storage lots in MS, LA, and TX.
The first thing that happened was the vent covers disintegrated allowing water in, since the vents were closed I think heat may have contributed to the problem as well.
Many of these were sold but occasionally you still see some sitting around slowly melting back into the earth!

[Sean Murry]

I am not sure who makes the vent. If I had to guess I would say Dometic as they seem to make everything for RV's. The replacement vent cover both Ron and I installed is made by Camco. The vent itself works fine. It doesn't feel high quality but it does the job. It was just that cheap vent cover that could end up causing a lot of grief if you don't catch it early. Hopefully the Camco polycarbonate one will last much longer. It certainly feels more substantial than the original cover.

[advenas]

As I read this thread I'm sitting out a fairly significant wind storm here in the desert with gusts to 50mph.

Hadn't thought about replacing my 5 yr old vent lid. Now I am. Just praying it holds out.

[Ron in BC]

I'm not sure if the quality of the plastic used declined at some point over the past few years. But I have to say my reaction to seeing my relatively new vent lid that hasn't seen a lot of sun had fallen down in pieces while under cover did stun me.

I'm not sure how old Donna D's vent cover was when she replaced it so it's hard to put a time frame on when the quality declined but further back in time it didn't seem like covers would just fall apart.

So, yes, replacement with the polycarbonate one should bring peace of mind that either the bits won't fly away during buffeting from a windstorm or that you'll enter the trailer only to find that the vent has bio-degraded and the rain is pouring in.

Living in a rain forest I sure was glad I had a trailer cover on.

Ron

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I'm not sure how old Donna D's vent cover was when she replaced it so it's hard to put a time frame on when the quality declined but further back in time it didn't seem like covers would just fall apart.
Ron

2014. I pickup up Ten Forward July 1, 2014. I replaced the vent lid September 10, 2021. So, a bit more than seven years for me.

[HABBERDABBER]

Impossible to say for certain, but these things come to mind.
1. UV solar exposure
2. Sub-standard batch of plastic resin used (recycled materials, mixed polymer blend).
3. Contaminated plastic resin. Many additives are used in molding plastic.
3. Incorrect injection molding conditions.
4. Improper resin type used.
5. Poor injection mold design.
6. Poor part design.

That's the short list. There are others.

Polycarbonate is a much tougher resin, but like everything, it is degraded over time with UV exposure. As one forum member wisely stated, it's all exposed to an unshielded fusion reactor (the SUN).

[Red]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I HAD to replace the same vent on Ten Forward last fall. So brittle if I looked at it side ways I think it would have crumbled more. I wasn't able to get a polycarbonate made vent, but did spray a couple of coat of Fusion on it. Hopefully that will help. It really didn't take long to replace it. The scary part for me was leaning over the roof. I really didn't like that...

I'm so glad I noticed it was bad, otherwise during a big rain storm it may have turned the inside of my trailer into a swimming pool.

My 19 ft. no A/C two year old vent lid exploded out while driving the Fraser Canyon. I suspect rapid temperature. elevation change and a tightly sealed trailer caused internal pressure to be high enough to blow out the crumbling brittle plastic cover. Duct taped the entire opening until I was able to get to an RV supply store. I called Escape where they gave me the details of the replacement size and style. The replacement process is quick and easy. The RV store said that this was a common problem and only had one cover in my style left so I am not sure what I now have. I like the idea of an aluminum cover as the plastic covers let in too much light at sunrise for my wife in the outboard bed position.

The only thing left was the plastic frame and some bits and pieces around the edge, I have owned many RVs with roof vents and this was not the first one I replaced one but never after 2 years and never with such UV degradation. Clearly the material being used by the vent manufacturer is inferior as the problem is wide spread and well known.

[Ron in BC]

It looks like a pattern to me. That's 3 of us with 2018-19 Escapes that had roof vents that had the strength of a cornflake.

Donna, did your vent come off in one piece? If so, that might narrow the issue down to a bad batch of plastic etc. around 2018. At any rate anyone with that vintage might want to consider switching theirs out to a polycarbonate one.

Ron

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Donna, did your vent come off in one piece? If so, that might narrow the issue down to a bad batch of plastic etc. around 2018. At any rate anyone with that vintage might want to consider switching theirs out to a polycarbonate one.

Ron

The top (dome) portion of the vent cover was fine. It was the edge piece. It was nearly cracked all the way around at the top edge.


Here:

[Sean Murry]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

It looks like a pattern to me. That's 3 of us with 2018-19 Escapes that had roof vents that had the strength of a cornflake.

Donna, did your vent come off in one piece? If so, that might narrow the issue down to a bad batch of plastic etc. around 2018. At any rate anyone with that vintage might want to consider switching theirs out to a polycarbonate one.

Ron

I think a Cornflake would have been better than the state of my vent cover

[Ron in BC]

I agree, I think I gave it more credit than it deserved.

Actually it kind of fascinated me, OK, I'm easily amused, but it had so little integrity that I crumpled several pieces, OK, quite a few pieces, because I couldn't quite believe how fragile it was.

Ron

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

... As one forum member wisely stated, it's all exposed to an unshielded fusion reactor (the SUN).

I wouldn't say "unshielded"...
NASA: Earth's Magnetosphere: Protecting Our Planet from Harmful Space Energy

[MyronL]

I occasionally think I might remove my rarely used and very loud air conditioner and put back the original manual vent. Now there's this crumbling plastic lid issue to think about.

[Sean Murry]

It is something you should check on but the fix is easy and not expensive.
Not checking on your vent cover and having it fall apart when you least expect it would be a real hassle however

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by MyronL

I occasionally think I might remove my rarely used and very loud air conditioner and put back the original manual vent. Now there's this crumbling plastic lid issue to think about.

I may have a lid for you in a couple of months. I am putting in an aftermarket AC system. I ordered my 5.0 without ac ,so I will have a brand new vent removed.

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

The only problem I had installing was not having a screw driver with a magnetic end. Would have made re-installing a bit easier.

You can make any metal screw drive magnetic by simply taking a permanent magnet and stroking it along the metal shaft in one direction about 10 -15 times. And that's all it takes to make your screw driver magnetic. You have to redo that again every so often, but that's no big deal. Saves having to buy special screw drivers.

[Sean Murry]

Great tip. Now I just need to buy a magnet. In my younger days I thought I was a magnet but I realize I was just delusional

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Maybe I missed it, but what company makes these vents?
I want to avoid their products.

The vents with the metal frame (which may or may not have a small open fan installed in them) are made by Hengs, Jensen, Elixir, or Ventline, and it is about impossible to distinguish one from the other.

If you want a larger fan and don't want to change the frame out (ie. installing a MaxAir or Fantastic) then Hengs makes a fan called the Vortex. The Vortex I is a single speed and not worth buying, and the Vortex II is a three speed forward and reverse. They are somewhat loud but do a good job of moving air.

Charles

[gbaglo]

Thanks. I only have a 9" in the bath ( no fan ) and Maxxair in the main space. I'm very careful around them, but I fully expect to have to replace the bath vent soon ( it's original to 2008 ).

[Brookfielder]

I noticed some pinholes of light at the forward side of my vent (2017 19) early this year, but had seen no water intrusion, so I figured I'd seal the pinhole or replace the lid when I have some time.
Fast forward to this week. I'm leaving Friday night to head up to the Williams Lake area to chase trout.
I went up to apply some sealant and gave the area a wipe to clean it for the sealant.
The pinhole became an open crack with very little effort. Oops.. dang. There's not much integrity there!
I put a bead of sealant along the whole bend where the top dome meets the flat rim surface. It'll have to do till we get back.
I'll be ordering that Polycarbonate cover, thank you very much for the info.
I would consider the paint option to protect it, but I like the daylight that comes through... So I think I'll cover the trailer when not in use, even in the summer.
I figure that the UV did this to the vent lid, It's gotta be taking a toll on everything else too.