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Old 06-22-2019, 11:32 PM   #1
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Suck or blow?

We installed one of those Fantastic vents in the rear bathroom of our trailer. Have only one other roof vent - on top of the master bedroom at the other end.

The manufacturer says to turn on fan, and open a window or vent far away.

My question is this: to cool down the unit, would it be better to blow hot air out lingering near the ceiling and suck in cooler air from the other end,

or,

Suck cool air in using the fan and use it to blow warmer air out of the vent on the other end.

Or does it make any difference?
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Old 06-23-2019, 12:35 AM   #2
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Cool Blow is probably better

When a fan blows on your skin, you get evaporative cooling. If the vent fan blew in, you would have to sit under it to get maximum cooling. That means you would have to sit on the pot.

The fantastic vent fan probably moves a high volume of air. Set the fan to blow outward. Open a window near where you will sit. That will probably be optimal.

I bought a version of the Fantastic Vent Fan that is portable. I can place it anywhere to blow on me. It cools me well, but it does not work well to cool the TT.
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Old 06-23-2019, 03:52 AM   #3
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When a fan blows on your skin, you get evaporative cooling. If the vent fan blew in, you would have to sit under it to get maximum cooling. That means you would have to sit on the pot.

The fantastic vent fan probably moves a high volume of air. Set the fan to blow outward. Open a window near where you will sit. That will probably be optimal.

I bought a version of the Fantastic Vent Fan that is portable. I can place it anywhere to blow on me. It cools me well, but it does not work well to cool the TT.
Agreed on all accounts. We have been using the fan to warmer ceiling air out, and then we can feel the cool air coming in wherever we are (e.g., bedroom, window, etc.). Thanks!
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Old 06-23-2019, 01:13 PM   #4
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My bathroom fan is always set to exhaust air, not sure why you would want steam from the shower and poop smells being drug through the camper.

Our fan over the bed is used as a ceiling fan for sleeping noise (vent closed) and blows down. The air quality down here isn't great and it's usually super humid, I don't rely on the fans for cooling, that's what the AC is for.
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Old 06-23-2019, 02:43 PM   #5
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When you exhaust your bathroom fan and step to flush, it pulls gasses from the black tank into the RV. I reverse the fan when I'm in the mountains and the temp drops to a comfortable temp and the humidity is low. I also turn the fan on low after a shower to keep the humidity from the shower from entering the RV.
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Old 06-23-2019, 11:21 PM   #6
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My bathroom fan is always set to exhaust air, not sure why you would want steam from the shower and poop smells being drug through the camper.

Our fan over the bed is used as a ceiling fan for sleeping noise (vent closed) and blows down. The air quality down here isn't great and it's usually super humid, I don't rely on the fans for cooling, that's what the AC is for.
As franktafl says below, a lot of folks avoid blowing OUT on these more powerful bathroom fans because it can pull bad odors out of the black tank while flushing. Plus, a little air coming in after a shower can feel good (evaporative cooling). But yes, then there is the getting rid of humidity in the shower.

Also, we don't have AC in the mountains as I only have one Honda 2200 generator. That is why we purchased the more powerful fan in the first place so we have an option. We will be at 7,300 ft elevation but it will be around 75-80 highs during the day and little shade. This means the coach will be 90 degrees inside. Windows and fans are a good thing in those situations.
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Old 06-24-2019, 01:30 PM   #7
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As franktafl says below, a lot of folks avoid blowing OUT on these more powerful bathroom fans because it can pull bad odors out of the black tank while flushing. Plus, a little air coming in after a shower can feel good (evaporative cooling). But yes, then there is the getting rid of humidity in the shower.
I'm calling bravo sierra on the whole pulling black tank odors out of the tank. It takes 2 seconds to flush the toilet, how nasty are peoples tanks?
My fans are also infinitely adjustable from barely noticeable to suck a small animal through the screen. If you want more condensation in your camper during a shower, go for it.
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Old 06-24-2019, 01:38 PM   #8
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Haha. Never tried it myself. Perhaps I should do so and report back. But yeah - just something I’ve heard more than a few times. I think after a shower, we are blowing out typically.
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Old 06-24-2019, 01:43 PM   #9
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I'm speaking from experience. You should try it sometime. Press down the pedal to clean it with the fan blowing out and VIOLA!
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Old 06-24-2019, 06:15 PM   #10
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I'm speaking from experience. You should try it sometime. Press down the pedal to clean it with the fan blowing out and VIOLA!
Me too, the fan is on 100% of the time I poop or shower, never smelled anything from the tank. Perhaps a tablespoon of Metamucil would help.
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Old 06-24-2019, 06:21 PM   #11
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I am guessing this works just like a regular bathroom fan at home - always blowing out.

I think the concern/issue that some experience is during the brief moments when the black tank is open and exposed while flushing.
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Old 06-24-2019, 10:10 PM   #12
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I have 3 powered fans on my 31' Class C. The bedroom is typically blowing in, the bathroom and the front fan blow out. We only run the bathroom fan when needed. It is a MaxxAir Mini Vent. The other two are Fantastic Vents, the bedroom one is a remote control. To really cool things off in a hurry we can put them all on high and blowing out, but you had better have the door and a couple of windows open! At night we typically have the bedroom blowing in on low and the front one pulling out with the temperature set somewhere comfortable.

I too have heard of issues with a strong bath fan pulling odors out of the black tank. However, I strongly suspect there may be other undiscovered issues at play. Like a blocked vent pipe or an improper toilet seal.

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Old 06-25-2019, 04:55 PM   #13
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I too have heard of issues with a strong bath fan pulling odors out of the black tank. However, I strongly suspect there may be other undiscovered issues at play. Like a blocked vent pipe or an improper toilet seal.

Aaron

I agree, or an overly dirty tank. I only run my bathroom fan at 30%. If you have a good vent and a reasonably "clean" tank, i'm not buying the my fan sucks odors out of the toilet argument.
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Old 06-25-2019, 05:15 PM   #14
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I agree, or an overly dirty tank. I only run my bathroom fan at 30%. If you have a good vent and a reasonably "clean" tank, i'm not buying the my fan sucks odors out of the toilet argument.
I guess it would depend on how well sealed your rv is. Since I have only one toilet in my RV, the vent pipe goes straight from the black tank UP It's not pressurized so the fumes would simply rise. The fan is powerful enough on high and pulls air from the black tanks when the seal (flush) is open. I found this out when I turned the fan on while going then FLUSHING for a period of time, running the water to remove debris from the toilet itself...

try it next time when your tank has been used for a couple of days. Keep the fan on, step on the pedal and leave the water run for a few seconds. Next thing you'll tell us is that your ... doesn't stink! LOL!

PS: I use the toilet in the RV and HATE to use the bathroom in the campground. I don't dump the black tank until I am ready to leave or it gets full. I learned to fill the black tank halfway before you start using it (the hard way). I also put water softener and learned that some fabric softener (gain) works with the blue stuff you put in the black tank to assist in dissolving the paper and hopefully not stick to anything in the tank (like sensors). I also use the European method and ask my wife to place her "damp" paper in the trash can because she utilizes excessive amounts and I don't want that in the black tank.
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Old 06-25-2019, 06:08 PM   #15
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try it next time when your tank has been used for a couple of days. Keep the fan on, step on the pedal and leave the water run for a few seconds. Next thing you'll tell us is that your ... doesn't stink! LOL!
I'm leaving in a week for a 5 day trip, i'm gonna try it. I'll start eating cabbage and over ripe fruit the day before we leave.
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Old 06-25-2019, 06:18 PM   #16
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I'm leaving in a week for a 5 day trip, i'm gonna try it. I'll start eating cabbage and over ripe fruit the day before we leave.
friend of mine uses dried fruit... lights matches in the office constantly. LOL
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