Post 5: The Fan

 Post 5: The Fan -

I looked at the fan at regular intervals, I guess to make friends with it. After all it would be the first reason that I took a metal saw to my brand new purchase. The roof is kind of a big deal. Leaks, and possible black mold, are feared by homeowners and vanlifers alike. I have read many accounts of vanlifers becoming quite ill from the known or unknown presence of mold. I took the YouTube elective on fan installation - and read the manufacturer's instructions (something I rarely did before purchasing my van), each many times. 

This is a Maxxair fan; it has 10 speeds and can pull air in or out. The cover open/close as well as all the fan functions can be controlled with a remote. It was pricey but worth every penny. I can even operate it by hand when I am up in bed...more on that later. 

Careful measuring, several times, drilling pilot holes and then taking the jigsaw to the roof took some deep breathing.  My sentiment for the entire build was "if they can do it, I can do it". It helped tremendously to have my ( 82 year old) friend and personal trainer, Jim Hough, by my side for advice and encouragement. And to hold the ladder - I was UP THERE! The van was parked in his driveway for the first several months and he went on to create an elaborate workshop to support our endeavors. Combining tools, experience and new learning, we forged ahead. 

Hole cut, fan in, screws screwed and a metric shit-ton of silicon caulk applied.  I stupidly did NOT test the fan before I installed it. No wiring yet so I would have to hope and pray that it worked. 

I subsequently brought the van home and hooked the fan up to a car battery jumper. The fan would come on, then quit, then on, then quit. I started getting a little nervous thinking that I bought a lemon. I went inside and grabbed my Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery and hooked IT to the fan and the it still didn't function correctly. Now I was in a low-level panic. So I did what I wound up doing several times during the build, I texted my friend/neighbor Mark Haley, electrician, to seek help and advice. Mark smartly made a better connection to the battery, cranked on the fan and voila! It worked perfectly. Phew!

Lesson learned - test the device before installing it.  The first of many lessons to be learned.