THIS SUCKS (AND BLOWS, TOO)
We just added a new piece of hardware to our TT - a Maxxair Turbo/Maxx Fan/Vent.
This is a 12 volt fan set in a hood that fits over an existing roof vent
on your TT
.
The model we got includes a control panel with a thermostat that turns
the fan on/off at a preset temperature inside the TT
.
The fan is powerful enough to draw outside air into the TT through
a window while exhausting the old, hot air out through the roof vent. The
hood allows you to keep the vent open or operate the fan even in rainy weather.
Installation took about three hours and was fairly straightforward.
The hardest part was finding 12 volt power in the ceiling near the
vent we chose to use. We took it from the wiring for a nearby light
fixture.
The Maxxaire installation requires no new holes in your roof. The hood is attached to the vent using angle irons bolted onto the vent frame. Some drilling is required there. A test after installation showed the inside temperature of the TT dropping .1 degrees per minute with the fan on high and the outside temperature 10 degrees lower than the inside temperature. The fan is very quiet, even on high, and with one window open at the opposite end of the TT a slight breeze could be felt moving through the TT.
Our reasoning for this purchase was two-fold. First, we had a bad experience when we had to spend a hot summer night in a truck stop parking lot on the way to Florida a couple of years ago (The Big One). There was just no airflow through the trailer so it stayed hot, even though the outside air was cooler. The second reason was that we take our pets camping with us and we were concerned that our trailer would lose the air conditioning if the the campground power failed. The Maxxaire gives us a backup 12 volt ventilation solution operated by a thermostat in this situation.
We have another trip under our belt. We spent a weekend at Branch Brook
Campground in Thomaston, CT. The campground was OK. The facilities
were not beautiful, even a bit run down, but the sites were relatively large
and the electrical hookups looked brand-new with 50 amp service. We
had sites right across the street from the pool which was nice since the
weather was hot that weekend. We were lucky enough to be there the
weekend the nearby Naugatuck Railroad was having a Civil War re-enactment.
We took a one-hour train ride in old Pullman passenger cars
(pulled by a diesel locomotive
).
Near the end of the trip we entered a battlefield where cannon fire
stopped the train and Confederate soldiers boarded us attempting to capture
some Union troops who were riding with us
. A Union counter-attack followed and a large battle ensued just outside
the train windows. It was a great show and a good photo op.
We also had another opportunity to play with our RV drive-in theater concept.
This time we used roll-up window shades attached to our awning as a
screen
with the same laptop/DVD/LCD projector setup as last time
.
The kids love this arrangement
and it drew several curious fellow campers to our campsite.
Next up: Another big trip. Stay tuned.