1987 34W - New 14" Roof Vent Lids.... an option
Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 3:59 pm
(I had posted this on the Yahoo site, but thought I would add it here in case someone was looking for options for replacing the original Hammond vent covers on their Avion... adding pictures here, too.)
The Hammond 14" vents on our 1987 34W that are over the bathroom and the rear bedroom were missing lids, but they DID have Camco RV vent covers over them. Although the plastic lids were long gone, the previous owners were nice enough to keep the hardware that was needed to fasten to a new vent lid. Although I WOULD have ordered some replacement lids from Cayo if I HAD to, I wasn't real keen on their price. After thinking about it and seeing what kind of vent lids were available, from the reproductions that Cayo makes to the Camco lids at Camping World, I decided to try the Camco lid. Well, with a Camco #40146, a few items out of my "I might use it some day" collection, and some basic handyman skills, I was able to finally cover those vents! The lids were $20 each at my Camping World. All I need now is some type of weather strip to make a tight seal on the lip of the vent.
Here's what I did:
Take the new lid and remove the metal hinge and lift bracket by drilling out the rivets that fasten them to the plastic lid. Be careful and you will not make BIG holes in the plastic.
I used a pair of end nippers (google that..... if you don't have one of those in your tool kit, get one! You'll find lots of uses for it..) to nip away the plastic center rib that is on the underneath side of the lid (from where the lift bracket was removed). I removed most of the rib... left maybe 1/8" of it across the width of the vent. Still seemed plenty rigid for this application. A Dremel tool with a cutting wheel would probably work even better. Removing that rib will allow the fan blades to clear the lid if the fan happens to get turned on with the lid closed.
Then, I mounted the original lift brackets onto the screw mechanisms on the vent, placed the lid on the top edge of the bracket and saw where to drill holes through the vent lid. I drilled 3 holes for each bracket, as there were 3 holes in the bracket already. Had to ream them out with a drill bit for the fasteners I was going to use. I used bolts very similar to this: slotted bolt, and nylock nuts: nylock nuts to attach the lid to the bracket... nylock nut on the top side. Between the bracket and the lid, I put some butyl tape, because I had some to put there.
In my case, I reinstalled the Camco RV vent covers over the entire vent.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the results, and ESPECIALLY happy with the cost of the project.
Since doing this project, I have yet to totally seal the gap between the new vent lid and the upper edge of the opening. I have not really felt a need to do that, even on the hottest summer days or the coldest winter days. A foam seal of some sort could be easily added.
I was always reminded (especially when I woke up in the morning and stared at one) that I needed to clean the inside roof vent screens.Today, I finally cleaned them using a dilution of Super Clean Degreaser and water. I brushed them gently with a nail brush, then rinsed them with the sink sprayer https://www.superclean.com/products/sup ... degreaser/
It it amazing how nice they look now! Even cleaned the little crank knobs!
The Hammond 14" vents on our 1987 34W that are over the bathroom and the rear bedroom were missing lids, but they DID have Camco RV vent covers over them. Although the plastic lids were long gone, the previous owners were nice enough to keep the hardware that was needed to fasten to a new vent lid. Although I WOULD have ordered some replacement lids from Cayo if I HAD to, I wasn't real keen on their price. After thinking about it and seeing what kind of vent lids were available, from the reproductions that Cayo makes to the Camco lids at Camping World, I decided to try the Camco lid. Well, with a Camco #40146, a few items out of my "I might use it some day" collection, and some basic handyman skills, I was able to finally cover those vents! The lids were $20 each at my Camping World. All I need now is some type of weather strip to make a tight seal on the lip of the vent.
Here's what I did:
Take the new lid and remove the metal hinge and lift bracket by drilling out the rivets that fasten them to the plastic lid. Be careful and you will not make BIG holes in the plastic.
I used a pair of end nippers (google that..... if you don't have one of those in your tool kit, get one! You'll find lots of uses for it..) to nip away the plastic center rib that is on the underneath side of the lid (from where the lift bracket was removed). I removed most of the rib... left maybe 1/8" of it across the width of the vent. Still seemed plenty rigid for this application. A Dremel tool with a cutting wheel would probably work even better. Removing that rib will allow the fan blades to clear the lid if the fan happens to get turned on with the lid closed.
Then, I mounted the original lift brackets onto the screw mechanisms on the vent, placed the lid on the top edge of the bracket and saw where to drill holes through the vent lid. I drilled 3 holes for each bracket, as there were 3 holes in the bracket already. Had to ream them out with a drill bit for the fasteners I was going to use. I used bolts very similar to this: slotted bolt, and nylock nuts: nylock nuts to attach the lid to the bracket... nylock nut on the top side. Between the bracket and the lid, I put some butyl tape, because I had some to put there.
In my case, I reinstalled the Camco RV vent covers over the entire vent.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the results, and ESPECIALLY happy with the cost of the project.
Since doing this project, I have yet to totally seal the gap between the new vent lid and the upper edge of the opening. I have not really felt a need to do that, even on the hottest summer days or the coldest winter days. A foam seal of some sort could be easily added.
I was always reminded (especially when I woke up in the morning and stared at one) that I needed to clean the inside roof vent screens.Today, I finally cleaned them using a dilution of Super Clean Degreaser and water. I brushed them gently with a nail brush, then rinsed them with the sink sprayer https://www.superclean.com/products/sup ... degreaser/
It it amazing how nice they look now! Even cleaned the little crank knobs!