Roof extractor fan problem.
- I have the touch type Omni vent roof fan, when "on" switch is touched the two end lights do a fan dance alternately flashing like mad. The book says this indicates fan blocked ?. I took the following action :- after a lot of head scratching managed to dismount fan from van, then, using a spare battery connected fan to battery, it worked perfectly even the boost function, so I left it running for about 15 mins, it was perfect, to make sure I squirted wd40 into moving parts, it has been suggested that dampness causes a problem, so, another squirt of wd40 to switch unit. Next I checked voltage at the connectors in supply wiring gave a reading of 13.7v (solar panel connected) reconnected fan (not installed) again worked perfectly. Reinstalled fan pushed spade connectors together rechecked voltage at connectors 13.7v . Now we come to the tragic bit, touched switch there was no starting it. Back to square one lights flashing . Van is only 18 months old, in keeping with many bought in van components it's a flimsy bit of kit now out of gaurentee. Please help. Regards JB
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I had a similar problem about a year ago. I asked on the forum and got a few replies but that was on the old website so the responses will now be lost for ever.
From memory I was told that it was moisture in the switch but also that the manufacturers were aware of the problem and a new unit (switch?) could be fitted under warranty by a caravan dealer.
However, something that I tried that worked, and there hasn't been a problem since (fate just tempted!), was that I turned the fan blades a fraction using a thin bit of plastic to get through the gaps in the guard. The fan then worked. I can only assume that there is / was a dead spot on the motor.
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Hello,
I've just followed your advice JohnM20, and it worked for me thanks.
I used a plastic fork as I didn't have anything else handy. The fan was reluctant to start, but after a few rotations in both directions, all is working again as expected.
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I think from the OPs introduction that we can forget flicking the fan.
We've had the same failure which required a new control panel. There was no sign of water ingress and anyway the boards are protected these days. Dismantling involves a lot of screws but there’s no difficulty beyond that. Manufacture of Omnivent components is Subd out, our replacement was made in Rumania. Am I happy? - ‘No’, especially when the motor failed two years later. Ie at 9 years old. There’s no point in blaming British, these standard items are used across a range of leisure vehicles both here and abroad.
Out of interest, my first Rumanian replacement was faulty on arrival, so another was needed, under guarantee, and they aren’t cheap. It pays to scour the internet for a good price, because in some cases the price doubles between suppliers.
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After having the second replacement control panel fail I took it to an electronic guy to have a look at. His conclusion was that it was vastly over engineered and because of this wasn't repairable. What he suggested, and what I went for was to replace the electronics of the panel with a simple rheostat switch. This allowed for the new switch to be very easily installed. The rheostat gives a variable speed but only in one direction (we never used the 'air in' direction even when it was an option on the original control panel). This new control cost the princely sum of £40.00 and has worked faultlessly for two years so far.
The company that supplied it (a one man band) is Derby Electronic Services at Burton upon Trent.
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