MaxxFan Deluxe installation

Isaac_Blanc · 2024-09-15 22:13:40

Intro

The web is littered with articles about this very popular roof fan. For proper detail, I would encourage you to look elsewhere. However, if you're keen to see how it fits to a 2018 Peugeot Expert, then read on.

Sidenote

If you (rightly) think that spending £300 on a fan is silly, then you might alternatively consider the Lemans Low Profile roof fan made by G&C for £95. I compared this with the MaxxFan Deluxe on Reddit, but eventually decided against it.

Installation

Firstly, we marked the hole by drawing around the mounting flange. We chose to put the fan off-centre because there was already a small hole in the roof from a previous vent.

Secondly, we drilled holes in each corner and then cut between these using a jigsaw. We used the cheapest metal-cutting blades from ScrewFix and a relatively crap jigsaw. Despite this, it was remarkably easy albeit very loud. The tape around the hole is "Scotch Blue" tape, which is just like regular masking tape but blue and consequently much more expensive. We sprayed the edges of the cut with metal paint to avoid rust and also swept any bits of metal swarf off the roof.

Thirdly, we stuck mastic tape around the hole. As seen in the previous photo, the roof has channels in it. We filled these with short strips of mastic tape stacked on top of one another. In this manner, we made a makeshift gasket. We also made a wooden frame to go beneath the the hole, as seen below.

Fourthly, we placed the mounting flange onto the mastic tape gasket and fastened it to the wooden frame through the metal roof. We then covered the mounting flange with sealant and mounted the actual fan. Note that the actual fan fits pretty tightly to the mounting flange - so tightly in fact that the screw holes don't line up when you first try to install it. This is detailed elsewhere online but its good to expect it. You can see the result below. In the left-hand side of this photo you can see there is a tree growing from our roof. This is necessary for Euro 6 compliance; driving in clean air zones and such.

Finally, once we had insulated and panelled the ceiling, we added the so called "garnish trim ring" on the inside, which makes everything look much less bodged. See below.

It hasn't leaked yet, despite some pretty heavy rain.

Shall post lots more info on the conversion... when I get the time to. Cheers!

Last edited by Isaac_Blanc (2024-09-15 22:22:16)

kenbw2 · 2024-09-18 20:57:20

You're a braver man than I! I've shied away from anything involving cutting into the roof. Should be nice to vent the damp out of the van

What made you side with the Maxxfan rather than the cheaper one?

Isaac_Blanc · 2024-09-19 18:02:49

Yes it was a little nerve-wracking, but I couldn't bear the thought of cooking in there without extraction. Cooking with a door open isn't great in winter!

We chose the MaxxFan to guarantee that we would never want to change it. The process of cutting a hole in the roof, then building a frame and fitting insuation around it, then fitting the interior panelling around that (etc etc) took quite a while, and we didn't like the idea that one day in the future we might want to upgrade from the cheaper fan. Everyone on the web says these things are the best, so I suppose its somewhat future-proof.

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#1 2024-09-15 22:13:40

MaxxFan Deluxe installation

#2 2024-09-18 20:57:20

Re: MaxxFan Deluxe installation

#3 2024-09-19 18:02:49

Re: MaxxFan Deluxe installation

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