Faqntastic Fan Upgrade Options

[caconcourse]

Last year the raise/lower crank handle on our Fantastic Fan (Vent) spline stripped and we eventually could barely raise or lower the vent cover.
Sometime since our unit was made, the crank and motor were modified so that the original crank and gearbox are no longer available. There are replacement cranks/motors available, and the screw spacing is the same, so I purchased a replacement crank/motor. It worked but I had to stuff some foam around it because the new shape does not cover the old opening. The replacement crank had a "pull down for manual, push up for auto" mode instead of the original slider switch. After some use, the handle kept dropping out of auto and settling into some "limbo" mode where the crank turned freely without engaging anything.

I finally decided it was probably time to replace the whole unit. While shopping for an updated unit I stumbled across a better option: a Fantastic Vent Upgrade Kit. It turns out, they now sell kits which replace the entire bottom half, including a new rise bar, motor, and crank. You can buy kits to upgrade/downgrade any model to almost any other model. The big plus, in addition to cost and fixing broken lower parts, is that you don't have to remove the top half. So there is no unscrewing/re-bedding/resealing necessary on the top, which is always a risky task, when it comes to leaks.

In our case, I went with an "upgrade" kit to our original model, which is a 3350, including a thermostat, rain sensor, motorized crank, and In/Out switch. This was top of the line in our vintage, but you can go further with a 7350 upgrade, which includes more fan speeds and a remote control. I didn't want a remote, since it added another gadget, wall mount or something, so I was content with the 3350 features, which we were familiar with and OK with. I was also able to find a "Used-Good" Amazon return for under $100, so I was stoked.

The replacement parts have restored our Fantastic Vent to "better than new" status. Here are the improvements:
1) The new crank has been re-geared, so there is no more "manual/auto" selector. You just turn the handle and the gear is engaged, but now has little resistance compared to the old auto mode. The new motor and gearing lifts and lowers the lid faster than the old one.
2) the new crank disengages when it meets resistance (normally open or closed fully). Since there is no manual mode, you can't get in the situation where the motor grinds continually trying to open or close when the gear is disengaged. You can now manually lower the cover to half way and leave the fan running without worrying about an automatic override running the motor continuously if the rain sensor triggers.
3) the screen has been updated to a snap in, instead of the many screws that held in the original, so you can pop it out for cleaning.

I would have liked the additional speed control of the 7350, but it looked like you could only control it with the remote, and I wanted to retain full manual control of the fan (even though it can be quite confusing). Here are some Amazon links to the upgrade kits:

7350 upgrade with remote: https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-Vent- ... B00IKMBVDK

3350 same as original: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IK ... XVPR&psc=1

2250 (manual crank - why?): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IK ... 0DER&psc=1

[Astrodokk]

Thanks for this information.
Mine is about ready to be replaced (it's verrry loud) and I had been thinking about what to replace it with! This sounds like something I would want, but I'm lazy so I'd probably get the remote (although changing speeds is a nice feature). I like a few gadgets.
Good find online!

[Blue~Go]

What annoys me about the options is that the only way you can get the fan with the more speeds (which is the only way they supply it with a PWM controller) is to get the remote-control-only 7350. It has some frustrating habits when you want to do things like have the lid open but fan off.

OTOH the other models use a resistor controller so you get much higher amp draw and can't lower the fan speed very much. Grrr.

Hence I have ordered a couple of PWM controllers on eBay to experiment with.

(Maxx Fan has some other options but I do like my Fantastic clear insulated lids.)

[dougm]

I have two fantastic vent fans, one in bathroom and one in the living space. If i had it to do again i would opt for the base model wth manual opener. The rain sensors will shut the lid even if its just to humid outside. There is a switch under the lid that gets depressed when the lid shuts which cuts power to the fan when you close the lid, that switch eventually corodes or gets loose and then malfunctions. At this point i have taken the switch out of one fan so many times due to poor ground causing issues that the plastic threads are now stripped so i had to JB weld it in place. Needless to say the replacement will be a base model or a Maxx Air fan.

[Skillet]

At this point i have taken the switch out of one fan so many times due to poor ground causing issues that the plastic threads are now stripped so i had to JB weld it in place. Needless to say the replacement will be a base model or a Maxx Air fan.

I went with the MaxxAir and love it. Much quieter and many more speed settings.