One of the things that we experienced on a regular basis while in Wyoming was hail.
Lots and lots of hail.
Usually, it came and went with just a few taps on the roof.
Then one day we headed down to Laramie to get a few things done. Darlene dropped Nicole at McD’s to get some internet and she ran to Wally World for errands. Shortly afterwards the bottom fell out of the sky and a whiteout of hail occurred. As Nicole watched it, something in her gut said, “This isn’t going to be good.” Darlene returned shortly after and confirmed that feeling with the statement, “Annie didn’t do so well.”
Our dashboard companions and Darlene watched the show from inside the van.
After the storm...
Darlene had to get out and break up the ice around the tires so she could move the van.
When the hail was done it started raining and when Darlene glanced in the rear view mirror she noticed it was raining inside the van. She thought she had left the roof vent open and went back to close it. She tried and tried to close it before realizing it was already closed... technically.
It was also now permanently ‘open’!
Although there was some damage to the roof and sides of the van it was strange that the majority of the damage was on the front. Strange because there was another car parked in front of the van. So, the angle had to be just right.
Other areas that were damaged included...
the grille.
Behind the grille you can see our condenser.
We put a new one in when we bought the van. It looked like this before the hail...
And looked like this after...
Dents and damaged fins.
The trim on the high-top also took a beating...
In most of the damage you could see where each piece of hail made impact.
The trim on the driver’s door window...
shows how close together the pieces of hail were landing.
Since we had put tinfoil in the windows to block the heat, we didn’t notice the broken high-top window until we climbed up to assess other things.
Miraculously, it was still together and not leaking. We’re guessing the tint is responsible.
Pretty picture interlude...
Although we were not thrilled with the damage done, we discovered that we were fortunate. Some vehicles had both front and rear windshields shattered and way more dents and dings than the few that we suffered. We’d heard of significant damage to houses, as well.
In van-years, our Annie is no spring chicken.
The majority of her damage was to 27 year old plastic that had most likely grown brittle with age. With the exception of the vent cover, none of the damage had to be addressed immediately. We made it back up the hill with a plastic bag taped over the vent cover and then promptly pulled out the wonder of all wonders and remedied the situation.
Duct Tape!
Seriously, good as new - this held for three months until we could decide what we wanted to do with the fan. More on that later.
Let’s Consider A Few Things:
Although it now gives quite a rattle, we decided to put off the trim / holding channel on the driver’s window until further down the road. It is costly and quite a process to replace. If you roll it to just the right place the window still holds tight so we just focus on ‘placement’ to avoid the addition of a broken window.
The high top trim is purely decorative (it covers the screws that hold the high top in place). Although it is fairly easy to replace, it couldn’t be sourced locally. So, we held off for a bit.
We did some research on the high-top window and found that a custom cut ($$$) would be needed. Because of their angle, these two windows draw the sun inside in ways that heat the van significantly more than we like and thus we keep them covered at all times anyway. So, since it is still (months later and knock on wood) not leaking, we have left it well enough alone for now. In the future, we plan to paint the roof and will remove both windows and fiberglass in the holes.
That left the grille and the condenser to be first on our list. Based on the pricing of a replacement grille, we decided to attempt a repair rather than a replacement.
Nicole pulled out her dremel and went to work removing the damaged pieces.
Basically, all of the in between grids (or what was left of them) were removed.
Not too shabby but these large openings will do our already burdened condenser no favors.
Hard to see but we mounted some extra screen across the front behind the grille.
Ta-dah! Our girl, looking pretty Boss afterward.
While Nicole was working on the grille, Darlene began the slow, delicate process of unbending the tiny fins on the condenser with jewelers screwdrivers.
Since it was only four years old and the damage did not go through to the interior tubes of the unit, we did not need to replace the condenser. Straightening the fins however is important to maximize capacity and keep the unit running efficiently. Our radiator also resides behind this condenser so straightening the fins will additionally benefit the vans entire cooling system by allowing solid airflow through to the rad.
There are a lot of bent fins though. So instead of attacking it all out, we are approaching it as a work in progress that we will continue little by little. Photos when we finish.
Fast forward a few months to ‘now’. We had a big decision to make with regard to our old vent fan.
It was really cute and retro but...
Here’s the deal:
1) We typically use things until they no longer work.
2) At the point that #1 happens, we try to renovate or repair them and continue use.
3) Since we removed the AC unit from the roof a long while back the roof fan had become
a very important part of our interior comfort.
4) A new lid would cost only $15. Not too bad. The cheapest fix of all of the hail damage.
5) However, in terms of comfort, we had changed our travel modes a bit and are not
always ‘escaping’ the weather but often embracing it. Our older roof vent, on
the other hand, was not doing a very good job of helping us embrace these changes.
6) So, we decided that after four years of giving this still working fan a real effort and
looking ahead to our travel plans, it was time for an upgrade.
We do not take spending lightly and we knew whatever we got would be it for the next 27 years. So, loads of research and reading ensued. Many months later, enter...
The MaxxFan Deluxe 5100K by MaxxAir.
The install was relatively easy and started with the removal of the interior portions of the old fan, followed by the removal of caulk, screws and eventually the fan itself.
Then it was time to dry test fit the new housing.
The new housing had fewer screws on the sides than the older one did but the corners lined up. So, we set it down in place with the corner screws then predrilled and screwed the new holes.
Next, we marked the corners to ensure we could find proper alignment once the butyl tape was in place and covering the screw holes.
Butyl Tape application... We put a little extra on the corners and in one spot we discovered during our test fit where the roof of the van sinks a bit and leaves a small gap.
Then it was time for permanent placement and the tightening of all of the screws.
This was followed by the trimming of any excess butyl that had been squeezed out.
Next, a good amount of caulk on each screw and around the edge.
Then drop the fan and rain-shield into place and attach it with four screws.
Climb down the back of the van admiring the beauty that is your new ventilation system.
Head inside, connect the wiring, cut the shroud, drill holes and screw into place.
Then lay back and enjoy the wonder that is the MaxxFan.
Surely, if you are still with us at this point, you are wondering what our thoughts are.
Here we go...
1) This is likely the most amazing purchase we have ever made for the van.
2) It is very quiet compared to our old fan (which ran with a sometimes intolerable sound).
3) 11” blades and 10 speeds in both forward and reverse. We haven’t needed to go above
4 or 5 which equals low amp pull on our solar which equals awesome!
4) A thermostat that will turn the fan on and off and manipulate the fan speed to maintain
whatever temp you set (dependent on outside temp, of course). It was 92 inside when
we finished the install. We set the thermostat to 78 degrees and sat back to enjoy the
breeze. Ten minutes later we were chillin’ at a comfortable 78 degrees. Very cool!
5) The integrated rain cover that can be lowered to lessen clearance - Excellent!
6) 900 CFM of air moving and only 4.5 amps pulled at speed 10... Great!
7) The ability to run the fan even with the cover closed in which case it behaves like a
ceiling fan would in your house is a big plus for those times when the outdoor air just
isn’t what you want to be pulling in - Can’t beat it!
Short and simple, this fan is awesome and the amount of air it pulled in through our open windows turned a dead calm day into something that felt like a steady breeze off the ocean.
Here it is in the up position.
Love being able to lower the integrated rain-shield.
Although we haven’t closed the shield since the day we installed it, the best part of being able to lower it is that it closes to a height only 1/4” more than our previous cover. So, no new clearances to get used to.
Are there any drawbacks to the fan?
Honestly, we haven’t found one in a practical or functional sense. We are very pleased with it. If there had to be something it would be that the indicator light for the thermostat setting is bright enough to show the aliens where to land. But that is easily remedied with a small piece of electrical tape.
And so, as we prepare to move on to new discoveries in different parts of the country, we will end with what will be the last of our Wyoming photos.
Leucism is a condition in animals that causes partial loss of pigmentation. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.
This is the first Leucistic bird we have seen and it was a stumper for Nicole’s Bird Group.
A real cutie - looks ready for winter.
As are we.