Installing a Maxxair Maxxfan Deluxe roof vent on a DIY camper van conversion helps control interior temperature, relative humidity (condensation and moisture), indoor air quality, and creates air movement. It’s typically one of the first modifications performed on the van, so it’s super intimidating… but you are not alone: it’s a rite of passage for all DIYers, and we still have yet to hear about someone who messed it up. With proper planning and extra precautions, you’ll get it right, learn from it, and boost your confidence. Below, we fully documented the installation of our Maxxfan in our Ford Transit; hope that guides you in the right direction!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click a product link and buy anything from the merchant (Amazon, eBay, etc.) we will receive a commission fee. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not.
Time Spent
Total Cost
Material
| ITEM | QUANTITY | MODEL | LINK |
| Maxxfan Deluxe | 1 | 5100K (White lid, manual opening) | Amazon |
| 6200K (Smoke lid, manual opening) | Amazon | ||
| 7000K (White lid, auto opening) | Amazon | ||
| 7500K (Smoke lid, auto opening) | Amazon | ||
| Roof Vent Adapter | 1 | Transit Low Roof | eBay |
| Transit Mid/High Roof | eBay | ||
| Sprinter NCV3 Low/High Roof | eBay | ||
| ProMaster | eBay | ||
| Others (Sprinter T1N, Nissan NV, E Series, Transit Connect, etc.) | eBay | ||
| Roof Vent Backing Frame | 1 | This goes inside the van | eBay |
| Dicor Self-Leveling Lap Sealant | 2 | White | Amazon |
| Grey | Amazon | ||
| 3M Window-Weld | 1 | Fast Urethane | Amazon |
| Butyl Tape | 1 | Amazon | |
| Machine Screws | 16 | #10-24 thread, length TBD*, Stainless Steel, Round Head | Amazon |
| Nuts | 16 | #10-24, Stainless Steel | Amazon |
| Washers | 16 | #10, Stainless Steel | Amazon |
| Primer | 1 | ||
| Paint | 1 | ||
| Clear Coat | 1 |
*The length of the machine screws required vary with installation (van model, interior adapter or not, etc.), so we can’t possibly make a specific recommendation. It is your responsibility to find out! You can plan ahead by summing up the thickness of all the components (buy various lengths just in case), or you can find out during the installation by actually measuring the total stackup. Any local hardware store will have screws. 🙂
Tools
| Item | Description | Quantity | Link |
| Caulking Gun | For 10 oz cartridge | 1 | Amazon |
| Jig Saw | DEWALT Cordless Lithium-ion 20V | 1 | Amazon |
| Blades for Jig Saw | Thin Metal Cutting, 5-Pack | 1 | Amazon |
| Metal File | To break the sharp edges | 1 | Amazon |
| Sandpaper | Surface preparation before touch-up | 1 | Amazon |
| C-Clamp | To hold everything in place when drilling | 4 | Amazon |
| Duct Tape | 1 | Amazon | |
| Painter Tape | 1 | Amazon | |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | 1 |
Resources
Good To Know
Maxxfan Models
Rain Shield
All the DELUXE models are designed with an integrated rain shield, meaning that the lid can remain open at all times, even when it rains. Neat! That’s a major advantage over the competitors… Indeed, you’ll want good ventilation during rain episodes.
SPEEDS
The 5301K & 6401K Maxxfan models feature only 4 speeds, cannot be run as intake, and doesn’t have an “automatic” mode. For these reasons (but mostly because there’s only 4 speeds), we wouldn’t really recommend it.
Electric Lid Opening & Remote
The 7000K & 7500K Maxxfan models feature an electric lid opening & remote (as opposed to the model 5100K & 6200K, which must be opened manually, and there’s no remote). We personally have the manual lid opening and we’re perfectly fine with it. We chose it because we worried that the electric opening might have a hard time in snow/ice. We also don’t have the remote, and we don’t mind that either because we’re always an arms-length distance from the fan anyway!
White VS Smoke Lid
At last, you have the choice between a white lid or a smoke (grey) lid… that depends mostly on personal taste and your van’s color!
Maxxfan Power Consumption
| SPEED | CURRENT (A) |
| 1 | 0.1A |
| 2 | 0.2A |
| 3 | 0.3A |
| 4 | 0.4A |
| 5 | 0.6A |
| 6 | 0.9A |
| 7 | 1.1A |
| 8 | 1.5A |
| 9 | 2.0A |
| 10 | 2.8A |
Do not use a grinder!
Using a grinder to cut the fan’s hole is pretty bad ass. But all these cool sparks are actually metal chips going all over the place, and each one of them is a potential ignition point for rust! These tiny chips stick to the van and it’s just impossible to clean them afterward, so DO NOT USE A GRINDER.
Where to install: Back or Front?
BACK
Most people choose to install their fan in the back of the van as it creates an air flow that runs through the entire van: air enters by the front door windows and exits by the fan in the back.
We think it’s the ideal location, except if you’re in a similar situation as us (keep reading “FRONT”!).
FRONT
Because we live full time in our van during skiing season, cooking with the doors open is not an option. Therefore, we installed our roof fan straight above the stove/oven (faroutride.com/wedgewood-vision-range-review). That way, the cooking smoke & smell are evacuated immediately.
But there is a drawback: air in the back of the van is not well recycled. To compensate, we should have added a window in the back (faroutride.com/van-window).
BACK... & FRONT!
We see many people with 2 fans on their van: one in the front, one in the back. Typically, one fan acts as the intake (OFF) and the other fan acts as the exhaust (ON).
People with this setup are really happy about it as it creates excellent ventilation. It’s cheaper (and easier) to install a second fan than a window, but the drawback is that it uses more real estate on the roof. If you planned on adding a patio on your roof, that might be an issue.
Adding framing strips or not?
You can order the Roof Vent Adapter with, or without, framing strips (see eBay link under “Material” section above). The framing strips provide additional support to the roof and are recommended if the fan is installed at a location where the beams are more than 18 inches apart.
In our case, we installed the Maxxfan in the front of the van where the beams are close together, so we didn’t need the framing strips.
Roof Rack
If you’re in the market for a roof rack, check out Flatline Van Co “Low Pro” roof rack: it has a modular design, so the cross bars can be shuffled around to fit your custom roof layout (Maxxfan, solar panels, A/C, etc.):
FlatLine Van Co "Low Pro" Roof Rack
- Modular: you can shuffle the cross bars around to fit your custom roof layout (e.g. solar panels/roof fan/etc);
- Low profile: a bit more stealth and aerodynamic than the tubular aluminum “overland-style” roof rack;
- Easy installation: it’s attached to the van’s roof with the factory mount points (no-drill!), and because they are modular they ship flat packed in a box and they are easier to install (less bulky);
- Easy to install gear and accessories: the cross bars are 80/20 aluminum extrusions, so you can get creative and attach pretty much anything in any possible way: solar panels, decking, awning (Fiamma F45S direct-mount, no drill), light bar, etc.
For more info (features, specifications, installation, ordering, etc.) click below:
And now let's get to work!
1- Install the painter's tape and mark the fan cutout.
To mark the fan cutout, we used the inside of the roof vent adapter.
2- Practice makes perfect…
We “simulated” 2 holes and a straight line to practice drilling & cutting on the panel we were getting rid of. It’s a good thing we did it! We learned that it’s better to make the corner holes a bit outside of the cutting line (the fan flange allows some over cut) AND that a storm of hot-burning metal chips will blow on your face and into your hair. WEAR PROTECTIVE GLASSES AND A SEXY BANDANA ON YOUR HEAD. You’ve been warned.
3- Lion's face: you own the tools, the tools don't own you!
Or: we're scared, but let's pretend we're not.
4- Drill a hole at each corner, large enough to let the jigsaw blade pass through.
5- Cut each side, then apply duct tape to prevent the panel from falling during the last cut.
6- Break the sharp edges with a metal file and smooth the edges with a fine sandpaper.
7- Install the roof fan adapter and the fan flange and drill all holes.
We used four C-Clamps to ensure nothing moves during the process.
8- Surface preparation.
- Remove the roof fan adapter and the flange.
- Break the holes sharp edges and smooth with a sanding paper.
- Clean the surfaces to be touched-up with isopropyl alcohol.
9- Apply Primer, Paint & Clearcoat on all the cuts and holes.
This is an important step to avoid corrosion in the future. Indeed, paint plays a much bigger role than just adding color: paint protects metal from rusting. So take note: adding primer + paint + clearcoat should be performed ANY TIME you make a cut or hole in your van. Get used to it!
TIP: All-in-one products don't work well; so primer + paint + clearcoat = 3 different products. Go to an Auto Parts Shop and give them your color code (it's on the driver's side door sticker), make, model & year, and they'll prepare paint that matches perfectly the color of your van. Spray paint can work well because you can spray what you need in a small plastic container and re-use the rest later (after use, turn the can upside down and spray for a few seconds; this will clear the tube and prevent clogging).
10- Clean the fan flange with isopropyl alcohol.
11- Clean the van's metal with isopropyl alcohol.
12- Apply butyl tape on the fan flange (on the surface that will be mating with the fan adapter).
13- Apply 3M Window-Weld on the roof fan adapter and the backing frame (on the surfaces that will be mating with the van).
14- Install the roof fan adapter, the fan flange, the backing frame, and the hardware.
15- Apply Dicor self-leveling sealant around the periphery of the flange.
While she's working, make yourself useful and start cleaning the work area. Or don't and just be a nuisance by making duck faces for no good reason.
16- Install the Maxxfan unit through the fan flange and fasten using the 4 provided screws.
17- Look at our fan.
Just look at it.
18- Final Test.
We tested our Maxxfan using the wires from an adjacent light that we removed. (Note: we blew a fuse doing the same thing afterward: no surprise, the 7.5 amp interior lightning fuse located at position F32 is not designed to withstand the load of an additional fan… no big deal, the fuse was replaced and the light is back!) It works!
19- Have a pint of fresh Homebrewed Session I.P.A.
Well deserved!
On Second Thought...
We've been using our Maxxfan since 2016, and it does exactly what it's supposed to: it's powerful, doesn't draw too much power, and being able to run it when it rains is SO IMPORTANT. If we had to start over, we would definitely install the Maxxfan again!
