craig333
Riley's Human
When I replaced my fan it was a matter of keeping some of my weight on the ladder and then trying to spread out as much as possible.
As for the vent cover and lift arm, the wind turbulence across the top of the camper lifts the lid even when tightly closed. Eventually the lid will raise up and often is destroyed by the wind. The gear mesh (fit between gears) in the lift mechanism is too loose and allows the lid to raise. The cover and lift arms are available on amazon but measure the bolt spacing on the lift arm before ordering since there are two different lift arms. I used a spring to hold the knob in the closed position when driving, this keeps the lid shut and prevents the lift arm from rattling open. And I use a piece of plywood to distribute my weight when working on the roof. I don't climb all of the way onto the roof, only work from the sides.Tony--I have been so focused on the latches that I think I have not been focusing on the other stuff. A laminated checklist is in my future!
I'm going to take a look at the vent today. I am wondering if it would make sense to replace it with another vent/fan?? Don't know how much parts vs new vent vs new fan cost. I guess I'll be finding out.
In 4 plus years of sun, rain, rain and wind, freezing - we always keep both vents open, partly open at least, anyway. It is part of the set-up ritual. Unless it is actively raining with wind coming in from the headward side, we peel back at least a corner of the transparent vinyl over the window. Fresh air is one of the biggest benefits of camping! Never had a condensation or leak issue (except droplet bounce from near an open vent during intense downpours.) We have slept in the camper about ten or eleven months since February 2020.We noted wet vinyl walls in the morning, especially in the corner of the bed where our heads were. I assume that is condensation only, not rain coming in. It was significant, but didn't drip down and get any bedding or pillows wet. We didn't have the vent or the fan open since we were trying to stay warm, but maybe a vent needs to be open at night no matter how cold it is, to cut down on condensation.