Vent Fans
Video # 14
Airstream Ventilation System Restoration
In this episode of Classic Rides, host Kevin Tetz works on the ventilation system of the 1970 Airstream Overland Yacht Trailer he is restoring. According to him, there are three ventilation systems on this trailer. One of these has a fan while the other two don't. He wants to upgrade all the systems by adding fans so we there is one for intake and one for exhaust. That way, there is ventilation much like a home system, to circulate stale air.
To replace the ventilation in the living area, Kevin removes the screws and taking out the old ventilator from the bottom side first. He removes the wire nuts and disconnects the wires. Next he puts the wire nuts back into the source wire.
He moves on to the top of the trailer to remove the ventilator, using a scissor lift to get up. He points out the rivets which show where the braces are. According to Kevin, you have to be careful when getting on top of the trailer, making sure that you do not put too much weight on the areas not covered by the braces as these are very weak.
He starts by drilling out the rivets that hold the cover to the vent bracket. Now he can remove the cover. Then he uses a hammer to center punch and strike each rivet head. Then he goes back to drill each rivet out. He loosens the vent gasket seal using a putty knife.
The new vent is slightly larger than the original, so he uses the gasket as a template. He traces the corners that he needs to cut out. He says it is surprisingly easy to cut out the aluminum with metal shears.
He cleans the gasket surface area. Using Vulken 636 Polyeurethane as a sealant, he fills the rivet holes and lines the area to seal it. Vulken 636 Polyeurethane sealant is highly recommended by Airstream according to Kevin.
He sets the center gasket into place and runs another nice, even bead of Vulken around the perimeter. He sets the vent in place. And voila! It sits right at home. Using a drill, he drills through the roof panel. He squeezes the panel with a gun.
Going back inside the trailer to work on the bottom flange now, he strips the wires as necessary. He attaches the wires and secures the connections using electrical tape.
The great thing about the new ventilator is that when vent opens up more than an inch the fan kicks on by itself. It even has a thermostat control and a rocker switch to turn the fan and off. The best part is, when the it senses water, the dome cover of the ventilator automatically closes!
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