Skylight vs Maxxfan - Which is best for your Campervan or Motorhome?

So which is best for your campervan build or upgrade, a standard skylight or a Maxxfan?
After owning motorhomes and campervans with standard skylights and a Maxxfan it didn't take very long to decide which I was going to fit to the roof of my campervan build.
Here's a link to the Maxxfan Deluxe I have - ebay.us/ywpPnZ
Here's a link to the roof ridge plate I used - ebay.us/xO8Qv7
Here's a link the the shade with LED light - ebay.us/tBFU5w
Here's a link to the Maxxfan Dome Mandy has - ebay.us/cuifPU
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The view expressed in this video are my own and conclusion are drawn from my personal experience of the topic of this video. All comments are moderated before publication to ensure the discussion remains centred on the content of this video. Spam, trolling, abuse and coarse language comments are deleted to keep the channel friendly towards everyone, as well as anything off-topic including but not limited to religion, politics, social / environmental / other activism, beliefs and causes, channel promotion, pandemics, media hatred, conspiracy theories and such like. Stay on topic and civil, please!
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[@debtavinor]

Great John, very informative. Thank you very much.

[@ricodellacqua5632]

Super useful video! Thanks so much

[@wrzlygummidge]

great vid John, very informative, thanx for sharing, atb

[@avislivingston8946]

Great video John love when Mandy pops her head of her van roof good luck with your travels in France with Mandy great to see you both out and travelling together best wishes Avis xx

[@bathroomjon1]

Great video John _ I was leaning towards max fan but will defo get one now _ thanks

[@DA11NOON]

Hi John great vlog it has made a big Difference in my van Be safe 👍

[@captaincoxyboy]

Thanks John, 2 maxx fans in my Relay build, front one has wind noise once up to 50mph, yet to install the seal kit but thanks for the foam insert tip, def going to use that, always learn form your experience👍👍👍

[@manondeslauriers2645]

I have both, MaxxAir over the bed and Skylight more to the front, love the combination. 😊

[@kevinpickess]

I added a DIY 12v computer fan to our skylight after following your instructions in an earlier video. Definitely a cheap and quick solution for those of us who don't feel up to removing the skylight and adding a Maxxfan.

[@davidklyne5134]

We had a Maxx Fan fitted by RoadPro to our motorhome and agree that its a very useful bit of kit and not too noisy unless you have it on the maximum setting. Ours was fitted in place of the Heki vent over the kitchen area and its very useful when cooking in the van when you want to keep doors and windows closed.

[@outdoorjunky1]

👍 Thanks for the video, we’ve a Maxxfan in the front and a 600 x 400 skylight in the rear of our Boxer, we open the rear slightly and turn the Maxxfan to suck air out and we get a nice breeze through 👍 And a max dome fan like Mandy’s in the shower area

[@davidmbell]

Whilst I don’t have a fancy MaxxFan, in my caravan, I do have an Omnivent, which doesn’t have the remote and temp sensing it does have the fan and I concur when it’s warm they’re brilliant to suck hot air out.

[@geoffcampbell7846]

Agree with everything you've said. The Maxx fan is a great piece of kit, and is an easy swap for the standard sized 400mm x 400mm roof vents. Ours is above our cooking area so the fan and mesh do require cleaning every couple of weeks, otherwise the fan becomes noisy. But cleaning is easy and the amount of grease it picks up out of the air is remarkable. We have the big hieki skylight at the front which does offer replacement air for the maxx fan at lower speeds even when closed, but a big plus is I can open it and stand on the seating to have direct access to the solar panel for clearing and cleaning. Once again, a great discussion. Cheers 👋 Happy trip 🇨🇵

[@rogerwatkinson6633]

I like my Maxxfan, but as well as wind noise, it rattles over 50mph, and recently heard on a forum that you really should be using a 12 volts stabilised supply. I have tried all sorts of solutions to the rattles but to no avail. Good video as always - thanks John

[@yaminthegrey]

Hari Om Ta for the insights... something I need to ponder! YAM xx

[@LeisureBit]

Useful comparison thank you - I’ve been thinking of getting a Maxxfan for some time - bizarre question,relates to the wind noise and wondered if you hear more exterior sound with it not being sealed when sleeping? Thanks for the ever informative videos. All the best, David 👍

[@GadgetJohn]

Once the foam is in no but during the day without the foam in & without the shade closed you do hear the outside a little via the max fan.

[@ian_morg]

We’ve got a Heki skylight in the rear which is fab, I did have to replace the gas strut on it though and we’ve got a small extractor fan skylight by the kitchen (which doesn’t work) so I will be looking to replace that soon.

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

good vid

[@alanramshaw9743]

Got the same, if ya gonna buy 1...buy 2

[@vansforthememories]

Thanks for this John, you’ve saved us from making an expensive mistake. We need a solution for sleeping at night with a cool breeze, but I don’t think the maxxfan is the way to go for us, back to the drawing board 🤭 Em

[@turnamere4859]

We have a SWB Transit Custom with the bed across the rear. We have a Maxxfan front right over the hob and a mini heki skylight back left (head end of the bed). The fan is almost silent at the 3 lowest settings and the circulation it sets up through the sleeping area ensured a comfortable night's sleep even when it was high 30s in Europe this summer. On higher speeds it's great whilst cooking

[@vansforthememories]

@@turnamere4859 Thanks so much for that😎 Do you get any rattle/wind noise from it while driving? Em

[@turnamere4859]

@@vansforthememories sorry, only just seen this. There is a tiny bit of wind noise but I can't say whether this is MaxxFan, Mini Heki or even solar panel, but tunes on the stereo drown it out.

[@vansforthememories]

@@turnamere4859 thanks 😊

[@alba9507]

Great vid John 👍. Do the Max Fan draw much power?

[@GadgetJohn]

On full power the fan pulls around 5 amps, the light uses around 0.5amp

[@Richard-qg5hh]

Hi John , I was thinking of retro fitting a large sky light as I avoided a window in the sliding door to be more stealthy. Do you think it would be hassle. No cables in the area just Pir and ceiling although some structure from memory. Have the fan over the front end so have the ventilation. Cheers.

[@RogersRamblings]

I've seen it suggested that a small hole in the floor of the van to let air in has an excellent cooling effect on in the interior due to air under a vehicle being cooler than the surrounding air. Obviously site it at the opposite end of the vehicle from the fan.

[@alanjohn6355]

Lots of good info, many thanks, have an off tangent question, if that was your roof top you were showing, what were the orange colour "ribbed mats" just under the solar panels?

[@GadgetJohn]

They are recovery boards to use if I get stuck in mud or sand.

[@ianworthy9598]

Liked

[@petermcgurnaghan5175]

Another useful video, thank you. Quick question if I may? Is that a security camera mounted on the rear of the roof rack? Or a reversing camera

[@GadgetJohn]

The reversing camera is integrated into the high level brake light and I have 4 cctv cameras mounted on the roof rack 👍🏻

[@zuk4wd]

Hi John. There is a sealkit for the maxfan to reduce wind/driving noise.

[@GadgetJohn]

I fitted it around 4 months ago, it’s doesn’t actually seal it.

[@zuk4wd]

@@GadgetJohn it didn’t make any difference then ? (I’m checking the German spoiler option at the moment.)

[@chrispower8099]

Hi John great video again just a quick question I'm installing a 2000 w inverter what size breaker would you recommend thanks chris &sheila

[@GadgetJohn]

You’d need 50mm2 cable and a 200a breaker

[@chrispower8099]

@@GadgetJohn thanks john

[@travelcampervansandmore]

Hello John, my campervan will have two large skylights but the one in the washroom will be 40x40cm. Do you think it is worth putting a Maxxfan there and leave the washroom door open at night to cool down the van?

[@GadgetJohn]

That would be a good plan, any airflow will help when it gets warm at night.

[@denisecafferky2248]

👍👍

[@bobhardwell269]

Hi John Can you use the maxfan with the blackout shut? My better half doesn’t like light in the bedroom 😊

[@GadgetJohn]

You can but it’s nowhere near as effective.

[@markhardy7600]

If I was to buy the delta2 eco flow you tested earlier, would I be able to connect the existing 2* 80 watt solar panels on the motorhome roof via a trailing temporary lead or are solar panels specific to the unit? Cheers. Mark.

[@GadgetJohn]

You’d need to wire them in series to give the delta 2 160 watts.

[@Rob.1340]

👍😎

[@neilchilds7555]

Hello John do you think the dome fan would work ok in the shower instead of a window or skylite thanks for your time

[@GadgetJohn]

Yes it would, you can even mount it sideways on the side of the van.

[@neilchilds7555]

That’s John for that info and on its side even better keep up the good work

[@DunkfaeOotnAbootWiUs]

John totally random question but what wee ceramic heater do you use ?

[@GadgetJohn]

It’s this one amzn.to/425U8sv 👍🏻

[@DunkfaeOotnAbootWiUs]

@GadgetJohn cheers John 🍻

[@montbrehain]

We have had a maxfan for a couple of years and they really do make a difference ( for the better) but... they are a pig to clean. Black mould grows under the lid/shield and to get to it you have to remove the fan (Allen key) and squeeze your hand through the gap to clean the mould off. Other than that... highly recommended !

[@rogerwatkinson6633]

One question that has occurred to me that you or your viewers might know the answer to.. In the event of a fire, would the thermostatic fan start up and help to extract smoke?

[@GadgetJohn]

Possibly, if the air temp rises the fan would start up. But I’m sure most firefighters would agree that a fire needs to be starved of air. The max fan would suck air through any gaps and potentially make the fire much worse.

[@tonysutton6559]

Why don't manufacturers fit maxxfans? Because skylights are cheaper. Sleep on the floor? The dogs say no, that's their cool space. I would fit a maxxfan if there was a power source nearby but as there isn't I use a Ryobi cordless fan by my feet, blowing along my body and the hot air goes out of the skylight. While I'm doing this, Mrs S is in flannel PJs and under the duvet.

[@jampam-jf8mt]

The only issue I can see with these is that they're not very aerodynamic... surely they can be designed to not stick out so much.

[@GadgetJohn]

Not sure you’re seeing what the rest of us are seeing but they’re very aerodynamic in their design.

[@jampam-jf8mt]

@@GadgetJohn they look like they stick out a lot to me

[@jonnywilson6932]

👍🏼🛠🚐