Date:         Sun, 3 Jun 2001 07:25:57 -0700
Reply-To:     PSavage <psavage@SABER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         PSavage <psavage@SABER.NET>
Subject:      Nicro Solar Powervent--The Acid Test
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Last summer I installed a Nicro Solar Powervent,
a *quality* marine product that's been used on sailboats
& other seacraft for twenty years.
Nicro's vents are  dependable, waterproof, & whisper quiet.
This solar vent ($150) & others by Nicro, are available at:
www.westmarine.com

West Marine offers a full line of Nicro vents, including some
*more powerful* than the one I installed, but which require
a  hard wired installation.  My vent exchanges 600 cubic feet
of hot/stale air per hour.

Nicro vents are designed to ventilate, not to create a "breeze."
Each Nicro model has different venting capabilities & is rated
by cubic feet per hour of air exchanged.
I made the decision to install a Nicro Solar Powervent for the
following reasons.

First, traveling with a dog requires a cooler van interior when
parked.  In some areas, an open skylite is an invitation to
small theives.  This vent, along with silver pleated sun shields
in the windows, with curtains drawn, performed well.

Second, this vent proved *invaluable for beach camping
where days are warm & cool overnites are accompanied by
heavy salt mist.  In these conditions, it's necessary to keep all
van windows shut, including the screened poptop window.
With the Nicro vent, I slept comfortably & did not awake
to find  my clothing & bedding salty & clammy!

If you are willing to hard wire a vent in your van, Nicro makes
models more powerful than the one I installed.  I opted for the
straight solar model because I adhere to the philosophy of keeping
things simple & making fewer demands on my house battery.
This Nicro Solar Powervent, once fully charged by sunlite, will
continue to operate for *two full days* without sunlite.

Note:  driving at highway speeds, even in a driving rainstorm,
is no problem for this vent.  It continues to operate smoothly &
not a drop of water enters the van.  There is an on/off button on
the bottom of vent accessible from inside the van.
You can set the van for air exhaust OR  intake.

***Installation is a snap!
Nicro includes idiot-proof instructions, which I can attest to!
These marine vents were intended to be installed in the plexiglass
hatches of boats, which makes them a natural for installation in our
van's skylites.
I paid a plastic's place $4 to cut the proper size hole in the skylite.
After that, the whole job took no more than half an hour.

I advise that you read the installation instructions *three times*
before you cut the hole & be sure to position the hole to accomodate
the skylites hardware--so the vent doesn't interfere with the knob.
The installed vent adds a *mere 2 inches* to the height of the skylite,
& weighs next to nothing; there's no strain on the skylite.

The model I installed, the Nicro Power Solarvent, comes with a
white plastic cover, but with an optional ($20) stainless cover.
I opted for the stainless.  The installation looks quite smart on the
van & there's no loss of headroom in the van's interior.

After four months of continual use traveling in Mexico, I am satisfied
with the installation.
So, if you still feel a Nicro vent might be useful for your van, go to the
West Marine site & compare the models, specs, & prices.

Good luck!
Phaedra
'85 Westy