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Old 07-31-2020, 05:12 PM   #1
TN Traveler
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Roof Vent Questions

Getting the old Cougar ready for another road trip...

I pulled all roof vent covers for inspection and ended up having a few questions about a vent on my roof. There are six questions nested in this thread.

In the first photo, at the bottom right are two chrome circular vents: these are clearly the furnace exhaust vents. The white vent panel above these opens to access the rear of the refrigerator. This large plastic vent:

Is it a fresh air intake for the refrigerator?
Does it serve any other purpose?

My next photo shows the roof vent I also have questions about.
Once I removed four screws I was able to remove the rain / weather cover and exposed a vent opening approximately 6" wide and 24" long with integrated wire screen. This vent is directly above the aforementioned vents on the side of the Cougar.

Looking through the wire mesh, I see ~ 1 1/4" black pvc looking pipe. I assume this is a vent pipe and I also assume it is not a black tank vent.
This pipe is nestled in a corner and is actually about 50% under the lip of the screen and certainly does not have maximum vent capacity in its current location.
What is this pipe as shown in the 3rd photo?

Finally, looking through the wire mesh, I note what appears to be HVAC sealant tape that only covers ~25" of the rectangular vent and some of that is curling askew as shown in photo 4.

Hoping this is not too much for one thread...
Do I need to square that pipe up and secure it with a bracket?
Do I need to remove this vent cover, properly replace the duct tape and then reseal the whole unit back in place?

I believe I would have to cut the lap sealant, possibly remove a few retaining screws, make the repairs, reinstall the screws in the cover and then reseal. Correct?
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Old 07-31-2020, 05:34 PM   #2
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Yes, bottom white plastic vent is fresh air in for the fridge. The black pipe (ABS) is a drain vent. I can't make out the other pipe you speak of in the photo but I suspect it's the top of the heater chimney for the refrigerator. Fresh air in from the bottom, up through the fins on the upper rear of the fridge and out the top vent is critical for proper refrigerator operation. If it's working as it sits, leave it. Does the ABS pipe move? If it's loose, then maybe it needs to be secured but then you have to remove the vent or cut away the screen and then replace the screen (easier than removing the vent). You'll have to determine if the pipe needs to be more secure. Can you use a long screwdriver and push on the pipe to see how much it moves?
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Old 07-31-2020, 05:39 PM   #3
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I'll check the pipe movement tomorrow.
Refrigerator works 100%.
Any thoughts on the tape?
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Old 07-31-2020, 05:49 PM   #4
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On second thought, you could snip three sides of that screen, flap it back and do your repairs and then flap it back, take some bailing wire and "stitch" it back in place. The tape is there to seal up the roof attic I believe. Not sure how it got bent like that, might be from the factory. Can you make out a gap that was covered by the tape, at one point?
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:03 PM   #5
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As long as everything is working properly, leave it be. That ABS pipe is most likely a waste tank vent, it isn’t going anywhere and if it hasn’t fallen into the tank by now it probably won’t.

If that tape is really bothering you, it would be faster IMO to pull the fridge part way out, reach up and do whatever.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:16 PM   #6
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If ever there was a case for saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"... This is it !!!

We're talking about a 10+ year old trailer with the OEM roof vent and side vent. If they have worked 100% for the past 10 years, is there any reason to expect that they won't last for the next 10 years (as far as structural integrity, tightness, positioning of components, etc) ???

The plastic vent is probably a tank vent (but I've not seen a tank vented into the refrigerator compartment) and the tape is probably a mod done by someone to help increase the heat retention during winter camping ???? (that's only a WAG, not even a SWAG)...

At any rate, if the refrigerator is "working 100%" all I'd do is clean out any cobwebs, vacuum the floor under and around the back of the refrigerator and reinstall that lower vent access door.

Aluminum tape, hanging in that area, behind and above the back side of the refrigerator is, for the most part, "out of sight, out of mind"... I'd stop looking at it and forget it was even there... Sort of like my old dog used to do when we'd yell at him to do something (he was hard of hearing).. If he didn't look at us, he didn't have to respond to our yells, so if he was doing someting "HE wanted to do" he'd never look our way.....

Stop looking at the tape, If it doesn't hear you, it won't look your way... Ignore it like it's ignoring you.....
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:24 PM   #7
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Question

John- I just did some major electrical work on a 2020 Bullet that required removal of the fridge. There was a tank vent tucked into the corner.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:30 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
John- I just did some major electrical work on a 2020 Bullet that required removal of the fridge. There was a tank vent tucked into the corner.
Now I've "seen one" (in post #1) and heard of another.... Today is a "learning day for this old fart" !!!!!
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:53 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Now I've "seen one" (in post #1) and heard of another.... Today is a "learning day for this old fart" !!!!!
Here's the heard of another...
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Old 07-31-2020, 07:05 PM   #10
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One more thing is that the white cover on the side with the long slots is also the access to the important parts of your fridge. It opens by putting a coin in the two slotted black pieces at the top then turning them 90 degrees. Usually does not matter which way. If you open it, make sure you turn them again after you put it back on or you will have an ugly hole there when you get to your destination. BTDT! That pipe you see in the fridge vent is the equivalent to the pipes your home has sticking through the roof to allow your drains ti work properly. Happy camping!
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Old 08-01-2020, 05:19 AM   #11
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Thanks all, I'll add a bead of ICOR in any suspect spots and put the cover back on!
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Old 08-01-2020, 08:29 AM   #12
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Thanks all, I'll add a bead of ICOR in any suspect spots and put the cover back on!
Don't forget, when you reinstall the top refrigerator vent cover, fill those holes (above the screws) with DICOR. If you don't, water will collect in the "cups" formed by the holes and will freeze, crack and destroy the plastic cover over the winter.
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Old 08-01-2020, 03:50 PM   #13
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The black ABS pipe is the grey tank vent, and it doesn’t need to have 100% open
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