Is there 12v power for a ceiling fan/vent in the 2021 Cougar Half-tons?

[JackinDixie]

Our new RV has a ceiling vent in the living room area on our 2021 Cougar Half-Ton 29RKS. I would like to install a remote controlled ceiling vent/fan IF there is 12v available in the ceiling. The current vent is manual and approx. 11 feet from the floor. Too high for us to reach to manually operate.

Does anyone know if there is a 12v power source in the ceiling near the manual vent? I'd like to install a powered MAXAIR Vent/fan IF there is 12v power in the ceiling near the current vent.

Thanks for your time!

Jack

[chuckster57]

Odds are if there isn’t 12V at the vent, there are 12V wires going by, close that you could tap into. Just reach around for 2 conductor stranded wire. White will be ground and striped (tracer) will be hot.

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by JackinDixie

Our new RV has a ceiling vent in the living room area on our 2021 Cougar Half-Ton 29RKS. I would like to install a remote controlled ceiling vent/fan IF there is 12v available in the ceiling. The current vent is manual and approx. 11 feet from the floor. Too high for us to reach to manually operate.

Does anyone know if there is a 12v power source in the ceiling near the manual vent? I'd like to install a powered MAXAIR Vent/fan IF there is 12v power in the ceiling near the current vent.

Thanks for your time!

Jack

Unfortunately, there is no way to be sure except by you looking. I think the factory is too inconsistent from model line to model line, let alone from camper to camper within a model line.

It's not hard to check, as long as you don't mind being on a ladder for your 11ft ceiling.

Remove the four screws holding white plastic beauty ring in place. Pull the square ring down, and before you do anything else, mark the side that goes towards the front. If you rotate it 90 or more degrees when you put it back, the screw holes won't line up.

Look for white wire that looks like lamp cord. One of the two wires will have a color stripe. That's the positive wire, the solid white is negative. But you're still not done.

Now you need to figure out if the wire is hot all the time, so you can control your fan at your whim. Or, did you snag a wire that powers your ceiling lights. That probably won't work as a fan power source because the fan would only work if the lights were on.

If it's power for the ceiling lights, fish around for another wire up there and test again.

On my previous RV, not Keystone, I found both 12vdc (for a MaxxAir style fan) and a 120vac outlet for a future air conditioner. On my present Keystone I have the InCommand. That's a lot more complicated. I want to install a MaxxAir in the bedroom vent which seems to be Pre-Wired for an air conditioner. I still have to figure out if I have a 12vdc hot all the time wire up there. But I've got too many projects ahead of that one.

Let us know what you find.

[JackinDixie]

Thanks Chuckster57 and Mikec557!

I also have the In-Command system and agree pulling power from a ceiling light would be counter-productive for my remotely operated MAXXAIR Ceiling fan.

Worse case I can pull 12v power from the bathroom ceiling fan and run a +/- 12v wire about 10 feet aft along the outside of the roof to the living room vent area. I'd like to NOT have to run wires across the roof (would use DICOR to seal the wires) if possible.

I'll grab my ladder an pull the ring off the current manual vent and see if I can fish out some wires in the ceiling to power my MAXAIR fan.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you guys and your families in 2021!

Thanks for the replies....

Jack

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by JackinDixie

Thanks Chuckster57 and Mikec557!

I also have the In-Command system and agree pulling power from a ceiling light would be counter-productive for my remotely operated MAXXAIR Ceiling fan.

Worse case I can pull 12v power from the bathroom ceiling fan and run a +/- 12v wire about 10 feet aft along the outside of the roof to the living room vent area. I'd like to NOT have to run wires across the roof (would use DICOR to seal the wires) if possible.

I'll grab my ladder an pull the ring off the current manual vent and see if I can fish out some wires in the ceiling to power my MAXAIR fan.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you guys and your families in 2021!

Thanks for the replies....

Jack

Just an idea... Harbor Freight sells a multi piece 1/8 inch diameter fiberglass fish. I bought the one that has 12in long pieces. Maybe you could begin fishing inside the attic space, from the kitchen towards the bathroom vent, screwing a new piece on as you extend. Might be able to keep your wires indoors this way.

The fish kit was a total of about 8ft, so you might have to buy two.

[chuckster57]

I would definitely run a fish line. You would have to drill 2 holes in the roof, that’s twice as many as I would.

[Brantel]

Keystone really has dropped the ball on several floorplans where they are installing vents that are unreachable without step ladders. My rig had a powered vent in the half bath that was unusable as well as a regular vent in the main living area that was as well. So I recently went thru this when replacing those vents with MaxxFans.

For the regular vent, I could not find any hot all the time wires running nearby so I decided to add a new one.

In my floorplan it was easy to fish a wire above the ceiling, over to the cabinet above my fridge, down behind the fridge and into the area that houses my converter and power panel under the oven. I removed the fridge's outside cover to gain access to the area behind the fridge,

There were several spare circuits in my power panel.

Be careful tapping existing circuits for these high power fans as they are rated to draw about 5 amps when at 100%. Just be sure you don't overload a circuit.

Looking at your floorplan, it appears that you would not be able to do what I did but maybe it can give you some ideas on what is possible.

As others have mentioned, you can do amazing things with those flexible fiberglass rods that you can buy at home supply stores and Harbor Freight. Get the kind that are made in sections so you can extend it as needed. You might need two sets to make it long enough. If you have enough patience, you likely could fish a wire a long ways across the ceiling/rafters of your rig.

[JackinDixie]

Thanks for all the info and ideas fellas! I'll post back after I rip out the useless manual vent and install my remote controlled vent fan.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All in 2021! 2020 can't be over soon enough for me...

[ewbldavis]

Originally Posted by Brantel

Keystone really has dropped the ball on several floorplans where they are installing vents that are unreachable without step ladders. My rig had a powered vent in the half bath that was unusable as well as a regular vent in the main living area that was as well. So I recently went thru this when replacing those vents with MaxxFans.

For the regular vent, I could not find any hot all the time wires running nearby so I decided to add a new one.

In my floorplan it was easy to fish a wire above the ceiling, over to the cabinet above my fridge, down behind the fridge and into the area that houses my converter and power panel under the oven. I removed the fridge's outside cover to gain access to the area behind the fridge,

There were several spare circuits in my power panel.

Be careful tapping existing circuits for these high power fans as they are rated to draw about 5 amps when at 100%. Just be sure you don't overload a circuit.

Looking at your floorplan, it appears that you would not be able to do what I did but maybe it can give you some ideas on what is possible.

As others have mentioned, you can do amazing things with those flexible fiberglass rods that you can buy at home supply stores and Harbor Freight. Get the kind that are made in sections so you can extend it as needed. You might need two sets to make it long enough. If you have enough patience, you likely could fish a wire a long ways across the ceiling/rafters of your rig.

Good info - thanks! I plan on updating/adding to our fans as well. Not sure if you tried - but main bath fan is on light switch, so we just leave it on and if lights are on, fan runs.

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by ewbldavis

Good info - thanks! I plan on updating/adding to our fans as well. Not sure if you tried - but main bath fan is on light switch, so we just leave it on and if lights are on, fan runs.

I did not know this until I got to the point of wiring the new fan and realized it would not run unless the lights were on. At that point I thought I was screwed since the remote version of the MaxxFan expects full time power but there was a hot all the time power wire ran along with the wires that fed the original fan. It was super easy to tap that line instead.

My wife could never reach the manual vent knob in the half bath so it made the upgrade to the fan almost a necessity for us.

[JackinDixie]

Upon further inspection, in our -29RKS, the left-side A/C vent and ductwork runs right past the bathroom exhaust ventilation fan and also right past the living room vent! (NOTE: Our bathroom lighting doesn't have to be ON to have power to the vent fan.)

The plan is to pull a 12-volt, always hot, wire w/ a ground from the bathroom fan, into the left A/C ductwork and then fish the wires out of the ductwork next to the manual ceiling vent mounted in the living area. Install rubber grommets for the entrance and exit holes made for the new wiring, and add some RTV silicon to ensure the ductwork is 'leak free'. Install the new MaxxAir Remote Controlled Ventilation fan w/rain sensor and we should be 'good to go'.

Thanks again for all the ideas, suggestions, and knowledge you guys shared with the group! Much appreciated...

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by JackinDixie

Upon further inspection, in our -29RKS, the left-side A/C vent and ductwork runs right past the bathroom exhaust ventilation fan and also right past the living room vent! Also, my bathroom lighting doesn't have to be ON to have power to the vent fan.

The plan is to pull a 12-volt, always hot, wire w/ a ground from the bathroom fan, into the left A/C ductwork and then fish the wires out of the ductwork next to the manual ceiling vent mounted in the living area! Install rubber grommets for the entrance and exit holes made for the new wiring, and add some RTV silicon to ensure the ductwork is 'leak free'. Install the new MaxxAir Remote Controlled Ventilation fan w/rain sensor and we should be 'good to go'.

Thanks again for all the ideas, suggestions, and knowledge you guys shared with the group! Much appreciated...

Have you pulled off one of the round "spinable" air conditioning ceiling ducts? I can't remember if it's my Keystone or my previous Grand Design, but my duct was made of a sort of soft flexible (maybe 1/16 inch thick) foam. I'm not sure how easy it will be to seal a puncture with a wire coming through it. Not saying you don't have a good plan, just saying you might want to investigate the duct work. Maybe you already have.

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by JackinDixie

Upon further inspection, in our -29RKS, the left-side A/C vent and ductwork runs right past the bathroom exhaust ventilation fan and also right past the living room vent! (NOTE: Our bathroom lighting doesn't have to be ON to have power to the vent fan.)

The plan is to pull a 12-volt, always hot, wire w/ a ground from the bathroom fan, into the left A/C ductwork and then fish the wires out of the ductwork next to the manual ceiling vent mounted in the living area. Install rubber grommets for the entrance and exit holes made for the new wiring, and add some RTV silicon to ensure the ductwork is 'leak free'. Install the new MaxxAir Remote Controlled Ventilation fan w/rain sensor and we should be 'good to go'.

Thanks again for all the ideas, suggestions, and knowledge you guys shared with the group! Much appreciated...

Awesome solution and I have seen many around the forums useing the ductwork for a wiring chase. One very famous Youtube vlogger and his wife did the same.

[JackinDixie]

Originally Posted by mikec557

Have you pulled off one of the round "spinable" air conditioning ceiling ducts? I can't remember if it's my Keystone or my previous Grand Design, but my duct was made of a sort of soft flexible (maybe 1/16 inch thick) foam. I'm not sure how easy it will be to seal a puncture with a wire coming through it. Not saying you don't have a good plan, just saying you might want to investigate the duct work. Maybe you already have.

Good morning Mike!

I have not tried to pull the round spinable air condition registers from the ceiling. Shouldn't need to since I plan to enter through a hole in the ductwork. According to what I've read and viewed at the Keystone RV website, they are using a more 'solid duct' than was used in the past. It's sort of rectangular shaped and I'm guessing about 2" tall and 10" wide. If memory serves me the duct is made of plastic with a small amount of insulation on the outside of the plastic duct. I'll confirm this when I pull the rings from the two manual crank-up ceiling vents.

If I can fish the wire along the OUTSIDE of the ductwork, that is the route I would take rather than through the duct itself. We shall see the best route when I get things disassembled.

Appreciate your input. My dad always told me "two heads are better than one." As a newcomer to the forum, I'm impressed with the amount of knowledge and willingness of members to share same with us 'nubes'. Much appreciated!

Take care!

[BookPaul74]

I all so want to replace the vent in the bathroom, it’s 9’ from the floor. But having spent a bunch on it since I acquired it in August, I’ll wait until next year. But for now I made an extension handle to reach it and turn it on. Figure the designer was around 8 feet tall. 🙄

The white plastic is a PVC 2” cap. I have a lot of dowel rods and split on in half and sanded them down for clearance. Used two part plastic epoxy and a handle from a vent for spacing. A second dowel is the handle.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by ewbldavis

Good info - thanks! I plan on updating/adding to our fans as well. Not sure if you tried - but main bath fan is on light switch, so we just leave it on and if lights are on, fan runs.

did you ever think about installing a pull chain fan switch?

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by cavie

did you ever think about installing a pull chain fan switch?

That may work for the switch but does not do much for the knob to open and close the vent.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Brantel

That may work for the switch but does not do much for the knob to open and close the vent.

There are several tools out on the market for that. Search "rv vent opening tool" and you'll see lot's of options.

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by flybouy

There are several tools out on the market for that. Search "rv vent opening tool" and you'll see lot's of options.

My tool of choice was a remote control.... LOL

[rlh1957]

As suggested, you will need to look.
Never take dealer, salesman or factory brochure as gospel.
Get on ladder, remove the screws to the bottom cover of the vent and look at the void space. There should be a pigtail or capped 12v wires just for vent fans.
I put in Maxxair on my 2020.

Your unit is also prewired for 2nd AC in the bedroom where the vent is located.