? Picking a Nicro solar vent ?

[akio.kanemoto]

Originally Posted by witzgall

Hi All;

Can any of these vents be made 100% waterproof? I would love to put one up in the v-birth area, but I would need to be assured that it could be "dogged down" when sailing in weather/waves.

Also, Any recommendations for a non-solar vent? The other place I would like to put a vent is in the galley, but the overhead there is under the dodger, so solar won't work.

Chris

Can it be mounted on a dorade box? One thing I'm planning for the dorade boxes+vents is a removable top plate, so that the inside can be accessed.. and inside, the pipe going into the boat will be standard PVC pipe, but with a threaded cap (they come with o-rings too) which can be positively closed offshore etc for extra safety..

[Pblais]

Can it be mounted on a dorade box?

I think it's no problem if the box is large enough. Removing them is easier if you use a flat head screw driver to tap from the bottom rather than prying from the top. Either way this is a slow is pro job. The plastic is hard and breaks if not patient.

I'm not sure what you hope to avoid using the dorade box other than an extra hole. Cutting a large hole in a small piece of material leaves it very thin at the margins and subject to breakage. Crew members step on the dorade boxes. The other issue with dorades is depending on the orientation they exhaust or they supply air. The Nicro fans can be set up either way but you might need a switch to reverse them since they won't be accessible from inside the dorade. The dorade orientation has to match the rotation direction of the fan. Should the two be opposing you will divert the flow from the dorade. It can be a power boost to the dorade or the opposite. With a good breeze the dorade really won't need the fan.

Where you place them and how you use the exhaust or supply feature is more the key. You want to establish good air flow so that as temperatures and humidity changes you can exhaust moist air made up from outside dry air. In the head is a good place since the shower makes moisture quickly. If running air conditioning you are fighting yourself. You do need to set up a procedure how to configure the dorades and fans based on the situation.

[Hud3]

They have an annular plastic sleeve that slides up and down inside to seal off the air intake. If you forget to close it when underway in heavy weather, you'll get some water coming in, but the sleeve does a good job of keeping it out if you keep a bit of silicone grease on it. I wouldn't install a Nicro on a forward hatch where it would be subjected to green water coming over the cabin roof in big seas.

[s/v Beth]

I just installed one this spring. As HUD says, it has a piston that can be pushed up-sealing the vent. Haven't gotten a drop of water inside yet, just quite cool air. I would recommend them.