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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/11/2014 : 05:14:20

3 years, one month ( install 6/11 )

I'll buy another one. Remove three screws and change out the top part that includes the fan. Probably wire a computer fan in the old one, sometime this winter, to wire to the house battery when the new one dies.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9014 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 05:46:22

My latest one ran for about a year, and quit. I tried a little WD-40... Nothing. Not a good showing.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 08/11/2014 05:46:42

glen
Captain

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359 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 08:48:00

I assume you tried replacing the battery.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 09:33:15

<< replaced the battery >>

Yepper.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5232 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 12:13:52

Usta be good, but recently IMO their quality has suffered. I really hope that the Nicrovent people read this and improve quality.
I have given West Marine total hell already about mine.
Yes, you can wire in a computer cooling fan, but check on whether the fan runs on 5 VDC or 12VDC. If you apply 12 to 14V to a 5V motor you will get toast, and possibly a fire.
If it turns out you have a 5VDC motor, you can still use it - just wire a few 1/2 Watt resistors in series or a 5VDC voltage regulator.

Edited by - Voyager on 09/03/2014 08:04:57

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 12:32:18

I bought a 12 volt computer fan from MicroCenter some time back. A winter project.

Edited by - on

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 12:32:53

Here are the things you seek........

I think......

[url="http://store.sundancesolar.com/motor-for-solar-projects-1-5v-to-12v-dc/"]Solar Motor[/url]

[url="http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=70675"]Motor instructions[/url]

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2014 : 12:44:21

<< Here are the things you seek >>

I think I'm gonna go with wiring it switched to the house battery.. I think my 12 watt solar panel will keep the computer fan running. ( costs about $10 and uses about .15 amps )

I'm not in salt water.

It is very tempting to simply wire the $9 "solar" motor in with a new housing... If I was in salt water I would.

Edited by - redeye on 08/11/2014 12:44:47

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5232 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2014 : 17:17:24

Good deal. I took apart an old VCR or CD player and there were a few small motors in it that worked fine. One opened the door, another moved the turntable. They looked just like the one pictured here. One of these drifter days I'm going to pull out the old unit and replace it with the CD player motor.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2014 : 18:44:09

We had this unit on a previous C25. When the motor failed the manufacturer said we had to buy a whole new unit for > $90. Really?

We replaced it with one of these - opens, keeps the weather out and has a screen.

http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/boat-vents-ventilation/vetus/stainless-steel-mushroom-vents10141-1014351.bhtml

Edited by - OJ on 08/13/2014 18:45:13

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5232 Posts

Response Posted - 08/15/2014 : 08:19:03

Pulled the unit off the boat and brought it home. I checked the motor, opened it up and the bearings were dry. I cleaned them with paint thinner and this time I'm trying graphite as a lube - the kind you use for door locks. Maybe a dry lube won't get gummy like WD or silicone spray.
Now it spins easy and runs on a AA battery. May be another season in this motor. The other motor from the CD player was a bit smaller and had a shorter spindle, so it might have worked, or it might not.

Edited by - Voyager on 08/15/2014 08:31:42

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 08/15/2014 : 09:51:43

The problem with Vetus is they use odd hole sizes. That means you don't have the option a Nicro sized hole provides.

Edited by - on

DavidBuoy
Admiral

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USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 08/19/2014 : 12:16:47

Redeye,

Here's an alternative that has been working great for me. Based on the computer fan idea. Obviously you could make it a little less wieldy but for no tools it came out alright. It's set on a timer to come online for an hour, then off for 3, then repeat. Cycles a buuunnch of air.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 08/19/2014 : 12:22:07

That would take care of the dirt dobbers also!

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 08/20/2014 : 12:04:30

Reminds me of the BassoMatic, yum chopped mud daubbers sprayed all over the cabin.

Edited by - on

DavidBuoy
Admiral

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USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2014 : 18:35:14

Haha what are these dirt daubbers??

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9014 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2014 : 19:01:13

quote:
Originally posted by DavidBuoy

Haha what are these dirt daubbers??

Wasps that build mud tunnels with eggs that hatch into a dozen or so wasps. They find all sorts of semi-hidden spots to build them, like inside sail covers, in wire races and electrical compartments, on top of VHF radios, behind wiper motors,... (Sorry--talking about my $+!nkp*+ again...

) Actually, the "dirt" is mud they make from wood fiber and their own "solvent"--I see them eating wood on our dock before they move on to my boat.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 08/26/2014 19:06:15

DavidBuoy
Admiral

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USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2014 : 20:06:22

Ahhh! Nasty suckers, and the admiral is terrified of bees! Hopefully the metal screening keeps those guys out.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5232 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2014 : 08:25:31

FYI - I just got a flyer from West Marine on my email and whaddaya think is on sale? NicroVents! Time to buy if you can get them for a boatbuck. Edit: well, it's really $129.99, but you can get 3" or 4" in plastic or stainless steel at that price. Usually $184.99.

Edited by - Voyager on 08/27/2014 08:28:35

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2014 : 10:15:58

Thank You Voyager. Got it in the car to change out when I get the chance ... and 2 years to retrofit the old one with some new wonder of my own invention.

Edited by - redeye on 09/03/2014 09:14:26

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2014 : 17:38:14

My most recent Nicro died within a year. Solar powered no-battery model.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5232 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2014 : 17:41:42

Disappointing that yet another unit died. Wonder how many inoperative units are out there now???

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2014 : 18:54:42

quote:
Originally posted by Voyager

Disappointing that yet another unit died. Wonder how many inoperative units are out there now???

We've been discussing this product for years. Same old answer - "you can't buy just the motor . . . you have to buy the whole unit" - which is why our current boat will never see one.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2269 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2014 : 19:06:49

When I got my boat almost 5 years ago, I went to get a Nicro vent and they had all been recalled from the dealers, so they were unavailable. I waited a few months and they were still not available. Meanwhile, I was reading about all sorts of reliability problems. It didn't help that of the dozens of boats that I saw during 5 months of shopping, not a single one had a working Nicro vent. Every one of them was non-functional.

So I went a different direction, keeping my boat sealed up as tightly as possible, and running a Peltier-type dehumidifier 24/7 (when shore power is available). I think it is a superior alternative if you have electric. It pulls out about a quart of water a week, and the humidity never gets above 55%. During a short period when I didn't have shore power, the humidity went up above 80%. I keep it Velcro'ed to the galley shelf so it stays in place when I'm heeling.

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Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2014 : 05:46:17

<< you can't buy just the motor >>

Ah but you can buy the motor now... Davy J showed the link earlier.. I had read about the process in some other forums. I expect the newer,bigger, cheeper solar panels may have made the nicro vent fan outdated.

I like to go over the option out loud here in case you guys see somethink boneheaded I might be planning... and now I'm thinkin I'll add another solar panel inside to power a computer fan...

I've still got my original solar panel I usta use for the battery.

I'll test it at home some before an install...

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9014 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2014 : 06:37:07

Are you including a rechargeable battery in the plan? It's at night that you want the fan to run, to pull out the damp daytime air before it "dews" in the boat, and replace it with cooled air that has "dewed" outside.

Also, that window, which will not be perpendicular to the sun, will reflect a considerable amount of light. I suspect the solar panel might generate only something like 30% of what it would on deck.

Edited by - on

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