Nicro solar powered vent

[frede]

I want to put a solar vent in the window above the head in my . But some of the reviews on the Nicro solar powered vents aren't very good. Has anyone used a Sunforce Solar Vent on their boat? I used passive vents in my 25 and 26D but was looking to upgrade and the Sunforce is only about $20 more.

[March]

The problem with the Nicro, I think, is the battery. On the first one I installed, the battery lasted for only two seasons. After that, the daylight charge wouldn't carry through the night anymore. I changed the battery with a cheaper one from Menards, and it was still too weak.
I installed a second Nicro over the head, and it worked perfectly last summer. This time I took the unit inside. Maybe the problem with the first battery was, it was kept on the boat over winter. We'll see how things work out this summer.
Other than that, I have no qualms with Nicro

[Tomfoolery]

I don't have experience with that ventilator, but I've had older Nicro units, which lasted for a very long time. The current crop seems to have reliability issues, and maybe battery issues, too. For what they cost, I've decided against any kind of powered ventilator.

I now have a passive ventilator in the forward hatch, with a water tight o-ring seal when closed (only closed for really rough water), plus a low-profile cowl vent (no dorade, though) in the sliding hatch, plus a square louver in the fixed head port, plus two opening ports in the cockpit seat walls, with internal rain shields and screens (they are always open, except when trailering), and I may add another square vent in the galley fixed port, across from the head. I have no stuffy 'boat smell' issues any more, even with the boat closed up for a week, so I'm happy. And since there are no moving parts, there's nothing to break.

[yukonbob]

Anyone had any structural issues with installing in the window (By structural I mean structure of the very thin window) cracking etc? I really want to install one and hte window is the only part of the deck I would want to put it.

[Chinook]

I installed one in the head window, and have had no problems with it. I think the main trick with installing it in the lexan window is making the original installation cut. I worried about chipping or cracking the window if I tried using a saber saw, and so instead used my router. I made a circle template out of Masonite, and screwed it into place, using the little bolts which attach the window to the boat. I drilled a hole in the lexan, stuck a plunge cutter bit into the hole, and made a perfect cut with no problem.

[frede]

I'd be cutting with a Dremel Trio

[Tomfoolery]

I used a hole saw for the main hole, but cracked it drilling a mounting hole (small hole for #6 or #8 machine screw), mainly because I pushed too hard. Use a sharp bit, and let it feed itself, and you shouldn't have a problem.

I used square vents, one inside and one outside, with the inside vent 'upside down' so the louvers were still aimed to drain outboard. The window is sandwiched between them, with butyl tape around the entire inside vent, and all around except the bottom corners for the outside, so any water that may get in there has a place to drain out.

I had a SS vent on there, but it looked terrible, so I switched it out to a black plastic one, which blends right into the smoked, almost black plexi (or is it Lexan?).

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I've got a NIcro in the port side skylight. The fan works fine. I replace the battery with an Energizer rechargeable battery and have had no problems.

[DamienCh]

Also, with a solar vent, it's important to make sure the prop is balanced properly, else, you'll have issues with the motor in few months.

There is a video to explain how to do this:
https://youtu.be/FREGvXFdu-Q

[kurz]

Even I have used a solar vent for years now I am not sure if it is really a good idea.
If you want bring bad smell out of the boat it will work fine.

But if you want blow out humidity out of the boat (as most of us want to do...) the solar vent may be the wrong way to go.

Why? Wenn you have much of sun the vent is blowing in new air from outside the boat. This is the same time when it is the warmest time of the day.

So warm air takes more humidity. Daytime you bring humid air into the boat.

When it gets dark the solar vent stops. The very humid air gets colder in the night. And what happens? The relative humidity of the air inside the boats rises.
And exactly this we tried to battle against with the solar vent.

Should it not be visa versa: Blow in cold dry air in the night. Stop blowing daytime. The boat dries becouse of the air from the night gets daytime much more dry becouse of the higth temperature. Then start the process again in the night.

Am I wrong?

by the way: I solved the problem now with an electric air dryer (220V). Works great so far!!!

[DamienCh]

Works fine if you have shore power h24...

In my case, I have to press a button to have 8 hours of shore power, then I have to press button again ...
And I guess I'm not the only one!

[Starscream]

I've had problems with the Nicro fans. The batteries are not the problem: you can replace them easily with a 9V rechargeable battery, and it will last through the night if it got a reasonable charge during the day. The problem is that after about two years of operation, the motor/shaft/propeller might start to squeak and vibrate, and they are sealed units that are unrepairable as far as I am concerned. I installed a small (3") one in the forward hatch, the first one only lasted two years and its replacement, which is now two years old, is starting to squeak loudly like the last one did. My experience with Nicro is that the quality is not very good.

They are reversible and you can set them up to exhaust or supply: we use the exhaust setting in the very unrealistic hope that it will make the rest of the holes in the boat a little less obvious to the mosquitoes.

[sailboatmike]

i have 2 solar vents, they must be best part of 20 years old and one hardly moved and the other was noisy when I got the boat.

I just pulled them out, gave the a good clean and sprayed some silicon of he shafts and they run nice and quiet now.

[DamienCh]

The problem is that after about two years of operation, the motor/shaft/propeller might start to squeak and vibrate, and they are sealed units that are unrepairable as far as I am concerned.

I'm surprised yours are sealed. Usually you can access :
- To the propeller (so you can balance it properly, it will be better for the shaft and increase its life)
- To the motor/shaft by removing the solar panel
Is it really different from what I have in my video?

[Starscream]

The problem is that after about two years of operation, the motor/shaft/propeller might start to squeak and vibrate, and they are sealed units that are unrepairable as far as I am concerned.

I'm surprised yours are sealed. Usually you can access :
- To the propeller (so you can balance it properly, it will be better for the shaft and increase its life)
- To the motor/shaft by removing the solar panel
Is it really different from what I have in my video?

Yeah I tried to take the first one apart once to see if I could fix the rattles...not a simple thing to do and you end up with a little motor completely encased in a plastic shell, through which the shaft protrudes. The wheel is just a little plastic piece that slides on the motor shaft and stays there by friction. If I remember correctly, I had a really hard time disconnecting the electrical bits: it seemed to me that the Nicro unit is really not at all made to be serviced.