Hello! I am converting a Promaster and I have heard over and over the importance of a good roof vent. It seems like a Maxx Air is a good system but I was wondering if anyone has a Dometic Heki 2 De Luxe with the venting feature. Does this work as a good alternative to a more traditional vent? I assume the hatch must be open to vent. Is this a problem? I have thought about installing both the Maxx Air and the Heki. Would this be overkill? Any opinions on the Heki 2 would be helpful as user reviews seem scarce.
Thanks!
Greetings!
You couldn’t pay me enough to put holes in the roof of my camper van, but then I have lots of glorious opening windows. If I was starting with a cargo van, I’d add windows, not holes in my roof.
Cheers!
"Mobile friendly income first, vandwelling later." ~ RoadMoney
An opening is an opening… so if you are merely looking to vent air to the outside on hot breezy days than of course this will work.
Sadly, in most cases when you’re worried about heat you’re going to need more airflow inside the van to keep things cool, which means adding a fan of some sort and there’s really no better place to add one that inside that vent in the roof… so why not put in the maxxair to begin with?
I also haven’t personally experienced the window, so my first question would be whether it has to be closed/clamped down in a heavy rain. Is so- it’s an absolute no as you would have to be sealing off the very ventilation you put it in place for during weather where you’ll need the airflow to reduce moisture!
Greetings!
Bottom opening, tip out windows are much more rain friendly than most roof vents, and instead of an expensive roof vent, an under $20 12v fan will give you even more airflow than a roof vent.
If shade, open windows, and a fan aren’t enough, then you need active cooling power. Swamp coolers are the best I’ve found, and can be powered by 12v, or even a USB port, so they’re also very energy efficient.
Cheers!
"The grass is always greener... Until you get there..." ~ Happy Camper