Maxxfan and the "trick" with drilling laterally to get 12v supply to the fan?

[PaulC70]

Can someone explain to me in idiot terms what they did to get the 12v supply to the maxxfan? I've taken off the interior covers and theres no evidence of wiring sadly :-(
I've seen mention of long drill bits and copper pipe?

 

[Raul]

Depending what material you going trough.

 

[Jev88]

Pictures and let us know roof construction? Yes I have seen people use cooper pipe hammered along and the core plug of polystyrene or similar roof material pulled out and the void used for cables. Or in one case left the pipe in place and pushed wires through it.

 

[PaulC70]

 

[PaulC70]

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[PaulC70]

Hope those photos work as I am doing this from the mobile. The first one shows the rough 30 cm distance from the edge to the cabinets and the second shows a close-up of the material which is quite hard feeling?

 

[Landy Andy]

It’s just polystyrene so will drill easy or melt. So you could just use something hot. If me I would use a long drill bit but twisted by hand to go through the material. You want to be sure no cables pass across your route, or panel joints.

 

[PaulC70]

I have to admit the more I look at this the more I might just use a little bit of mini trunking and be done with it

 

[PaulC70]

It’s just polystyrene so will drill easy or melt. So you could just use something hot. If me I would use a long drill bit but twisted by hand to go through the material. You want to be sure no cables pass across your route, or panel joints.

hmmm how would I tell if theres any cables or panel joints though?

 

[Toady]

Watching with interest as I want to fit a Maxfan.

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[jockaneezer]

Aesthetically, I'm not a fan of mini trunking. We had some in our van when we bought it, bright white trunking over cherry wood panels ! It took a while to find some, but I replaced it with wood grain effect that was a much better match.
If it was me, I'd go at the foam slowly with a piece of copper pipe (you might get a meter length of the thinnish stuff that they plumb domestic gas fires in with from a plumber's merchant, plus it's nice and straight too ?) and have a go that way, otherwise every time it catches your eye, you'd be thinking "I wish I'd hidden that cable "

 

[Poutie57]

Started off using copper pipe but the foam was to dense so used a very long masonry drill by hand 1st the when there was enough room attached the drill to it

 

[Realist]

When I installed mine in our old Motorhome I drilled using a long bit to the nearest light and used that as a 12v feed.

Hardest part was getting the old roof light off the roof and cleaning up around the hole.

 

[ivorantony]

I didn’t have a long enough drill bit to do mine so used a metre length of studding, I ground the tip to make a cutting edge and it went through the foam core very easy, when I reached the cabinet there was a timber piece in the roof I didn’t know about But slow drilling and through in no time at all,
thread the wire using a plastic pull through and the rest was easy,

 

[Raul]

That’s extruded polystyrene, quite rigid but will break easily even with a flat pointed rod. There is a helix coil rod forgot the name, looks like a drill bit without tip. Comes in meter lengths, it’s used in the mortar joints to reinforce cracking walls. It’s about 1/2 diameter or less and seen it used by Electritions on site to go trough PIR with cables.

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[archie3161]

That’s extruded polystyrene, quite rigid but will break easily even with a flat pointed rod. There is a helix coil rod forgot the name, looks like a drill bit without tip. Comes in meter lengths, it’s used in the mortar joints to reinforce cracking walls. It’s about 1/2 diameter or less and seen it used by Electritions on site to go trough PIR with cables.

Amazon sell a pack of two for just under £19

 

[Stealaway]

I heated up a piece of 8mm copper pipe and pushed it through the polystyrene insulation. Quite easily really.

 

[autorouter]

Don't like to bear bad news, but I hope you realise that polystyrene reacts with PVC wiring over the long term, and makes it brittle. I think it's usual, when running wiring through the roof, to put it in a channel lined with rockwool insulation. Maybe that's the reason they used a copper pipe as the OP mentioned.

 

[PaulC70]

thanks all, so, IF I go down the channel route I guess my biggest worry is how exactly will I know where to then drill upwards to meet the channel?

 

[Bobby-gg]

How strange, I've just fitted my maxxfan this morning, but mines in a pvc and was easy to run the cable's within the roof area!

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[gus-lopez]

thanks all, so, IF I go down the channel route I guess my biggest worry is how exactly will I know where to then drill upwards to meet the channel?

Accurate measurements . 27 times then check again.

 

[jockaneezer]

thanks all, so, IF I go down the channel route I guess my biggest worry is how exactly will I know where to then drill upwards to meet the channel?

Cos the roof's aluminium, push a piece of steel bar down the hole and see if you can locate it with a magnet ?

 

[autorouter]

Don't like to bear bad news, but I hope you realise that polystyrene reacts with PVC wiring over the long term, and makes it brittle.

To avoid confusion, I should have made clear that by PVC I mean Poly Vinyl Chloride, the standard insulation plastic for house and automotive wiring insulation.

 

[Landy Andy]

A bit of flex plastic trunking inside the polystyrene works

 

[Casper46]

We managed to get most of our cable hidden except for the first couple of inches where it leaves the fan. I now have a pretty decorative butterfly covering the cable. If the cable was white instead of black it would have merged with the roof.

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[Captain Yoghurtpot]

I have to admit the more I look at this the more I might just use a little bit of mini trunking and be done with it

That would be my way, personally.

 

[PaulC70]

Going to have a look again today and make a decision

 

[Landy Andy]

thanks all, so, IF I go down the channel route I guess my biggest worry is how exactly will I know where to then drill upwards to meet the channel?

That is why I would use a solid item to make the void in the insulation, so you can be sure of it’s direction. Otherwise it will choose its own route.

 

[Geordiewal n worlass]

Going to have a look again today and make a decision

Hi Paul, really interested in what you did in the end as I have exactly the same dilemma. Cheers.

 

[Bobbydaisy]

There’s another thread about this recently on the forum , the guy used a length of screwed rod to push through the insulation into a cupboard to pick up the power supply .

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