Stealthy Flange

Mod: Roof Vent – Part Three

This part of the installation is not absolutely necessary, but my desire to stay as stealthy as possible (my definition to keep the exterior of the van mostly unmodified). The MaxxAir vent has a massive black top, yet the flange, with which it is attached to the roof, is strikingly white. With the dark colored van, I decided to paint this part black and to consistently use black sealants.
It will add a substantial amount of work to the installation of the roof vent with only limited benefits; If you’re not a perfectionist, you could consider this step of the installation process.

 

 


Project Roof Vent Content

Exterior Adapter
Interior Adapter
Stealthy Flange
MaxxAir 6200K Roof Vent


What You’ll Learn:

  • How and why to use an adhesion promoter on TPO.
  • Basic paint skills.

What You’ll Use:

  • Painter’s tape.
  • Sandpaper 220 grit.
  • Paper towels.
  • Dry cloth.
  • Drop cloth.

What You’ll Need:

Approximate Duration: 2 hours.


Considerations

Painting the flange is an option that I applied to minimize visibility of the roof vent. While hardly or not visible at all from the street, I decided to paint the ‘white stripe’ below the black vent hood. To be entirely correct, the white exterior housing of the vent, visible when the MaxxAir is open, should also be painted, but this is more difficult to accomplish.
The flange is made of TPO (Thermo Plastic Olefin), which is notoriously difficult to paint, as it has little surface adhesion. AirXcel, the company that makes the vent, advises to use a specialized industrial paint combination to achieve the right results. That is however not available as a consumer product. They were very helpful to direct me to alternate products, but they could not guarantee the results.
To complete the entire package, I will also use black Silicone, black Butyl tape and black Dicor as sealants during the installation.


The Project

  • Tape off the exposed areas with painters tape.
  • Be sure to cover the rubber insert.
  • Lightly sand the flange.
  • Clean with a dry cloth.
  • Clean the flange with mineral spirits.
  • Clean with plain water.
  • Spray two light coats of the Adhesion Promoter.
  • Apply three coats of the black trim paint.
  • Let it dry between coats.
  • Finally, remove the painters tape.

Conclusion

A simple project that doesn’t need any tools, just some patience and a few hours to let it dry. While I don’t know, how it will work out longterm, I was quite satisfied with the result.


Other projects of this Van Conversion:


Disclaimer:
I’m just a DIY’er with a lot of common sense, but with some of the projects I do use some tools and materials, when you really have to know, what you’re doing. Always read the manual and consult an expert if you’re in doubt.

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