Does the typical bunkend fan/light move air and provide light well enough to be worthwhile to buy? My concern is wheather or not these syle of fans, that clip to the bunkend ceiling poles & plug into the 12v system, move air enough to notice a difference in comfort and does the light function well? I saw two styles: carefree fan-t-see (yes, thats it's name) and the typical one sold with Fleetwood campers. Any info. will be appreciated.
Quote from: outdoors5Does the typical bunkend fan/light move air and provide light well enough to be worthwhile to buy? My concern is wheather or not these syle of fans, that clip to the bunkend ceiling poles & plug into the 12v system, move air enough to notice a difference in comfort and does the light function well? I saw two styles: carefree fan-t-see (yes, thats it's name) and the typical one sold with Fleetwood campers. Any info. will be appreciated.
We use ours every camp-out. We use it mainly for the light but the fan works well too. We don't want it to blow hard. I feel that it moves just the right amount of air.
We also use ours every trip. I don't like the fan-t-see, I like the other one. :)
I made fan/light combos out of a similar battery operated version I found at WalMart. I removed the battery portion and wired it to work off the 12v plug on the ceiling light fixture. We used the fan on most every trip we made. The light was very weak, more like a nightlight, so we didn't really use that function much. The fan is a requirement if you're using a separate electric heater in the camper. Heat won't move into the bunk ends without a fan.
We have the Fleetwood type and use ours every trip. Not only do they move the air into the bunks (quite well actually), but the fan noise is good for drowning out a certain snoring beagle and even neigbors chatting around their campfire at 2am. I find that if you hang them upsidedown with the light facing the roof, the light reflects off of the ceiling and is much brighter than facing down.
All previous responses are correct. It depends on what you want to accomplish. Here's my opinion:
Fan - good for light air movement within the bunk end. Ideal for sleeping as it is quiet and does not blow enough air to be disturbing. (I have one.) If you want a fan to cool the entire pop up, get a 12V marine fan. They occillate and can be felt from one side to the other, even in the opposite bunk end. (I have two).
Light - Good as auxillary lighting for the bunk end in lieu of flashlight. If you want a reading light, 12V lamps made for boats are the way to go. I have one on my sailboat and plan to add one to my pop up.
There is a fair amount of variety in bunk end lights.
With the ones we have, the light is little more than a night light, OK for after little ones have gone to bed, but not enough to read by. The fan is a bit noisy.
We use the light nearly every night, but only use the fan if there is a good reason.
Austin
We definitely use ours if we are in a/c season and leave the dogs in the camper. This way, if the power goes out, at least the fan running off of 12V will continue to run on the battery and keep the dogs cool.
We use ours mainly to cool the camper on hot days, one on each bunk gives really good circulation day and night (2 speeds). Our furnace fan, loud as it may be, seems to circulate the air into the bunk ends just fine on the chilly nights so we do not use them for that. Our lights are also bright enough to light up the bunks really good, almost too bright for a night light. Ours came with the camper, we did not need to purchase afterwards.
Hi, New member here.
Instead of one of the fan/light combos, I picked up a $9.99 'clip on" fan at Walmart and changed the plug to a 1/4" plug ( Radio Shack ). I also spliced in a 1/4" jack in to the cord for a light. For a light, I picked up a cheap dome light ( Walmart again ). The dome light has a switch built in. I added 3 feet of lampcord and a 1/4" plug. To the backside of the dome light I rivetted a broom clip, and the light clips onto the shepard's pole above my head.
The dome gives a lot of light for reading, and I can choose to plug either the fan or light, or both in when I want them.
Ira
As most have already said, I think you will find this a useful addition. The fan will move air well but the light is not enough to read by, consider it light to dress and move about the trailer.
I purchased my pair of fan/light combos new on ebay for $25 each. They retail at the Fleetwood dealer for $75 ea. The cheapest I found them online was $50. They work great and provide good white noise as a bonus.
We got the bunk end fans when we purchased our Starcraft and use them all the time for light and moving the air around. They work really well when the AC is running by getting the right amount of cool air into the bunk ends. Even when the privacy curtain is closed, there's still enough split in the curtain to still be effective.
We use ours every trip. Although when it is really hot we have a small floor fan which we put in the bunkend we are not using, and move the air through the entire PU. This seems to cool it down very nicely.
I don't think I'd actually purchase them but luckily they came with both our Niagara and HTT. We use them to play games on our bunkend in the evening and when it's warm, we use the fan. Pretty handy gadget.
Wouldn't be without it...It came with our Rockwood, but only one. I would like to have a second one for the other bunkend.
They are a must have. We have the Fleetwood versions and we use them every trip. They give off good light and move air nicely. We put one over our dinette table and one in our bunk end. They are so good I would pay the $75.00 if I didn't already have 3 of them. Another nice thing is the "canvas of many pockets" We use it as a storall for many things and it hangs by the galley.
I don't know what happened to them, but the Pop Up Times store used to sell them! I bought two of them from PUT and they were great quality. In my opinion, the light was bright and the fan was good. It wasn't a wind tunnel, but it was the perfect size.
Now, someone tell me what happened to the PUT store?!
I don't know what happened to the PUT store but, you can get alot of stuff over at the PUX store. That's where all the PUT stuff is at. I'm not sure if the lights are there or not.
We also use two sometimes 3 clip on fans that you plug into the outlets and I bought one of those push lights operated off of batteries for bunk light for reading etc. They provide just the right level of air to circulate the ac or on a warm day just to circulate the air.
We have the Fleetwood bunk fan/light. I'm going to get another one. I did find that while cooking the fan is perfect for pushing just enough heat from the stove out through the partially unzipped window. Also great for sleeping under. I will also be getting a small box fan for outside the camper door. I have seen others that use these while sitting under the awning, and it also helps prevent bugs from gathering.
We use our fan light quite a bit. We find the fan moves the air quite nicely. Is much quieter than the AC.