Oday 322 solar vents

DLB

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Aug 21, 2016
20
Oday 322 St Clair Shores
On my list of repairs are the solar vents in the head and aft cabin. One works anemically on occasion, the other, not at all. I see some replacements online. Has anyone repalaced theirs?
 
Aug 28, 2015
190
Oday 28 St Joseph, MI
If you have the Nicro type, you can sometimes replace the battery, depending on the model. May be worth a try as they're pretty expensive, $180 at West Marine. I thought the motor in mine was bad but after a $180 lesson I found the battery was just weak.
 
Feb 5, 2015
37
O'Day 302 Ottawa
We have the same solar vents on the O'Day 302. I replaced mine with new Nico solar vents. When I removed the old vents, I noticed that they were pretty gummed up with debrie and old spider webs. Not something you can see until you pull the blades off. I think the old ones might have been fine if I cleaned them up but I had already bought the new ones. But happy for the new ones. Something to keep in mind: the original O'Day vents are solar powered AND wired to house battery. Newer solar vents can run all night on their own battery power before having to charge up again so you may get away with new vents that are just solar (and cheaper).
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
,,,. May be worth a try as they're pretty expensive, $180 at West Marine. I thought the motor in mine was bad but after a $180 lesson I found the battery was just weak.
West usually has them for 99$ on Holiday weekend sales. Maybe they will have a MLK sale?.
 

DLB

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Aug 21, 2016
20
Oday 322 St Clair Shores
I will check the batteries and clean them first - wouldn't that be great! If not, I'll add it to the list...

Thanks for the responses.
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Newer designs are completely sealed and the batteries are only noted as good for two years in the manual that comes with the vent. Mine just died after about 2 years so I went back to the passive scoop ventilator. No way I'll keep paying for a new unit every two years.
 

DLB

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Aug 21, 2016
20
Oday 322 St Clair Shores
Opened it up the other day, is this the battery?
IMG_3918.JPG
IMG_3917.JPG
 
Dec 16, 2008
60
Pearson 422 FL & CT
Newer designs are completely sealed and the batteries are only noted as good for two years in the manual that comes with the vent. Mine just died after about 2 years so I went back to the passive scoop ventilator. No way I'll keep paying for a new unit every two years.
Is that just the Nicro vents or some other brand?
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Nicro. I can't comment on other brands. I noticed my fan stopped working this spring. Maybe two or three years old. I pulled the unit and found it's totally sealed. I was surprised the solar function was inoperable also. If I started the fan turning by hand the solar power would barely keep it turning.
 
Dec 16, 2008
60
Pearson 422 FL & CT
Nicro. I can't comment on other brands. I noticed my fan stopped working this spring. Maybe two or three years old. I pulled the unit and found it's totally sealed. I was surprised the solar function was inoperable also. If I started the fan turning by hand the solar power would barely keep it turning.
Well gee, that's a bummer. I was going to buy a couple of the Nicro vents with the idea of replacing and upgrading the battery when it died. This shoots down that plan. Time to look for another option.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Yeah, I suggest skipping the Nicro unless you want to use them until they crap out, then just use them as passive vents. Since Marinco got involved, the ones I bought are junk- including one that did not work when new. You should at least wait for the West Memorial day sale. Seems they have the 159$ ones for 99. I have also had repeated failures with mine. I had them off during the winter, and is not frozen as sated above. IIRC, the batteries are the size of C cells?
 
Aug 28, 2015
190
Oday 28 St Joseph, MI
I emailed Marinco asking about their vents with replacable batteries because all of mine give access to the batteries when the solar array is unscrewed and removed from the top. Anyway, here is Marinco's reply:
"As far as I know, all of the Nicro vents that fall into the “Day/Night” category have a solar array for use during the day, and battery backup for night usage. I don’t know of any of these vents to not have replaceable batteries.
David Freeman
Technical Service
800.307.6702 direct
262.293.0952 fax"
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Maybe I didn't look close enough at how to remove the solar array. Since mine wasn't working even with the solar power it seemed futile. Someone listed a rebuild kit up above in this thread, it doesn't have a battery in the kit and it does include a motor. For half the price of a new unit on sale might as well get a new one. Makes me wonder about the motors if they need replacement. The kit also includes the fans, something that never wears out just gets dirty. Seems like a rebuild kit should be a battery and a motor.
 
Aug 28, 2015
190
Oday 28 St Joseph, MI
West Marine sells the battery for around $25. Batteries+ can probably match the battery for half that if you show them the old one
 
Mar 8, 2019
102
ODay 322 Bodkin Creek, Chesapeake Bay
Thread resurrection time since those covers get sun dried and broken:

Home Depot in your choice of colors for $6.38:

Press off the base.
Use a fly cutter to make the big hole.
Use a drill and then multitool to cut the bottom of the pot itself.


Use the fly cutter to make the big hole in the base piece.
At 2.5" from the bottom (same height as the black original) use a spade bit to drill 1" holes every 1.8".


Press the base back on. I simply put some butyl tape around the solar cell to stick the new cover in place.
The gray is pretty close to the original hull color.


Next will be replacing the fan with a 12V computer fan, but there's a big to-do list before that gets done. The computer fans are cheap and draw very little power, plus the batteries on the boat are continuously charged by solar.
 
Mar 8, 2019
102
ODay 322 Bodkin Creek, Chesapeake Bay
I've looked and am fairly sure those vents (let alone the covers) have not been in production for a long time. What is sold now is very different.