Fantastic Fan motor comparison

[DR650]

My RV has two Fantastic Fans, one installed in the rear bath, one over the bed up front. The FF in the bath has the older (and IMO better) tall motor, the other had the flat gold motor. The flat motor FF has been noisy since new (installed in 2015).

I recently attempted to remove the fan blade on the new unit for cleaning but the plastic was brittle and it broke. Rather than just replace the fan blade, I contacted Dometic via their website to find out if an improved motor was available. Dometic responded quickly and stated that the replacement motor would be the same as the motor in my 2015 FF.

I decided to take a chance and order a new motor/fan assembly with the hopes that the new one would be quieter (I ordered it from Amazon, less expensive and free shipping).

The motor on the new motor/fan assembly is different from my original flat gold motor. The motor is black instead of gold, the housing is different, as is the location where the wiring exits the housing. There is a tag on the gold motor that has ‘Atwood’ and part # ‘8017A-03’. The new black motor has ‘Dometic’ and part # ‘8017-09 Rev. B’ printed on it.

The installation was very easy, just two wires and four screws.

The new black motor is much quieter, but not as quiet as my older FF with the tall motor, but very close. The new black flat motor has a slightly harsher sound to it.

I’ve read several discussions on the forums about the FF tall black motor vs. the gold flat motor. Hopefully this post will help someone if they’re making a decision about roof vent fans.

[DR650]

I'm hopeful that the "Rev. B" printed on the tag on the new
motor means it's "improved".

[DFord]

Thanks for the info DR650,
I've got two of the older style in my MH. After so many years of being a family owned business that stood behind their products with a lifetime warranty and quality products, it's sad to hear where Dometic has taken the line. I was a fierce supporter of them for years. Many years after buying my previous MH that had one fan above the kitchen sink (that made a terribly annoying ring when it ran) I stopped by their table at a FMCA rally and asked what to do about it to make the wife happy. They asked the year of the RV, I told them it was a 2001. Then they handed me a new motor assembly and asked if I could do the replacement or if they needed to send a tech out to do it. I told them I could handle it. There was no charge and I got to keep the old parts - still around here somewhere. They said a one time (back in that time frame) they'd gotten a bad batch of motors and had heard that complaint from several owners.

Times have changed from what I'm hearing. After many years in the business, it was time for the original owners to retire and they sold the company to Dometic. The rest is history. These days we're dealing with a corporation that has a profit motive as their paramount driving force.

[Ron3rd]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
If they were serious they would use a brushless motor with twin ball bearings. Good Luck, that.

True, but then we would have to assume people will pay for quality. Sadly most won't. The price point generally controls.

To the OP thanks for the good information

[DR650]

Thank you amxpress. I would be interested if the replacement motor is one of the tall black motors. If it's a flat gold motor I'll have to say thank you but no thank you.

[amxpress]

The fan in my Columbus started making a terrible noise so I was sent a free replacement. It was 5 years old. I never got around to replacing it before selling the trailer. It’s yours for the shipping, if interested.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

If they were serious they would use a brushless motor with twin ball bearings. Good Luck, that.