Fantastic Fan addition/install

[Tuc RV]

My wife and I recently purchased a 1995 Itasca Sunrise 23R. It is in excellent condition inside and out with only 18,000 original miles. I am interested in adding a "Fantastic Fan" to the rear corner bed area but am concerned about cutting into the steel roof frame. I've contacted Winnebago/Itasca and they couldn't supply a detailed layout of the frame. I'm surprised that a vent was originally install in that area of the coach, would certainly have made this an easier project. If anyone has a suggest as to how I may locate the steel frame roof support please advise. Better yet if anyone has made the mod let me know how it worked out.

Thanks, Paul, Tucson

[Gary RVRoamer]

Can you take down an interior ceiling panel so you can get a look? Usually not that difficult once you figure it out. You will need to get 12v power up to the fan, so you may end up wanting access to the ceiling area anyway.

Sometimes on a chilly morning you can see a pattern of condensation on the roof where the cross-supports lie underneath.

Then there is the drill & pray method. Odds are very good that you can drill a pilot hole and not hit a cross member. And if you do hit one, just fill the hole and try again. If you get a clean hole, start enlarging it (bigger drills) until you can locate adjacent cross members. They are typically not close together, often 24-36" (and not necessarily regularly spaced either).