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Nicro Day-Night 2000 solar vent repair

116K views 146 replies 54 participants last post by  jfeiber 
#1 ·
I previously posted this on another forum that doesn't show up on Google searches. Thought it might be more useful here. Unfortunately, no pictures of the process. I was impatient to get it fixed and re-installed.
_____________________

My boat has three Stainless Steel 3" Nicro Day/Night 2000 solar vents that are varying in age from 5-8 years. The batteries in all have been replaced more than once, but one stopped completely. A little testing with a multimeter identified the motor as dead. A call to Nicro confirms that replacement parts are not available; you can't even buy the plastic unit to salvage the dome on the SS models. Best part is these expensive units have been discontinued and the replacement requires installation of a whole new mounting ring system. Even the customer service rep was embarrased at the ridiculousness of not being able to repair the units.

Well, since they are $160+ (if you can find them in old stock somewhere) and I have three which are eventually going to all die, I was on a mission to figure out a way to repair it - and I did!

The key is two parts. One is a simple plastic sugar cookie sprinkle container and the other is a $9 solar motor (I purchased mine online from Sundance Solar - part # 700-60062-00). Repair is a simple process if you have basic soldering skills.

1.) Remove the SS housing and cut out the old plastic motor housing at its base, leaving a 1/4" or so protruding (it doesn't have to be pretty and probably won't be.)
2.) Cut down the sugar sprinkle container (you need one that is approx 1 5/8" diameter) which will now EXACTLY fit over the 1/4" protrusion you left from the old motor housing. Just make sure to measure your cut so that your fan blade sits at the proper height in the housing
3.) Drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the twist off lid of the sugar sprinkle container
4.) Punch a small hole in the side of the sugar sprinkle container to feed the battery housing lines into.
5.) Solder in some 24 gauge wire extensions (I used old Cat 3 telephone cabling) to the solar motor and battery housing and solder the battery, motor and solar panel leads together as they were before disassembly.
6.) Glue the new motor into the twist top of the solar motor
7.) Glue the container down to the 1/4" protrusion (I used super glue for both)
8.) Apply some silicone to seal the hole where the battery wires enter the new motor housing
9.) Screw the new motor in place and watch it run again for less than 10% of the cost of a new one!

Mine started right up with power from a 60 watt light bulb!

The best part is that if the new motor ever dies, I can simply unscrew the cap, break out the old motor, glue in a new one, solder it up and screw it back on.
 
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#2 ·
Good work!

I have just one old Nicro solar vent. It has the plastic cowl and is not the day/night version---no battery. The bearings in the motor are worn pretty badly. Sometimes it won't start unless I give it a spin, and then it growls. I wonder if your replacement solar motor would be a good replacement? Do you think I could add a nicad battery to convert it to a day/night version?
 
#3 ·
WONDERFUL!

Thank You!

I also have a unit that has finally failed, and another that will. IMO the new "Day/Night Plus" units are not as rugged. I have had two of them fail w/in months while these two old units have run for at least a decade.

Another issue is that the old design snap fits in a Nicro deck ring. They can be taken out and the common Nicro plug cap put in. The new ones cannot be removed, though they have a slide up water shield if taking waves over them. But for offshore they are not safe as green water could rip the units off. Much better to have the old units which are taken out and the caps plugged in.
 
#4 ·
Good one, Skippy!!! My first thought when I saw the title to your forum entry was to trash the vent and get a new one. Calmer, more diligent minds have prevailed and yet another item on the boat is repaired and not bought new. Wonderful!
 
#7 ·
Rebuilt mine!

I too am one of many owners of older day/night vents like this and mine went TU about a year ago. Being too frugal to go right out and buy a new one I hesitated. Based on this thread I rebuilt mine too. The only difference is I used a piece of a 1 1/4 inch OD plastic sink drain pipe to fit the new motor. Just cut off a section about 1 1/4 inches long, split it along one side and stretch it to slid over the new motor. It then will slip in perfectly into the hole made where you cut off the old motor!

Thanks Groven! You saved me mucho dollars!
:):):):):)
 
#8 ·
I did replace the motor on my old unit with the one referenced here and it works great. As an experiment, I soldered wires to a rechargeable AA battery and connected it in parallel with the motor and the solar cell. Now the fan keeps running for several hours when the sun goes down!
 
#12 ·
Call Nicro...they'll probably just send you a fan blade set...

If I buy the $8.95 motor.... where could I find a replacement fan blade? I just bought my boat, and the fan was missing w/ the shaft all bent on the existing motor. Thanks!
 
#10 ·
I previously posted this on another forum that doesn't show up on Google searches. Thought it might be more useful here. Unfortunately, no pictures of the process. I was impatient to get it fixed and re-installed.
_____________________
Thanks much ... 2 of these are on my list as equipment to purchase and install ...
 
#11 ·
I Just replaced one four year old unit that stopped working and installed three new Nicro solar fans . None of them work for longer than two minutes, even when given a flick start .
After several attempts to contact Marinco .(With no response to several emails, and three calls to their product service department ) they finally said I should replace the batteries. No change after installing new nicad rechargeable batteries.
Defender has offered a store credit .
The quality of the newer models is very poor ,with sloppy bearings and faulty units. I am using a recycled muffin fan connected to a solar panel These are not worth buying anymore.
 
#15 ·
I just rebuilt my solar vent this evening with excellent results using this approach. A couple of refinements:

First, if you carefully cut-off the original tube encasing the electric motor with a hacksaw right along the edge of the bottom of the tube (where the motor shaft exits, closest to the fan blade), you can maintain the original depth of the tube. Then all you need is to use is the top from a sugar sprinkle container, and not the container itself or any new tubing. I think a spice jar lid would work also. The lid slips right over the original tube and ultimately can be glued on at the end of the project.

Second, when you drill the hole in the center of the lid, make it large enough so the shoulder on the motor where the shaft exits will fit down inside. A 1/4' drill worked perfectly for me. This way everything will sit flat when you glue the motor to the lid.

Third, I used doorbell wire for the rewiring which was easier to solder and work with. Use a solder gun, not a torch.

Fourth, use one-minute epoxy to first glue the motor to the lid and then glue the lid over the original tube once the motor has set.

As fixed, my vent fan is quieter and seems to run on less sun than before. The Sundance Solar motor, part # 700-60062-00, is still available for less than $9.00.
 
#16 ·
Before you get the Dremel and epoxy out, try a shot of WD40 or silicon lube. I had a 3" Nicro Day/Night vent "die" on me after making louder and louder noises for months. I simply changed the battery, gave it a spritz of WD40, and it's been running strong and quiet for over a year now.
 
#17 ·
Thought I'd bump up this older thread. Mine vent, sure as the others.. almost 2 years to the day it's not working. I'm going to try the WD-40 as suggested by slowbutsteady.

What about an external battery pack? 2-4 of those little cells in parallel? would run longer on dark days and nights, no?
 
#18 ·
Denise—

I wouldn't use WD40, since it will get gummy. Use a dry film lubricant instead.
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Instead of wiring multiple batteries together look online or at a battery store for a higher capacity battery of the same size and type. I did this for my 2000+ solar vent. I thought it would help the unit last more than 2 months. No such luck, but it did run longer during cloudy stretches before it died.
 
#20 ·
When I replaced the battery in my vent I put in one with a much higher capacity, I think about 50% more mAH (but, without taking it apart again, I couldn't tell you the actual numbers). The rated capacity on small batteries varies quite a bit, and I'm sure that the good folks at Nicro don't put one in that are any bigger than absolutely necessary.

As to the lube used, WD40 just happens to be what I had on the boat that day. Something else might well work better; but, so far, so good.
 
#22 ·
That's sort of the way it acted before I spritzed it with WD40.

And, WD40 is a light lubricating oil in a solvent. The oil lubricates AND acts as a moisture barrier/dispersant, while the solvent helps to disperse the solution. One reason WD40 tends to work so well on previously lubed parts is that it helps clean the gunk and such away (via its solvent fraction) and leave a nice thin layer of lubricating oil.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Repair requires vodka

Here is how I replaced my motor. Using sundance solar's motor, and the cap from a bottle of Absolute vodka (or any good cap that is 1 3/8" dia).

Cut 3/8" off the top edge of motor housing with dremel cutting attachment:


Cut wires between battery and motor housing. Remove motor by grabbing the exposed edge with vicegrip pulling with a slight twist back and forth:


Cut grey and white wires close to soldered connection on motor:


Grind away most of plastic inside cap with dremel tool. Cut 1/4" hole in center. Seat motor in cap with silicone:


Solder battery and panel wires to motor:


Seat cap with motor inside motor housing with silicone:

...Bob's yer uncle
 
#25 ·
I replaced it! now I'll be able to fix the old one. Question, what rating/ spec of is the little resistor or diode? and would I get it at radio shack?
 
#26 ·
I was able to reuse the existing parts to repair the motor. I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel. You need to use the non-reinforced small ones for clearance and cut the
tube the motor sits in about half way down. You want to cut far enough towards the base to re-connect the wiring. Pull the top off (the part you cut away from the base. You will need to break the glue line that holds the old motor in. The new motor is slightly smaller in diameter than the old one. Center it into the part that you cut off and glue it in with a hot melt glue gun. Be sure to center the motor insure that the motor shaft does not rub the plastic which will cause drag on the motor. Now, place the motor tube on the base and solder the wires to the motor. I suggest you take the unit in the sun and confirm that you have hooked the motor up correctly. Reverse the wires if the motor runs backwards. Now use hot glue to attach the motor tube back onto the base. Build up a glue bead around the perimeter of the tube taking care to seal the glue joint so that no water can enter. Although hot glue isn't very strong it is good enough in this application and has the advantage that it can be disassembled should you need to replace the motor again.

Ray
SV Child's Play
 
#27 ·
I just noticed, it's been exactly one year since my most recent post to this thread (see above) and the Nicro vent on my boat is still quietly spinning away. Too bad SD isn't around anymore to tell us all how WD40 is no good.
 
#28 ·
My first posting -- Hello everyone. I have the same problem -- my Nicro Day/Night has died. It will spin in the bright sunlight, but the battery will never charge (I have recently installed a fresh one of proper amperage). A fresh battery will run the motor well. So, I have a couple of questions: First, can a solar array die; it looks as if the motor works if it gets enough juice, so I wonder if this solar panel is dying. Second, if it is the motor that is requiring too much juice to run and is itself kaput, how in the world do get down into the motor housing to do the recommended surgery. In my unit, the clear plastic assembly appears firmly affixed to the white plastic cover. Can the clear plastic assembly be separated from the white plastic cover in order to do the necessary cutting in order to replace the motor? Thanks - David
 
#29 ·
Hi everybody,

I did'nt see anybody trying open the unit as it suppose to. I was looking for a long time and decide to open it from where I saw glue (kind of bubble surronding plastic arround solar panel). I confirme we can open it with help of a heatgun and exacto. You only have to heat the plastic (stop before it's burning) so the glue come a little soft and you can cut the glue with your exacto inch by inch. At the end you only have to remove the solar cell. Take care to not tear off the solar wire by removing the top. Now you could have acces to the motor as you want to remove it and change it :)

Use silicone to seal around the solar cell when closing the unit when the job is finish.

--- 9$ solution ---
33.5mm x 22mm, 2mm shaft
Model RF-500TB, 1.5 - 12.0v., No load = 2700speed, 0.02Amp, Max load = 2180speed, 0.084Amp., 0.26w
Link 1 : Motor for Solar Projects - 1.5V to 12V DC
Link 2 : Shenzhen Kinmore Motor Co. Ltd >> DC Motor >> Model:RF-500TB

--- Seem to be the same as original motor but don't know where to buy ---
33.5mm x 33mm, 2mm shaft (similar RF-528 same size)
Model RK-528C-2495, 3 - 9v., No load = 6300speed, 0.165Amp, Max load = 5500speed, 0.450Amp., 1.12w
Link 1 : RF-528 24v dc motor for cash registerand vending machine products, buy RF-528 24v dc motor for cash registerand vending machine products from alibaba.com


Click photo for full view


Click photo for full view

I hope this gona by useful for your reparation.

Danny Duquette
Hull #708 - JessyMo
 
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