Range Hood Vent Flap Permanent Fix

[evolvingpowercat]

The Heng's Range Hood Vent Flap failed in my Edge, one of the plastic pins it hangs on broke off, a common occurence I hear.

I ordered another OEM Heng's Range Hood Vent Flap from Amazon.com and it was clear the problem was the terrible design and quality of the plastic that the part was made from in China, and that the replacement would quickly fail again. The plastic the part is made from is too soft and the pins too small to carry the flap weight and last very long.

So here is the long term fix, you can use your existing flap if you still have it or can use the replacement flap if you lost the existing one.

• remove the plastic cover from the RV, it is held on by two screws and 3 plastic tabs. You will have to remove all the caulk from around the cover to get it off without breaking the top tabs. You can't rotate it up you must slide it up to not break the tabs.

• carefully cut the top 1/16" off the range hood vent flap off. You want to cut off only the thickness of a metal coathanger wire. I used my radial arm saw for this with great results. The plastic is so cheap and soft it cuts fine with power tools intended for wood.

• cut a length of wire from the long straight section of a metal coat hanger slightly longer than the flap to fit the cover.

• using alumininum tape, tape the metal coat hanger wire to the top edge of the plastic flap you cut with the wire ends sticking out equally on both sides. I used a second piece over the first piece for added strength.

• insert into cover vent pin holes

• reinstall cover on RV. Recaulk.

--- While you are at it:

• - stick a couple of self-stick felt bumpers inside the plastic vent cover and do away with that knocking noise from the flap when you don't have the locking levers set

• - properly seal up the hood vent to camper wall - on my Edge the factory opening was cut larger than the vent outlet with no sealing the gaps around all 4 sides - I sealed this up with some metal tape before putting the cover back on.

 

[TravelTiger]

Great fix! Do you have some pics?

Some of us have super-glued finishing nails to the end of the flap in place of the plastic tabs that tend to break. So far, this solution has held up about a year. I have a spare flap, already "fixed", in case I need it. Why? Because when I tried to replace the broken flap with a brand new one, I broke the tab off trying to install it! So I used the nail idea on both the old and the new.

 

[evolvingpowercat]

Sorry I have already buttoned up the fix on the Edge so too late to take pictures.

Yes the Heng's OEM vent cover plastic tabs are junk, one of the tabs on the OEM replacement cover I ordered from Amazon was already broken before I even opened the package! That's what made me decide to just fix the original cover myself and keep the replacement cover as a spare, like Erika has done.

The way the Heng's vent cover is made it seems that the best way to get a new vent flap in and have the tabs survive is to take the cover off first. Its easy - just single edge razor blade off the caulk and remove two screws and it comes right off, and it gives you a chance to wonder at how the gaps between the Heng's vent and the trailer wall vent hole were not sealed at the factory and take care of that issue while you are at it.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I used the same method as TravelTiger. Finishing nails and flashing tape. I like the suggestion about the felt to help with the flapping noise.

 

[TravelTiger]

--- While you are at it:

• - stick a couple of self-stick felt bumpers inside the plastic vent cover and do away with that knocking noise from the flap when you don't have the locking levers set

Yes this is a good idea! When you get a chance take a pic of this and post. I tried some little rubber "feet" but it still knocks.