Touche's Nicro day/night solar vent has died. This is the 3rd or 4th one in
about 12 years. The existing vent is a 3 inch.
I can only find 2 active brands out there, Nicro and Sunforce. There is
another brand, Sunsei or ICP, but it doesn't seem to be designed for "green
water". More for being installed on backyard storage sheds. The Sunforce only
comes in a 4 inch which will require enlarging the existing cutout.
Many of the reviews on the Nicro brand cite early failures, like a year or
less. Most of the failures seem to occur with the newer vents. Many
boatowners cited good experiences with Nicro vents lasting a decade or better.
There are threads on cruising forums about repairing them with parts from the
internet. There are also discussions about NiCAD vs NiMH batteries. There are
also the DIY projects on installing a muffin fan in the companionway hatch
boards, something I'm not really wanting to do.
All in all, most seem to roll the dice, buy the Nicro and cross their fingers
that it will last a few years.
I just sent an email to Marinco/Nicro citing the poor reviews their Nicro vents
get and asking if they've made any improvements to increase the service life of
the vents.
I'll wait and see what they say.
Any listers want to chime in on this?
Dennis C.
Touche' 35-1 #83
Mandeville, LA
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