[Chhanda Das]

DIY car ventilation/exhaust-fan/chimney

As some of you may know, I sometimes go car camping in my 2017 1.6 Hyundai Creta petrol AT.
One of the issues that I faced in it was moisture condensation whenever I slept inside the car with the engine off. Since moisture is one of the primary promoters of rust, I was looking for ways to avoid it as much as realistically possible.
Another issue that I faced was that I could not cook inside the car while the windows were slightly open otherwise the whole car would get filled with spicy/oily fumes and I could not keep the windows/doors open due to privacy and safety concerns or if it was raining. I already have window visors installed but that is definitely not enough to get rid of the moisture or fumes.
Additionally, I have some plans of getting a toilet installed inside the car someday in the future and getting rid of the smell/gases is very important especially for an enclosed space like a car cabin.

Hence, I was looking for an all-in-one car ventilation/exhaust-fan/chimney that could be installed and uninstalled quickly as and when necessary. I did not want any permanent setup due to possible legal issues. I could have gone for those solar car cabin cooling ventilation fans but I did not choose them since their air flow rate is very low. Additionally, their price to performance ratio is very low and they always have the risk of damaging the power window rolling up mechanism which can be very expensive to fix.

I started looking for options on Google/Youtube and all my instincts pointed to Aliexpress. I looked at quite a few options there and liked the ones which were a triple fan setup with options for both solar and usb charging. These also had a speed control mechanism for each of the three fans and were reasonably priced at around INR 1200-1500 with delivery to my location in India from China. However, thanks to the Government of India, Aliexpress got banned (only in India ) and my options got reduced drastically. I found the same product on Amazon India but it had a price tag of a mere INR 6k plus. I tried talking to the seller directly but they were not willing to reduce the price. Obviously, I was not going to pay such exorbitant amounts.

Then I started looking for alternatives (DIY/readymade) on Youtube and frankly, the designs were either horrible or impractical or more suitable for dedicated off-road vehicles. Some of those readymade ones are made by our Indian manufacturers and to be honest, one look at those made me realize that I could make a vastly superior one myself simply by somewhat imitating the Chinese designs.

Thus began the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) phase of making one by myself for my car. It took me quite a few months of research, procurement and modifications but I finally did it. The basic concept that I followed was that the air should be pulled up from the cabin and then sent up and over the slightly open window glass to the outside. For this, I chose to send the air in a direction similar to an upside-down U character of the English alphabet. The intention here was to ensure the removal of moisture/smell/gases/fumes from the cabin without compromising on safety and security. I also wanted the entire setup to be light in weight to prevent/reduce the chances of additional strain/stress on the power window locks/motor.

Here is the list of materials used with the cost and suitable alternatives :-

1. Small USB based dual fan laptop cooler for INR 90. Alternatively, 2-pin 5 volt DC desktop PC case fans can also be used but they are slightly more expensive and USB male plug/s would also be necessary pushing up the costs further.

2. A suitably sized food-safe plastic tray for INR 70.

3. Fevicol HeatX Adhesive 100 ml for INR 70. Although this is primarily an adhesive for woodworking, alternatively, you can use a suitable rubber/resin-based adhesive of any other brand but please do not use the acrylic adhesives as those are too hard and will not last long.

4. Rubber home-door seal strip 1.5 metres for INR 200.

5. Car door edge protector rubber seal strip 15 centimetres for INR 20.

6. EPE or expanded polyethylene foam sheet or size as big as the plastic tray above. I got this for free since it had come as packing material with some other product that I had got earlier. Alternatively, you can also get it from shops selling fragile stuff like glassware or gift items. These shops usually throw away these EPE foam sheets.

7. Broken plastic lid of a container. Although not preferable, you can use acrylic sheets as well but only if you have an electric saw. This is because acrylic sheets are brittle and cannot be cut to desired shapes easily by cutting pliers.

8. A small sheet of sandpaper costing INR 10.

The tools used are as follows :-

1. Small tin sheet cutting straight plier/cutter

2. Small edge cutting plier

3. Small pointed wooden/bamboo stick to apply the adhesive.

4. A small piece of rag cloth for wiping the excess adhesive.

5. A measuring tape

Here is the procedure that I followed :-

1. The 4 feet/stands of the laptop cooler were cut in a desired shape to allow the movement of air freely even when closed. I could have cut off the 4 feet/stands entirely but didn't choose to do so as their presence would provide additional reinforcement to the structure.

2. Next I attached the cooler to the inner long side of the tray with the Fevicol HeatX adhesive after rubbing the adhesive-applicable areas with sandpaper. I chose this adhesive specifically since it is rated for use upto 170 degrees centigrade. While attaching the cooler, please note that the direction of airflow should be from the outside to the inside of the tray.

3. Then I cut some pieces from the broken plastic lid to use as guides to channel the flow of air inside the tray. These would also serve to provide additional reinforcement to the structure as well as prevent the reverse flow of air. These were then attached to the tray and the cooler with the HeatX. The minor gaps on the edges of these plastic pieces were also filled with HeatX.

4. After that I cut off two small pieces from the plastic tray near the edges on the opposite side of the cooler so that the upside-down tray could be mounted on the window glass. You have to be extra careful with the measurements if your car has window visors installed.

5. The cut areas on the plastic tray were then covered with the car door edge protector rubber seal strips and attached with the HeatX to prevent any damage to the window glass.

6. The EPE foam sheet was then cut according to size and attached to the back of the plastic tray with the HeatX to soak up any additional stress from the power window going up.

7. An additional piece of the EPE foam sheet was then cut and attached to the exposed side of the cooler to fill the gap between the cooler and the window glass. The intention here is to prevent the reverse flow of air.

8. The rubber home-door seal strips were then cut and attached to each other with the HeatX as necessary. Then this larger strip was mount on the power window outside the tray to fill the gap between the window glass and the upper door frame. The intention here again is to prevent the reverse flow of air while addressing privacy and safety concerns at the same time. I have plans to install removable curtains as well which should add substantially to the privacy and safety quotient.

The total weight of the entire setup is approximately around 273 grams and the combined current draw of both the fans is approximately between 180-220 milli-Amperes at 5 volts DC. Needless to say that the entire setup works flawlessly and I am very satisfied with it. It may not be pretty but it works as intended and that is what matters the most.

Please note that before attaching anything with the HeatX adhesive, the surfaces were properly sanded with sandpaper. Also, please note that the HeatX has a curing time of 72 hours when kept in a well-ventilated area. Additionally, a window on the car's opposite side has to be kept open by atleast around 1 centimetre for this ventilation setup to work properly due to obvious reasons.

Scope for upgrades :-

1. You can add a small solar panel, a small DC-DC step-down transformer/converter and a few rechargeable batteries for running the exhaust fan without USB power. Please note that this will result in some efficiency losses while pushing up costs significantly.

2. A small low power fan speed controller can also be added and this too will increase the costs somewhat while causing minor efficiency losses.

3. More fans can be added if the space allows obviously at extra cost.

4. The home rubber door seal pieces can be attached to the sides of the tray with duct tape to match the contour of the window glass and frame if you want the entire setup to be one continuous piece.

Disclaimer : The prices are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. All the aforementioned prices are valid for Kolkata. Prices in your area may vary. These are solely my personal opinions and may or may not match with those of others.

Also, I am very sorry for the dirty car. We were not feeling too well in the last week and the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) has been carrying out major repairs and upgrades in our area after digging up the roads.

I hope that you enjoyed going through this and I wish you all happy and safe drives ahead

Please do not forget to watch the following video :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmb5HceGDnM&ab_

[Rahul Bhalgat]

I appreciate your love for car camping. I also appreciate your DIY chimney.

But honestly, I think you shall not cook in the car or install a toilet in the car. Cooking and toilets inside a Tata Winger or a Tempo Traveller are ok. But not in the cars.

It is ok to sleep in the car and hence make provision for (relatively) comfortable sleeping. But for toilet, go outside the car. You can get a modular enclosure having fabric and sticks. You can use it for toilet. Similarly another one for cooking, to protect your flames from the winds.

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

But honestly, I think you shall not cook in the car or install a toilet in the car. Cooking and toilets inside a Tata Winger or a Tempo Traveller are ok. But not in the cars.

But for toilet, go outside the car. You can get a modular enclosure having fabric and sticks. You can use it for toilet. Similarly another one for cooking, to protect your flames from the winds.

Thank you very much for the kind words of appreciation.

Sadly, a Winger or Traveller are too impractical for most people due to high maintenance, high taxes, more requirement of space for maneuverability, etc. Ideally, a car in the size of a WagonR is more than enough for 2 average sized people to car camp in. I tend to get very inspired by the Japanese micro-campers.

Speaking of toilets, there are quite a few different ways in which a toilet can be realistically incorporated in almost any car starting with something as simple as a bucket with a toilet seat attached on top of it all the way upto the expensive portable cassette toilets. I am planning for a portable toilet in future and will definitely post about it here once I make/get one.

About the flames, we do not need flames for cooking. I use a 12v 100 watt electric cooker for cooking inside the car. And for tea/coffee, I use a 12v electric tea/coffee maker. I can run them from the car's 12v sockets, the car's solar setup and even my car's lithium-based jump starter kit if necessary.

I hope this clarifies things

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

Thank you very much for the kind words of appreciation.

About the flames, we do not need flames for cooking. I use a 12v 100 watt electric cooker for cooking inside the car. And for tea/coffee, I use a 12v electric tea/coffee maker. I can run them from the car's 12v sockets, the car's solar setup and even my car's lithium-based jump starter kit if necessary.

I hope this clarifies things

Love your passion for camping!

One question, I am intrigued with your choice of car for this purpose? A Creta automatic?

Why did you not choose a Safari / Harrier / Innova / XUV??

I assume you will want to have an abuse friendly car for this.

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Love your passion for camping!
One question, I am intrigued with your choice of car for this purpose? A Creta automatic?
Why did you not choose a Safari / Harrier / Innova / XUV??
I assume you will want to have an abuse friendly car for this.

Thank you very much for your kindness and appreciation. I first started car camping in the 1980s in my HM Mark 4 petrol Ambassador.

Before choosing my first-generation Creta in 2017, Tata was out of consideration because we had faced more than our fair share of issues with the Tata vehicles in our family including both cars and trucks. We didn't even think of adding Mahindra & Mahindra cars to the list because we had lost family members in them. I wanted a 5 star NCAP rated car with a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder petrol engine (for unbeatable long term reliability, cheap maintenance, etc) with a torque converter automatic transmission (again for long term reliability and ease of use in the city). In fact, the annual maintenance cost for my car is approximately around INR 1200-1500. There is no way a Safari/Harrier/Innova/XUV can beat that. Also, such large cars are totally overkill for small families. We like to maintain our cars by ourselves and having been able to access the service manuals of the car, we came to the conclusion that it was very robustly built and could provide unbeatable comfort at this price. Back-to-back 17-18 hour trips through bad roads of Eastern India are not a problem at all and the low NVH (noise, vibrations and harshness) is just the icing on the cake. And it is indeed abuse-friendly. For example, we undertook a trip to lower Assam from Kolkata in 2018 and the car had to be overloaded to the extent of zero suspension travel left. And it covered the treacherous terrain beautifully. And forget Leh-Ladakh, one of my acquaintances went to Muktinath in Nepal from Kolkata in his 1.6 Petrol AT Creta through some non-existent roads, river beds and what not but the car never failed to deliver. You can read more about my Creta's buying experience in the following link ...

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5164129 (The Indian Car Buyer | Struggling with problems in brand new cars)

I hope that I was able to explain myself

[manchandap]

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

As some of you may know, I sometimes go car camping in my 2017 1.6 Hyundai Creta petrol AT.

interesting DIY Mod. Thanks for sharing the same.


An off topic query:

How do you manage to sleep in car? Have you done modifications for the same?

[Chhanda Das]

Thank you for appreciating my efforts

Originally Posted by manchandap

How do you manage to sleep in car? Have you done modifications for the same?

Oh that is very easy. There are mainly two ways that I can sleep in the car. The front passenger seat folds back nearly to a flat position. I can use it like a lounge chair and take power naps if necessary. For a good night's sleep, I usually fold down the 60:40 split rear seats to make a flat bed and sleep on it on one side over a bed sheet while the space for the rear middle seat is taken up by the fridge/freezer. I have plans for making a foldable extension for the bed setup that can be mounted on the rear of the front seats as well for my tall son.

I hope that I was able to explain the sleeping situation/setup

[manchandap]

Thanks for quick response.

I own Scorpio with middle bench seat and side facing jump seats in the last row.

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

The front passenger seat folds back nearly to a flat position. I can use it like a lounge chair and take power naps if necessary.

This is a good option for a power nap. I generally use the front seats or middle seat for this purpose. Middle seat of Scorpio is ~4' long.

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

For a good night's sleep, I usually fold down the 60:40 split rear seats to make a flat bed and sleep on it on one side over a bed sheet while the space for the rear middle seat is taken up by the fridge/freezer. I have plans for making a foldable extension for the bed setup that can be mounted on the rear of the front seats as well for my tall son.

This is a challenging part.

I am also looking for some non-permanent option to spend night in the car. I can take out the last row seats but would need to keep the middle row. I somehow have a knack of not booking hotels in advance when I travel . So, a comfortable bed sort of thing in car would be helpful in case of any exigency.

I am reluctant to go for a roof top tent because of the hassle of installing/installing it for a trip or I would be carrying ~100 KG of dead weight.

Let's keep sharing the ideas on this.

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by manchandap

I am also looking for some non-permanent option to spend night in the car.

We too do not like permanent setups since our car is used for office commutes, shopping trips, etc as well. If the seats in your Scorpio do not fold down flat then you might have to create a flat surface with something like pieces of plywood, medium density fibreboard (MDF), etc. As an alternative, you can also use plastic/wooden vegetable crates or storage boxes (if they are strong enough) to fill up the gap between seats. They can double up as storage/organizing solutions too. For the bed itself, you can get a multi-piece mattress or a sleeping bag. Your options are nearly endless.

Originally Posted by manchandap

I can take out the last row seats but would need to keep the middle row.

Please do not remove any seat from your car as that would be considered as a violation of the RC or registration certificate. Legally, the authorities can issue a challan and/or seize your vehicle for this.

Originally Posted by manchandap

I somehow have a knack of not booking hotels in advance when I travel . So, a comfortable bed sort of thing in car would be helpful in case of any exigency.

The last time I stayed in a commercial property was at least a decade ago. I always prefer car camping due to faster mobility, least wastage of time and money, etc.

Originally Posted by manchandap

I am reluctant to go for a roof top tent because of the hassle of installing/installing it for a trip or I would be carrying ~100 KG of dead weight.

I had the exact same thoughts and that is why I did not go for this option. Additionally, it is really cumbersome for me to climb ladders with my old bones not to mention the fact that a rooftop tent on a car attracts unwanted attention. There is also the fact that exterior attachments like roof boxes, tents, etc will cause the car to be mandatorily driven at a maximum speed of 90 kmph only otherwise there are bound to be issues with respect to stability, aerodynamics/drag, etc.

Originally Posted by manchandap

Let's keep sharing the ideas on this.

Absolutely, sharing is caring