Bavafa

Well Known Member
Just wondering if the VANs upgraded aluminum vents leak at all and what is the size of it, 1.5" or 1 5/8"
Any review on that would be appreciate it.
 
It’s been about 10yrs now since I built the plane, but I remember them using the same hose & mount as the plastic ones. They do not leak when closed. I remember the plastic vents had gaps. That’s why I replaced them. Hope this helps. Bob
 
Just wondering if the VANs upgraded aluminum vents leak at all and what is the size of it, 1.5" or 1 5/8"
Any review on that would be appreciate it.

I had the stock plastic vents installed, and swapped them out for the Vans aluminum vents. Easy swap, and a big improvement. I don’t notice any leaking air, and they’re much easier to open and close. The price is hard to swallow, but I’m glad I made the upgrade.
 
Do it...

Most never installed the Vans vents and installed what they now are selling - as did I (probably why they changed). Huge improvement, from what I've heard. Also consider upgrading the tubing to SKEET or SCAT.
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback. I had used a couple of different version of upgraded aluminum vent, recently one that Stein sells and very happy with performance. The larger 1 5/8" size allows more air and it does not leak at all. But they need to be modified in order to fit the VANS NACA (VENT SV-10)

So, I am interested to see if what VANs sell is also 1 5/8" and if there is any real leakage?
 
So, I am interested to see if what VANs sell is also 1 5/8" and if there is any real leakage?

The openings on all three of the vents that Van's sells (the ones shown in the video I linked above) are 1 5/8" in diameter.

As of the time of this post, the aluminum models (SV-6 CLEAR and BLACK) are $160 each, and the black plastic plastic version (SV-7) is $65. As we tried to show in the video, they all seal up quite well (much better than the original vent SV-5 for certain). We have them in some of our demo aircraft.
 
sealing

I am going to swap mine out this week. Is there any need for a sealant between the new eyelet and the backplate?
 
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