Kitchen Vent Upgrade

by Greg Zimmerman
Published: Updated:

The old style kitchen vent had turned yellow and looked dated.  Newer Casitas use the Thetford Endura vent which looks better, and has better latches to keep it closed while trailering.

Yucky old yellowed vent

Upgrade time!  After removing the old vent, the fiberglass had to be opened up, as the new one is just a shade bigger.  A cut-out tool with a roto-zip bit did the job.  You can also use a jig saw.

On my camper, the duct work intruded into the bezel of the new vent, so I used the cut out tool to notch both sides for clearance.

The new vent was put in, new holes were drilled, sealant caulked around opening, and I riveted the vent into place.

With the cover slid on, the result is a much smoother look that won’t yellow in the sun.

Here’s the vent available on HERE amazon.

12 comments

Chris Paegelow October 20, 2019 - 10:41 pm

I’m just about to do this same project! What size rivets did you use? The rivets on my old cover look like 1/8″, but do you know what grip length? Thanks!!

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Greg Zimmerman October 25, 2019 - 7:22 am

Mine were 3/16″ and I use a long grip length- about 3/4″.

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louis mendoza June 30, 2020 - 11:16 am

how did you get the rivets out

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Greg Zimmerman June 30, 2020 - 11:46 am

3/16″ drill bit

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Mike May 18, 2021 - 2:22 pm

Thanks for the guide. First time I’m about to attempt anything like this. Any reason you chose sealant vs butyl tape? If so, what type of sealant should I get?

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Greg Zimmerman May 19, 2021 - 1:42 am

Butyl is fine but I think it’s easier to just use RV caulk. I like Geocel’s Pro-Flex RV caulk although you can use silicone, that’s what Casita uses. It doesn’t last as long though.

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Mike October 31, 2021 - 9:48 pm

Tried to do this today and realized my rivet head was larger than the divot where you insert the rivets – so I wasn’t able to push the rivets flush when setting them.

I’m fairly new to riveting so maybe there’s an easy solution here but I’m not quite sure what to do.

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Greg Zimmerman October 31, 2021 - 10:05 pm

You need a different rivet gun. I use the Arrow RH200. It’s only $20 and has a narrow head to reach into those holes for the kitchen vent and outside light fixtures.

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Meari March 20, 2024 - 12:37 pm

This product is no longer available on Amazon.

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Greg Zimmerman March 20, 2024 - 12:48 pm

Update: It appears that Thetford is now selling the Endura vent instead of JR. Available here: https://amzn.to/3Vmw3gl

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Gary P May 30, 2024 - 6:47 pm

I found this vent by Thetford…looks like the same dimensions as the discontinued JR vent ?
CLICK HERE

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Greg Zimmerman May 31, 2024 - 6:52 am

Great find! I’ve updated the article.

Reply

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