Camco 40173 RV Roof Vent Lid for 14x14 Jensen Metal Base Vents

A cracked or chalked vent lid is one of those small RV roof problems that turns into a big one fast. This is the Camco 40173 replacement vent lid, molded to fit 14 inch by 14 inch Jensen roof vents. It's black polypropylene, it comes with the installation hardware, and it swaps out a lid that's gone brittle without you having to touch the rest of the vent.

Fitment is everything here, so read this part twice. The 40173 fits Jensen vents with a metal base built in 1994 and later, and only the ones that use a pin hinge. If your vent has a plastic base, or it predates 1994, or the lid hinges some other way, this isn't your lid. Climb up on the roof and look at the hinge before you order. A pin hinge uses a removable pin along one edge that the lid pivots on. The 14 inch by 14 inch opening is the RV standard, so the cutout is familiar, but the base style and the hinge are what actually decide fitment. Two vents can share the same hole and still take different lids. Get that part right and the rest of the job is easy.

A working vent lid matters more than people give it credit for. It's your control over airflow and moisture inside the coach. Cracked or missing, it lets rain in over your bed or dinette and lets conditioned air straight out. A solid lid you can crank open on a warm evening and close ahead of a storm is a big part of keeping the inside dry and comfortable.

Roof vent lids take a beating. UV, heat cycling, hail, and the odd tree branch at the campground all work on them. The original lids get chalky and crack, and once one corner lets go the whole thing can peel off at highway speed. Camco molds this replacement from polypropylene, which flexes in the heat instead of shattering. In strong sun the black finish can chalk over the years, and some owners freshen it up with a vinyl-safe dye, but the lid itself keeps doing its job and sealing out the weather.

What's in the box is simple. You get the vent lid and the installation hardware to mount it, and the packaging is labeled in English and French. One thing worth knowing before you're up on the roof: the kit doesn't include spare hinge pins. If yours are worn or missing, grab a couple ahead of time so you're not stuck halfway through the swap.

Installation is straightforward with the vent propped open and the old lid off. A few habits save you grief. Pre-drill the screw holes instead of driving the self-tappers straight in, which keeps the base from cracking and the screws from stripping out. Lay a strip of butyl tape or a thin bead of sealant where the hardware bites, so water can't wick in around the fasteners. Swing the lid through its full travel before you sink the last screw, because a fan housing or a raised base can catch the lid at the top of its arc. And if the lid rattles when you're parked in a stiff wind, a thin strip of foam tape along the edge quiets it right down.

So who's this for? If you've got a Jensen 14 by 14 roof vent from the mid-90s on and the lid has seen better days, this is the honest fix. You're replacing one part, not the whole vent, and you're back to a dry, quiet roof for the price of a lid. Give the new lid a quick look each season too. Check the hinge pin, snug the screws, and wipe the seal area clean. Two minutes on the roof now beats chasing a water stain on the ceiling later. Just confirm the metal base and the pin hinge first, and you're good to go.