Need ideas on improving my rig's insulation

[maczero]

So I spent my first 20 degree night in my Coach House. It wasn't bad but the moment I turned off my furnace it got cold pretty fast. It looks like the problem areas are the windows, the fridge vent and air gaps between the interior panels and vehicle's metal exterior. I'm thinking of wedging some house insulation along the sides of the fridge to solve the fridge vent problem. For the air gaps, I'm looking at spray foam insulation. The problem with spray foam is that I don't think I'll be able to get to enough of the air gaps for it to really be effective (at least without tearing down my walls). As for the windows, I guess reflectix is an option but storage & covering the windows each night isn't something that appeals to me.

Any suggestions or improvements on my ideas?

[mkguitar]

I am making reflectix panels for my coach windows and vent hatch.
they store flat under the cushions.

and an extra sleeping bag up against the rear doors by my head.

when on shore power a small space heater ( vornado 750w $30 bed bath...) is quieter than the propane furnace ( and the energy is already paid for).
I had a 1200w heater but it was noisy and too much heat...it cycled on and off- the vornado is just on all the time and selectable for 750/375 w.
less load on the coach wiring as well.

Mike

[Bruceper]

20 Degrees is -6 Celsius. Honestly that's not too bad, it's -40 here right now with the wind (ouch!). Last time I had to sleep in an RV at those temps I just covered up more and let the heaters run. I used a small portable electric heater and the heat strip from the AC unit.

Covering the inside of the windows is good, but I think blocking off the drivers area with an insulated blanket would be better for a few reasons.
- Require less heat to warm you up since you are heating a smaller area
- May block drafts from the dash vent system
- A little bit more privacy

As for the fridge vent, if you are not using the fridge I would suggest taking off the external cover and placing insulation inside. That would stop drafts and give some R value.

Side and rear windows need to be covered. You can also try getting a home window insulating kit for those windows. All it contains is some two sided tape and clear plastic, but it adds a barrier between the cold window and the warm interior.

[AK49er]

When it gets real cold we hang a blanket down from the ceiling to the floor, next to the bed. I put a curtain rod between the two aft cabinets and either use a thin privacy curtain or the heavier blanket for heat retention.

[maczero]

Lots of good ideas! Keep 'em coming and thanks!

[rjf7g]

I am a big fan of Reflectix and just bought a roll at Lowe's to use in my American Cruiser. You don't want your camper so air tight that you create unsafe conditions. You will be amazed at the impact of just covering your windows.

I also bought a snooze bonnet - windshield cover. It installs on the outside and helps with the temperature in the cab.

There is a huge difference on reducing heat loss by covering windows and stuffing every nook and cranny full to make your camper air tight.

[mojoman]

I'm starting a Promaster build and I'm insulating/sound proofing it the best I can to conserve energy usage and increase comfort. I started with sound mat 25%, MLV in select areas, sandwhich decoupler, EZ-cool then Thinsulate or foam board depending on the location. I'm using EZ-cool on the ceiling followed with Aerogel then Thinsulate on the ceiling to keep the ceiling height. I've been coating the undercarridge with a hollow ceramic bead paint and will insulate where I can with either EZ-cool or foam board. Areogel is the best insulation followed by Thinsulate but they are pricey.

[Davydd]

I tried it and I am not a big fan of Reflectix on windows. The stuff does not work all that great as an insulator for heating but its reflectance does help to keep a B cool. We tried it mostly for blocking out light at night which our curtains did a lousy job. With our new B we will have very good opaque light blocking curtains. The biggest annoyance about Reflextix, especially with a many windowed Sprinter, was where to store the stuff. It's bulky and fragile.

[Lou]

We use Reflectix for all the windows in our van. In the morning we just pull it off and drop them behind the couch. When we first had a Class C I didn't know about it so I sewed curtains that looked like pillow cases with silver coloured, insulated cloth that you use in oven mitts between pieces of fabric. We put them up with velcro and folded them away during the day. They did make a huge difference and stored easily.

[NLRevell]

Reflectix is NOT insulation (having virtually no 'R' factor) and is simply a thermal barrier. It needs a half inch air space to function properly.

[Lou]

Interesting, maybe it isn't Reflectix. We use the silver stuff that looks like what is in the rear window photo from Davydd. People used to wrap their hot water tanks with it before tanks came with better insulation. Whatever it is, when we cut it to fit our Class C cab windows it made it possible to sit in the passenger seat and read at night without shivering from the cold. That is why we later bought more to make inside covers for our van windows. It seems to help, we are colder if we don't put them in.

[Davydd]

Reflectix is one brand name but the stuff is basically closed cell bubble wrap with reflecting aluminum facing. R Value is a measure of thermal resistance. Reflection has a low calculated R value indeed and does not need an air space to be effective. An air space in itself also has a R value and just adds to an assemblies overall thermal resistance. The main value of Reflectix is in its name. It reflects the sun's heat to keep it entering the RV and would be less effective with an air space allowing the heat to penetrate. Also, in the use of the material in windows an air barrier would be impractical. Reflectix is very effective during the day for preventing thermal heat gain. It is less effective at night for heat retention but then again any additional layer at all is better than none.

[mlts22]

One of the worst culprits is the windshield. I wonder about putting on a RV windshield cover (they sell at CW). That will help a good amount dealing with heat loss.

The area that I am befuddled about how to mitigate heat loss are the rear doors. Even with Reflectix, there is still air that leaks around the door seals.

I do keep notes on a SMB Transit build, and one thing I want is no fiberglass insulation (it is a health hazard, doesn't insulate when wet, mildews, but yet rodents love the stuff for nesting). Instead, I am looking at complete Hushmat coverage for starters, and if needed, the rodent resistant expanding foam for areas that need it. Another item for the build would be the Seitz windows that Hymer uses that are dual pane. They are not really sleek, are somewhat delicate, and they are plastic... but from what I've seen, the noise dampening and additional insulation makes them worth having.

Another item is the skylight. Any thoughts on a good maker of skylights that are not just durable, but well insulated and offer a shade? I know in most RVs, that is a major source or heat loss.

A van is a small object and as per the cube-square law, it is a lot harder to retain heat/cool in a van than a larger motorhome. Even without that factor, a van can't have really thick insulation, as it would impinge on living space inside, so other than what has been described, there isn't much one can do relatively.

[Davydd]

Our first night camping in our new Advanced RV was boondocking in their parking lot with overnight temperatures of 5 degrees F. We set the thermostat at 62F and the van held the temperature. The Espar diesel heat and blower pretty much ran continuously and drew the batteries down about 10 amps per hour. We actually got hot in our sleeping bags rated down to 20F. The B was very comfortable. We also had the electric radiant floor heat on until about 2:30 am and the residual heat on the floor lasted until morning. We had water and wasn't winterized. Second night was at a Cracker Barrel in 33F temperatures. We didn't put the floor heat on and set the thermostat at 68F. The fan cycled on and off. We drew our batteries down from fully charged to 89% charged.

The van has Hushmat everywhere on floor, walls and ceiling including the cab area. It is insulated with 2" of blue denim everywhere possible and sealed with vapor/air barrier. The curtains are heavily lined curtains that block off almost all light thus same to hold heat. Our bathroom skylight is double glazed and our Maxx-Air fan has an insulated ceiling cover. I think we are good to go knowing we can boondock down to 5 degrees. While we were up we held 72F that evening.

[booster]

I am a bit surprised it uses that much power, I think you will be glad you got the 800AH batteries. Using 80ish AH overnight is quite a bit.

[mikes47]

Seems that the worst that would happen is that the low battery would trigger the engine to start and recharge them. For the OP, if you have installed bug screens in the rear doors, you can also put together a zip-in insulating blanket to trap any drafts that might sneak in through the back doors.

[rtz]

The only thing new I've seen making the rounds is this Thinsulate for automotive use. Supposedly a couple high end cars have it in the headliner. I've also seen rolls of it for sale on ebay.

This guy is selling it and can send a sample:

http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=36369

It's priced by the foot; but keep in mind; a one foot piece is 5' wide. It might seem expensive by the foot; but maybe not so much considering how wide the piece is.

[Davydd]

How many people camp in their Bs at 5 degrees. We will rarely do that but we are doing close to that again tonight on a La Crosse, Wisconsin street. Battery usage also includes lights, refrigerator, inverter, charging devices and other incidental stuff. We did learn brewing two 12 oz. cups of coffee with the Keurig draws the batteries down 2%.

[Davydd]

How many people camp in their Bs at 5 degrees. We will rarely do that but we are doing close to that again tonight on a La Crosse, Wisconsin street. Battery usage also includes lights, refrigerator, inverter, charging devices and other incidental stuff. We did learn brewing two 12 oz. cups of coffee with the Keurig draws the batteries down 2%.

[RT.SS]

I reinsulated my RV using Thermo-Tec heat and sound barrier as the first layer (much like Dynamat but cheaper), then a 2" denim insulation on top of it, and a 3rd layer of Reflectix insulation as a vapor barrier/radiant barrier. The denim insulation (Ultratouch by Bondlogic) is locally available at Lowes hardware stores, it has good R-value and also acts as a noise barrier. The installation was done more than 3 years ago and it's been doing well, there is no moisture build up in the insulation, but then I live here in sunny California.

The biggest heat and cold intrusion in the RV are the windows, lots of windows on mine. I also made window insulations using Reflectix and layered it with ironing board cover, maybe "3M thinsulate" would be better choice for the 2nd layer. Reflectix alone is a good thermal barrier from direct sunlight but has poor R-value that is why it is good idea to layer it with another type of insulation material, doing so also prevents it from tearing apart from everyday use. Mine still looks same after years of use.