Insulation - RV-Dreams Community Forum

rljmowl · RV-Dreams Community Member

Insulation

thebearII · RV-Dreams Family Member

My dad used this type of stuff (see below) when he had to stay for a month in near zero temps. He taped or stapled it on the inside walls of his MH in the bedroom area and most of the living area. He covered the windows with it. Before doing this he was going through propane fast using his heater. Once he put this up, the propane/heater use slowed way down. It wasn't pretty but did the job and he was able to remove it when he no longer needed it. He kept it tucked away in a storage compartment in case he ever needed it again.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1390349&cagpspn=pla

P.S. The best thing about using this stuff.... the aliens won't be able to read your mind.

-- Edited by thebearII on Thursday 1st of November 2012 09:30:50 AM

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

no real way I know of to add insulation to the walls. We spent 2 winters in Indiana in our 5th wheel and put the 3m style shrink to fit plastic on the exterior over the windows. This helped but getting the tape residue off the sides the next summer was a real pain. With less than 60 days to go before heading South it is probably more work, versus any benefit you'll get, to try and "add" anything. Just break out the flannel and an extra blanket and look forward to December in the sunshine!

Phil

Howard · Host

Jim & Robin,

This is just not an area I have researched much - we certainly try to avoid cold weather camping. smile

However, what you can do (or are willing to do) will depend on how much cold weather camping you intend to do in the future and how much you enjoy do-it-yourself projects. If this is just a temporary thing and you'll be moving south in a couple of months, I would tend to agree with Phil. Just break out the warmer clothes and blankets. If you have good electric, buy or borrow some electric heaters. If the electric is not so good, use a lower wattage electric heater to supplement the RV furnace.

On the other hand, if you are going to be doing some serious cold weather living in the trailer in the future and you intend to hang on to it for a long time, then there are several things that can be done. Some options are easy and inexpensive and others are real projects that will cost some money.

Here is a pretty good article to check out: How To Increase The Energy Efficiency In An RV Or Travel Trailers. It includes both temporary and long-term suggestions.

flyone · RV-Dreams Family Member

Get the bubble wrap that you would put around something fragil if you were mailing it. Wet it on one side and stick it to window, on the inside, havent done it but heard it works. Get the 3/4" thick blue styrofoam insulation board, if you look in the back of your cabinets there are small runners used to attach the cabinets to the wall, cut the insulation board to fit inside the runners, if your careful with the cutting you can get them to friction fit and dont have to use duct tape. Very light weight and can be left in place when you move. It dosent insulate the entire wall but every little bit helps. Also quilts or towels can be cut to size and velcroed over the windows. In the basement use the insulation board to fill between the studs below the bedroom if you can see them. Then as Phil said get a good heater and a heavy blanket, hot chocolate and enjoy.

Flyone

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

This will sound contradictory, but leave one of your roof vents open a little. 1/2-1" or so. This will help with the condensation issue. Hot moist air from showers, cooking, even 2 people breathing will produce enough water to wet your windows and potentially your walls.
By sealing windows, wall spaces etc you are getting better insulation value, but it doesn't let you rv breath much like your old house.