Insulating your rv

Carver1 · 12-07-2021, 02:12 PM

Has any one insulated their rv. To get rid of drafts. I have a 2014 33 c sightseer. Does not stay warm once heat shuts off.

**creativepart** · 12-07-2021, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carver1

Has any one insulated their rv. To get rid of drafts. I have a 2014 33 c sightseer. Does not stay warm once heat shuts off.

This is a function of how the RV was built.

You can put some band aids on it... put a curtain between the front end driving section to keep out cold from the big windows up front. You can put some of that clear plastic "storm window" film on the windows, etc.

People that do long term winter camping usually put a plastic skirt around the bottom outside to keep the cold air from blowing in from underneath.

But the walls are thin with not a very effective insulation in between the aluminum studs. It's the same problem as keeping out heat in 100 degree summers.

You might try getting an infrared camera attachment for your smartphone ($200) and find the coldest spots and tackling them one at a time.

https://www.amazon.com/FLIR-One-Ther.../dp/B0728C7KND

Elkman · 12-30-2021, 02:43 PM

No space for insulation with a motorhome. I have seen a few 5th wheel trailers that had 3-4 inch thick walls and were true 4-season RV's but they are the exception. But for the most part the cubic feet of air in an RV is very small and so it takes very little to keep it warm enough for comfort.

**macnut** · 01-01-2022, 12:35 AM

I have added insulation in back of the cabinets over the cab. I did it for the opposite reason, as this area was letting in too much heat in the summer. I imagine the opposite is probably also true. Adding foil insulation on the back wall of cabinets and over the windows could help some. Unfortunately, like others have already said, most RVs are not built for extreme weather.

powercat_ras · 01-01-2022, 01:06 PM

In my 2015 Vista 27N:

As built it is a 3 season RV and has issues in both very hot and very cold weather with comfort due to drafts and it's very basic insulation.

Addressing cold bed issue:

I had air entry where the bed platform met the back wall and back cabinets of the RV. I resolved this by installing strips of carpeting on top of the platform butted up against the back wall.

The basement air space is open to the return air vent. I methodically sealed the basement to minimize air entry. This mainly involved properly sealing the cable entries into the basement from under the chassis.

I used styrofoam panels to insulate the outsides the basement compartments where accessible. Fastened using construction adhesive and eternabond tape. Only the floors are insulated from the factory with a thin piece of foam under the carpet.

The boxed in area under the bed where there is the electrical box, converter/charger, lots of wiring has a huge hole above the water/electric compartment tying it to the basement under the floor. I insulated this box with styrofoam.

In my floorpan, there is a large un-insulated closed basement compartment, separate from the basement, in the back that is under the back of the bed platform. I put styrofoam below the top wall of that compartment.

In addition,

I insulated around the sides of the un-insulated step well , on outside where accessible. I also insulated between the chassis rails where the enclosed basement ends with a metal panel. I also insulated the metal box below the floor where the water heater is mounted. I also insulated above and behind the front cabinets mounted above the winshield. No factory insulation there at all.

bigb · 01-01-2022, 03:11 PM

I also found some air leaks, from the fridge compartment to the inside of the coach totally unacceptable gaps causing drafts and dust entry and another big gap at the ceiling where it butts against the back wall which I fixed with a rubber U channel seal. When you have more than one leak at different ends it allows the air to just come through.
Also bought the insulated pillows that fit up inside the roof vents and made Reflectix covers for all the front glass. All of this I did mainly for keeping cooler in the summer but should help with drafts if we camp in cold weather, which we have not really tried yet.

**creativepart** · 01-01-2022, 03:22 PM

I've considered buying one of those thermal camera addons for my iPhone to help locate such air leaks. I know I can see daylight in one or two tiny areas. But I'm sure there are many more around these huge slides.

bigb · 01-01-2022, 03:28 PM

When they check for leaks on new houses they attach and seal a big fan to a door or window sucking air out then walk around inside, you can feel and hear the air leaks. I took part in one and we stuck blue tape everywhere we found a leak which were surprisingly numerous. You could do the same with a big fan taped to an opening although in an RV the fan would make it hard to hear the leaks but you could still feel them.
One place to check is under your fridge, often the fridge is sitting on feet with a gap underneath that allows air flow from outside to inside. I stuffed mine with round foam backing material.

SeeTheUSA · 01-01-2022, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macnut

I have added insulation in back of the cabinets over the cab. I did it for the opposite reason, as this area was letting in too much heat in the summer. I imagine the opposite is probably also true. Adding foil insulation on the back wall of cabinets and over the windows could help some. Unfortunately, like others have already said, most RVs are not built for extreme weather.

Similarly, I added foil insulation to the inside of the outer walls any place I could that doesn’t show … all upper and lower cabinets and overhead bins, medicine cabinet in the bathroom, behind the fridge (it’s compressor driven, so was easy to put the insulation behind it) … in an effort to reduce the summer heat.

Even made foil insulation panels for windows in the coach and cab, and to cover ceiling exhaust fans … these are used only when needed and unlike what’s behind cabinets, etc., they don’t stay attached. It all helps!

Only have maybe $40 in material and a few hours. The foil insulation comes in rolls at home improvement stores. The foil tape used for duct work helps keep larger panels together, a roll is about the size of a roll of regular duct tape. I’ve discovered the foil tape is not affected by high heat like regular duct tape.

Truth be told I haven’t added much R-value, but our A/C keeps up better than before.

Wayne M · 01-01-2022, 10:52 PM

You can purchase IR Thermometers for under $30 that could be used to check areas.

As stated, NASA Foil (aluminum insulation foil) can be purchased by the roll at Lowe's. Cut to fit all windows as the heat transfer on windows is not what I would call the best. Even our double pane windows feel the cold, and heat transfer.