Just wondering...has anyone considered installing closed cell foam insulation under the trailer?? I would imagine some type of protective membrane being attached to the frame. I saw some type of insulated floor when we were looking at a Lance. They heat the holding tanks, as well. Happy Trails.....
I've given it some careful thought and it seems possible. Just yesterday I was at the Home Depot looking at options for insulation. The aluminized closed cell foam looks tough enough and comes in 2 inch thickness, which I think would be great. Perhaps cutting to fit tightly in the openings between the frames underneath and then fastening with light aluminum strapping? The trailer frames are different thicknesses and there's lots of stuff hanging down a bit so some further thought is in order! My goals are to 1) have a warmer floor 2) use less propane in the furnace and 3) insulate the plumbing so that we can camp in temps that drop below freezing at night. I realize that there are other ways to achieve those, like foam on top of the floor and insulating the pipes individual, but full insulation underneath would do it all. It does have to be removable for repairs of pluming and electrical. One further thought is that the smoother the underside of the trailer, the less air turbulence and the better the gas mileage. I wish there were a way to put a large 16X7 sheet of insulation under the whole thing for a completely enclosed underbody. ?
I'd love to see a practical approach to insulating from below, but after looking I just don't see any way to do it effectively on my 16DB unless I ignored the tanks because they hang down too low. I think from a cost/effort standpoint, insulating on top of the floor (aka foam squares, etc) and addressing as much of the water system from below by insulating all the pipes individually seems to be the most viable option. They do make aftermarket tank heaters that can be added on. On my 16DB the tanks just sit too low to be able to accomodate another 2 inches of any kind of insulation and not run the risk of it either scraping on something or having the insulation catch too much wind while towing.
[quote source="/post/5626/thread" timestamp="1419169710" author="@gleamb"]Just wondering...has anyone considered installing closed cell foam insulation under the trailer?? I would imagine some type of protective membrane being attached to the frame. I saw some type of insulated floor when we were looking at a Lance. They heat the holding tanks, as well. Happy Trails.....[/quote]I just got done spending 3 weeks in South Dakota and Colorado. I didn't use any of the plumbing. Removed the drain cover on the shower basin, placed a piece of ziplock bag over the drain and replaced the drain cover. Come shower time I used an empty milk jug with holes poked into one of the bottom corners. I hung it from a piece of a broom handle over the shower curtain rod and a shelf I put on the opposing side. Took about two and a half gallons to shower and the basin easily holds three. I just scooped the water out with a cut open milk jug into a dish pan and dumped it outdoors. Dishes and showers I just heated my water on the stove. Did dishes in a plastic dish basin that perfectly fits into the sink I got at walmart.
I'm not so much worried about the holding tanks freezing. The stuff that goes down the drain tends to lower the slush point. Think about the salinity of urine and the particulates of pooh. Not that it doesn't freeze, but it freezes colder than plain water. So you've got a few degrees to work with.
If it's that cold, I don't wanna be camping anyhoo.
Not a cold weather camper here, but if I was going to modify my CL for cold weather camping I would find a good canvas tech to sew up a skirt that would go all the way around the TT and make sure it cinches up near the ground (utilize the stabilizer jacks for that?) Then I'd hang some 100w lights from the frame near the tanks and plumbing.
[quote source="/post/6407/thread" timestamp="1422825955" author="@surfsup"]Not a cold weather camper here, but if I was going to modify my CL for cold weather camping I would find a good canvas tech to sew up a skirt that would go all the way around the TT and make sure it cinches up near the ground (utilize the stabilizer jacks for that?) Then I'd hang some 100w lights from the frame near the tanks and plumbing. [/quote]Good idea. I think I've seen a few trailers that used some type of thin plastic like cloth for that purpose.
[quote source="/post/6352/thread" author="@pinstriper" timestamp="1422758457"]I'm not so much worried about the holding tanks freezing. The stuff that goes down the drain tends to lower the slush point. Think about the salinity of urine and the particulates of pooh. Not that it doesn't freeze, but it freezes colder than plain water. So you've got a few degrees to work with.
If it's that cold, I don't wanna be camping anyhoo.
[/quote]Probably not something you would want to take a chance on though cause once the pipes that drain the tank freeze your pretty much screwed. If I were to do this I would want to wrap some of that tape they sell that warms pipes around it, than put insulation over that.
[quote source="/post/22875/thread" timestamp="1468051395" author="Larry"][div][/div]I love my livin lite access which I will spray the lizard skin ceramic and add the heaters to my tanks.I Will lift my water pipes to give more clearance.[/quote][font size="3"]Larry,
A note of caution: Two of us paid for the spray insulation early on and found it totally ineffective. Lizard Skin is a thin ceramic based product intended for high temperature automobile applications like engine compartment/exhaust system protection. It has almost zero insulating value. In addition, unless sprayed on very carefully and very generously, it will not seal the floor planking gaps. LL did neither so we both concluded it was a $1000 mistake. Save yourself $1000+ and deal with the floor insulation from the top. Also see my posts on water pipe insulation and a hot water circulating system for freeze protection. Not the same model, but they may give you some ideas. [/font]
yes I did this last year, cannot seem to find where I posted the experience on this site. Did it help, yes I would say it did but again a lot of cold air transfer comes through the windows and doors. I have to believe because of the spray foam covering the water lines it will help delay freezing lines. is it worth the cost and mess, not sure. It took me two applications as I put it on pretty thick. A spray foam company quoted me 900.00 to do it in a closed environment, I chose to do it myself but spraying foam insulation straight up laying on your back is not the easiest thing to do.
From previous posts I can see you do things yourself so I say go for it as it cannot hurt and will help some but not like insulating your home.
Quote from: @montedtrotter1" source="/post/22900/thread" timestamp="1468187684It took me two applications as I put it on pretty thick. A spray foam company quoted me 900.00 to do it in a closed environment, I chose to do it myself but spraying foam insulation straight up laying on your back is not the easiest thing to do.
From previous posts I can see you do things yourself so I say go for it as it cannot hurt and will help some but not like insulating your home.
Only takes one time of walking on that bare aluminum floor on a cold night to decide something needs to be done. I cut some Styrofoam panels close enough to size that I was able to stick them up against the walls and tailgate without any type of fasteners. In my 20x7 vrv. Also covered the floor with Owens Corning FOAMULAR www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Insulation-Rigid-Insulation/N-5yc1vZbaxx and carpeted over that. Mostly used that as opposed to styro cause styro compresses from foot traffic much more easily. So no more cold feet. The front of my unit is storage and plumbing and what not. There was no insulation between the interior and the storage compartment but it was easy to add. Again cutting the panels to fit tightly didn't even need to hold them in place with anything. Might of added a couple of pieces of tape for good measure. The floor was easy, the cabinets and walls were a pain in the ass. Livinlite could make templates for this and do the job in a fraction of the time, and add it as an option. That and a white roof if they don't do this yet. The silver roof may as well be black as well as it absorbs heat from the sun. Hard to stay cool in sunny locations to say the least.
/Building-Materials-Insulation-Rigid-Insulation/N-5yc1vZbaxx[attachment id="1565" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1566" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1567" thumbnail="1"]
[div align="justify"][font size="3" face="comic sans ms"]I hate to be a downer, but that pink rigid insulation is highly flammable and meant to be covered with drywall (I'm sure that's not in your plan!!), although I'm sure the same could be said about the foam tiles I have on the floor. My unit also came with the spray on/scrape off with a fingernail stuff. It looks like it has an R-factor of 0.00000000001!
Mike
[/font][/div]
Quote from: @mrt" source="/post/22947/thread" timestamp="1468299876[div align="justify"][font face="comic sans ms" size="3"]that pink rigid insulation is highly flammable and meant to be covered with drywall
[/font][/div]
I'm waiting for delivery of my new trailer, so am scouring this forum for tips and information to help me get the most out of my big investment - and adding insulation to make cold-weather camping more comfortable sounds like a great idea, so it's going on my list of mods-to-do. But with Mike's caution giving me pause as to what material to use, I've done a little research and can add this information to the mix.
See [a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPoY6nsh1Vs"]it burn[/a] - (though, looks to me like it basically melts and doesn't burn on its own)
See [a href="http://www.greatlakeshomeperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ICC-ES-Styrofoam-ESR-2142-Code-Report.pdf"]ICC-ES Evaluation Report[/a] for where uncovered applications (i.e. without an ignition barrier) of similar brands of extruded polystyrene foam are deemed OK - and I'd think the underside of a trailer would equate to a ventilated crawl space, and in fact the aluminum floor would serve as the ignition barrier for the living space.
As an alternative (to the Foamular) product, check out [a href="http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0940/0901b80380940471.pdf?filepath=styrofoam/pdfs/noreg/179-04015.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc"]Thermax Sheathing[/a] which has a "[a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_spread"]Class A fire rating[/a]" (the best/lowest flame spread).
At the moment, I think I'll go with the Foamular underneath the trailer, and the Thermax for any interior or enclosed (like the storage area) space.
.........David
Hi All,
Just joined and looking for a thread on the materials used for the back ramp on my VRV6x15 for a repair when I found this. The best and easiest thing I've found and use in my camper/hauler is a product called "Bed Rug" which is impervious to darn near anything, can be hosed off, vacuumed, made permanent or left for easy-in and easy-out (i take mine out after most races as my dirtbikes have mud on them). It's SUPER cheap, comes in custom sizes, and two different thicknesses for how much cushion you want.
Here's the video on the product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMfrsQD4TTM
Here's the link to buy it:
http://www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners.html
I cut mine to exact shape match of the floor in my VRV and cut lines so the D-Rings can lift through without a hole.
This is amazing after using the camper in the winter without a flooring solution (COLD!!!) and is so nice.
Cheers!
Scott
Could you show a picture of how you have it installed in your VRV?
[quote timestamp="1481388885" author="@spadedace" source="/post/26342/thread"]Hi All,
Just joined and looking for a thread on the materials used for the back ramp on my VRV6x15 for a repair when I found this. The best and easiest thing I've found and use in my camper/hauler is a product called "Bed Rug" which is impervious to darn near anything, can be hosed off, vacuumed, made permanent or left for easy-in and easy-out (i take mine out after most races as my dirtbikes have mud on them). It's SUPER cheap, comes in custom sizes, and two different thicknesses for how much cushion you want.
Here's the video on the product:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMfrsQD4TTM
Here's the link to buy it:
http://www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners.html
I cut mine to exact shape match of the floor in my VRV and cut lines so the D-Rings can lift through without a hole.
This is amazing after using the camper in the winter without a flooring solution (COLD!!!) and is so nice.
Cheers!
Scott[/quote]
I have the BedRug BedTred liner in my F150, and love it. Very durable, and much easier on the hands and knees than a spray in liner if you have to crawl around in the bed of your truck for any reason. And most people think it is a spray in liner when they look at it.
Didn't know they sold the product in custom sizes. I'd love to see pictures of your install!
Give me a little bit and I'll get some pics.