Tundrawolf Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 OK, so i understand that wood slat and aluminum siding is considered "heavy". There was a post of a couple who made their own RV out of a sort of fiberglass panneling system-however, if I were to go that route-how would I hide the wiring? I am looking for cheap (if possible), and easy to use. If I have to go with the wood slat and old aluminum panneling, I will. however, there is one more important variable, and that is: Where I live it can get 125 degrees hot in the summer and 20 below in the winter. I need INSULATION. What would be the best route for me while saving weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Are asking about redoing the inside or outside??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tundrawolf Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 Both, actually... I am just wondering if there is any real big gain to be had insulation wise from the wood slat/aluminum side with the marginal fiberglass insulation. I need to know, because I may be able to do this soon, and I live where there are weather extremes. Also, of course, weight is also an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geysergazers Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Actually, Stick framing/Aluminum siding/Paneling is the lightest construction method. Our '82 21Ft Dolphin (stick framing) weighed 4600Lb whereas our '86 21Ft Dolphin (Laminated Fiberglass/Luan/Foam/Paneling) weighed 5600Lb. The Cast Fiberglass Sunraders are I believe about the same weight as the Laminated Coaches. Lew&Jan Marco&Scape Katz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tundrawolf Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 Wow... I did not know that. Tell me.. How is the difference between your RVS insulation wise? Does the older one retain heat better in the winter, and cold in the summer? I am willing to possibly go with the heavier stuff if it is better. I do not know yet... I haven't even begun tearing the camper apart.. I am planning on taking it down to the frame, and possibly adding an inch to the ceiling, because I am 6'1". Thank you!! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geysergazers Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 The lighter '82 Dolphin (stick&aluminum skin) was much Hotter in the Sun than was the Laminated '86. Lew&Jan Marco&Scape Katz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Ypu need to strip the outside wall completely off. Use foil faced rigid foam. Cut it to fit perfectly in each nook and crannie. Rigid foam has a higher R valus that batt fiberglass of the same thickness, but cost more, Use Reflectix or Tyvek to wrap the outside in a leak proof manner then put the siding back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel_Aggie Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 You might want to consider spray foam insulation. A Google search will return plenty of info. I don't know how your RV is constructed. My 1983 Sunrader has about 1/2" foam block insulation in the walls....where it has any at all. This is maybe R2 or R3 value. I looked at the thicker block foam insulation that could get me up to an R7. Big problem here is I'd have to rework the whole dinette/interior as the inside would now be narrower. Same problem with the bunk. Ceiling would also be lower and it is tight enough as it is. R7 is also not very good. High end RVs such as Teton 5th wheels or BigFoot truck campers can have up to R-25 in the ceiling R-10 in the walls and R-18 in the floors. They also have thermal pane windows and walls that are 2-3 inches thick. Trying to duplicate this in a Toyota of any variety seems to be highly impractical to me. The block insulation is also flammable. At first the spray foam insulation didn't seem very good to me. It's not sprayed all that thick and the marketers claim it's rated different that standard insulation so comparing R-values is not fair. I'm not very trusting of marketers. What everyone has told me about is it will completely seal up the area it is applied to. After months of pondering this seems like a great thing that would help it insulate extremely well. You may have 3" floors with R-18 but if air is leaking in you are already losing. If you seal all the areas you just won 1/2 the battle in my opinion. This also seems like it would help with fighting bugs. Even new RVs I've looked at over $100,000 have such poor workmanship that you really have to go through on your own to seal them up properly. My understanding is the spray foam is also very light. My understanding is it's also very rigid. Properly doing the RV would require gutting the interior and then spraying. You end up with a rough finish that you may have to scrap in many areas to get flush before repaneling. Seems this may be the best solution for Toyota MHs with thin walls. There are companies such a Hehr that will make custom thermal pane windows to your specifications. They will be thicker than most Toyota windows and you will spend thousands of dollars. This is one of your biggest gains in keep the RV temperate though. Another think you might consider is a product call Hustmat or Dyna mat for the cab. These are both sound insualation products that go on the firewall, ceiling, inside doors and under carpet. They dramatically reduce noise and will also help insulate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tundrawolf Posted October 17, 2008 Author Share Posted October 17, 2008 This is a lot of information. If I am tearing the entire camper apart down to the frame of the truck, (Which is what I will be doing anyway) I have too many options to try to sort out. Keep the suggestions coming anyway, sooner or later it will hit me as to what I have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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