Lets Talk Insulation and Weather Proofing

We all know that most RV's are not designed to live in full time (other than the really expensive or the special order ones).  So lets talk about this
knowing that there is only so much one can do to keep the elements out.

I certainly know that there is no way i can inspect inside every wall of my RV to be sure the insulation has not been removed or is out of place.  I have found several places while solving other issues where there were big areas in the wall that had no insulation at all, it was just the inside paneling and then the outside sheet metal, thats it.  Now those areas i have insulated myself. 

Also most outlets dont have insulation behind them, even the low voltage switches seem to be missing insulation of any kind.    So with all that said lets talk about what we can do or should do. 

First let me explain where my incentive comes from. 

My first year in East Texas 2017 was the coldest winter in 28 years, just my luck huh lol.    And i froze my tail off, my tanks froze, everything froze.  And i spent tons of money on propane until i got electric heaters but by then the tons of money was gone up in smoke and not much i can do about it, it drained my savings.    I was going through both tanks every 4 days.  That is how many holes i had in this RV and how badly it leaked air.    I timed it one day to see when my heater would cycle.  It came on for 10 minutes and then went off, 3 min later it came back on for another 10min and so on.  So every 3 minutes i was losing every bit of hot air that the previous 10 min put into the RV. 

So i started plugging holes, every access, storage or otherwize i could find i desperately stuffed with plastic, towels, washrags, sheets, pillow cases, anything i could find..  I covered up every window with 3 to 4 layers or something, i even had a blanket covering the main doorway.    And finally i was able to at least get the heater to stay on for 10 min and then come back on again in 20 min which was a much better cycle rate.

My tanks froze even though i tried what i could to keep them warm, hot water, automotive antifreeze (boy that was expensive too).  I finally got smart and started using windshield washer fluid from the dollar store which was $1 a bottle  which was better than dumping my $14 bottle of anti freeze down the toilet.  I was lucky enough that my water heater has a door do the inside of the RV so i kept the door open to let warm air in so that didnt freeze.

One time the toilet froze solid and nothing would go down it, i didnt have any thing to use on it so i improvised.  I took the cb antenna (firestick) off my truck and stuck it down the toilet, took me a bit but i finally broke the ice and got it working.  Then i washed off the firestick antenna with bleach and put it  back on the truck. lol

This summer i swore i would be ready for another winter like that which is where my incentive comes from.

Already i have pluged, filled, and closed off many small gaps everywhere.  But i still have some areas i dont know what to do with. 

Such as the windows, especially the louver type that the fins open up, how do you insulate those or do you just replace them with normal windows.
Also what about the slide out,  i thought about getting some foil insulation sheets and strapping them around the slideout top and sides.

By the way this goes for summer too, to keep the cold air in. 

I also want to know about the tanks, i cant afford tank heaters so if i skirt the RV (since i will be here for years) with trellace material and back it with black plastic or even roof felt, will that help keep the tanks from freezing?

I already have a special cover i made for the inside of the AC so in winter i just put the cover on the inside sealing and it keeps the warm air in. 

I have opened all the appliance doors on the outside and sealed every place i could get to. 

What do i do about the storage bays as well, is there a special gizmo that fits on the inside to seal them off, that little rubber seal on the door does nothing. 

I am considering putting peanuts in my attic to help keep the heat out.  Right now i have a tarp on my slide out roof to help keep it cool in here.

Thanks, any ideas will be great.

Do NOT use automotive antifreeze in your tanks. It will kill all the little bugs if you're connected to a private septic system.  And I don't think city sewage would appreciate it either if they found out.

In see nothing in your post to indicate what your trying to live in,,RV is not descriptive of anything from a motorcycle to a boat!!..It would make a difference to someone trying to recommend a fix.>>>Dan

Utclmjmpr said:

In see nothing in your post to indicate what your trying to live in,,RV is not descriptive of anything from a motorcycle to a boat!!..It would make a difference to someone trying to recommend a fix.>>>Dan

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Dan, when OP introduced himself he indicated he was in a fifth wheel that would be in one place for the next few years

Sounds like that RV, whatever type and brand it my be, is one of the inexpensive, fair weather only models.  They build them cheap and light!

Best you can do for the floors and underside is to place skirting around the bottom. That allows some of the heat loss to be retained better and makes a bug difference.

Peanuts in the attic? What attic?  I would be much surprised if there is any open space above the ceiling, but by all means fill it with peanuts or batts of fiberglass filler if you find any.

Storage bays: stuff them with fiberglass insulation

The roof a/c doesn't have any open air paths to the outside - it does not exchange outside air.

Hi, my apology.  It is a 2007 Gulf Stream Conquest 5th wheel.        This is suppose to be the supreme model but i dont know what that means lol

I can stick my head up inside the skylight area on the shower and i can see inside the ceiling.
I can see light if i look up inside the AC vent inside.

I was thinking along the lines of what Gary posted, to put some good skirting to close off the crawl space area...then my only other thought is to build a barn around it....
which got me to thinking...& I seriously doubt it would do much good, and it wouldn't be fun to live this way....but I wonder if a storage cover...like an adco or similar...would do anything to slow drafts during the worst of the season.  I know that those tyvek coveralls can get quite hot and sweaty so that tells me they probably don't breath much.

or you could take a cover to the next level and sheath the whole rv in that foil faced foam board insulation and then cover it with the storage cover to hide the insulation as well as help to hold it in place a bit...
horrible jury-rig idea, I know, but it's the only thing I can think of short of what you've already said you've done...

Oh. another idea... maybe you mentioned it, but have you done the reflectix window cover thing?  It does a noticeable job when mine is in storage in the Florida summer....

Hi,

No i have not insulated the windows inside or out, ill check that out.  I wonder how effective that shrink wrap plastic is.  I will also check on some insulation for the storage bay doors. Maybe i can use some velcro stuff to keep the insulation against the inside of the storage door.

This last winter i had a bad air leak in the corner of my dinnete window (solid glass) so i taped some plastic i had over the window in a desperate attempt to stop the leak.  Then when i took off the plastic in the spring all the backing came off the duct tape and now im having to scrape the hard backing off the siding, then use goofoff and a rag to wipe off the rest.  Then repaint the siding after i wash it off with soapy water and it drys, its a huge job as i used alot of duct tape so that the cold wind would not get under the plastic and rip it off the rv.

So yes i was thinking about covering the windows with something, i never use the windows at all.  They are covered in the winter and in the summer i keep them and the curtains closed to block the sun and heat.  So its always dark in here because dark is cool.

No i would rather not cover all of the outside of the rv with insulation.  However i am interested in adding a skirt. However, a skirt could not be all the way from the ground to the rv because the rv moves alittle in the wind. So if the rv moves and the skirt is rigid, it would just rip it apart.  But i could go from the ground to about 2 inches from the underside of the rv and then run the plastic behind the skirting up to the rv.  That way since the plastic is flexible i would have about 2 inches of play for the rv to move before it messes with the skirting. 

For skirting my plan is to use 4x8 trellis and then cut them to size which is about 35 inches wide and 8ft long, then back it with plastic or roof felt and staple it to the back.  The trellace would be kept in place by stakes in the ground behind it.

One of my biggest questions is if i keep the cold wind out by skirting, will that keep the tanks from freezing?  I have 3 tanks, shower/sink, black, kitchen sink.

I dont expect such a hard winter going forward but who knows what mother nature has in store for east Texas.  Its suppose to be more tropical being zone 8, but mother nature had different plans for us this last year. 

If you can, bales of STRAW make an excellent skirt material, and the wind won't blow it down.>>>Dan

I don't think you need to get as elaborate as trellis etc. The skirting needs to touch the ground - you are trying to trap as much heat under the rig as possible. You can use the same foil backed insulation others suggested for your windows (available at Lowe's etc), unroll it, and with it touching the ground tape it to the side of your rig using the foil tape used for ducting (plain duct tape would probably work also). There's a small amount of insulation, plus the air is trapped under the rig. If you leave a two inch gap you will lose 90% of the effectiveness of the skirt. The rolled foil backed insulation is flexible enough that slight movement of your rig doesn't matter. I had someone in a fifth wheel next to me use this method last winter and he went through 13F temps with no problems

I have a FLIR camera I use on homes. It would work well on your trailer also. If you can get access to one. To find areas not insulated well it will work better at night so the sun does not factor in to much.

Uh, bales of straw?  I would think that would radically increase the fire risk . . .

hi, the reason i was thinking trellis is because it has to look asthetic as well.  I dont think the shiney foil would look very good exposed around the RV.  It has to look nice too.

Yes sorry good point. I should have mentioned my friend put the white side out, and since his trailer is white didn?t look bad at all. If you wanted trellis you could first install the insulation, then put the freestanding trellis fencing up near it but completely separate.

Well i got a sheet of $9 4x8 styro with foil on one side.  Put some small scraps of wood ontop of my slideout so there was an air space so the water would evap.  Then put the foil side up and the styro side down, it will take two sheets but i wanted to see if there was any difference between the sofa side of the slideout and the dinnette side. 

There is a huge difference, next month ill get another piece to cover the rest.  The covered side is the same temp as inside the RV and it is slightly cool to the touch of both to the slideout ceiling and also the contents of the storage cabinet as well in that section.   

The uncovered section ceiling is very warm to the touch and the stuff inside the storage cabinet is boiling so bad it melted a rubber band. 

It is def worth that investment.   

durangod said:

It is def worth that investment. 

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Sounds like you're on the right track. Yes, even as well insulated as my rig is, in the summer heat I leave the pantry and medicine cabinet doors open otherwise they get pretty warm due to no AC airflow.