Interstate Mods - I'll go First

[k9jackie]

@interblog I use reflectix in the winter and summer for insulation. It really works! I like that I can still roll it up and get some light in the motor home when I want

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by k9jackie

@interblog I use reflectix in the winter and summer for insulation. It really works! I like that I can still roll it up and get some light in the motor home when I want

Yesterday I was delighted to discover that you are correct! It's late April in Houston which means our daytime highs are creeping toward 90 degrees. But the real killer for the Interstate is not the ambient external air temperature - it's the intensity of incident sunlight. As I was working in the vehicle yesterday, I shifted the Reflectix from one side to the other depending on time of day - east side of the vehicle in the morning, west side in the afternoon. That way I could have some protection without having the whole thing be as dark as a tomb. The difference really was perceptible. Reflectix gets a bad rap for over-inflated insulation claims, but it does work in this application.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

That way I could have some protection without having the whole thing be as dark as a tomb.

I like "dark as a tomb." Really gives that man-cave feeling. Also very helpful for afternoon power naps, an indulgence I've recently acquired as I learn to relax more.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Yesterday I was delighted to discover that you are correct! It's late April in Houston which means our daytime highs are creeping toward 90 degrees. But the real killer for the Interstate is not the ambient external air temperature - it's the intensity of incident sunlight. As I was working in the vehicle yesterday, I shifted the Reflectix from one side to the other depending on time of day - east side of the vehicle in the morning, west side in the afternoon. That way I could have some protection without having the whole thing be as dark as a tomb. The difference really was perceptible. Reflectix gets a bad rap for over-inflated insulation claims, but it does work in this application.

I agree - Reflectix does really reduce the heat gain form all those big windows. I have one for every window that I made after getting a tip on the stuff from a camping neighbor on a trip to Key West about three years ago. I keep the set on the sunny side when parked in my driveway. The dark as a tomb feature worked well on our trip to Alaska. I kept all the windows in back covered so it was dark enough to sleep in the land of eternal sunlight during the summer.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[russ240]

Has anyone found a way line the window captured behind the bathroom insert with reflectix? Being a closed space I find it REALLY heats up when parked with that side facing the sun.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by russ240

Has anyone found a way line the window captured behind the bathroom insert with reflectix? Being a closed space I find it REALLY heats up when parked with that side facing the sun.

Not without removing the window. The awning is your best protection against heat buildup there.

[gmillerok1]

Originally Posted by russ240

Has anyone found a way line the window captured behind the bathroom insert with reflectix? Being a closed space I find it REALLY heats up when parked with that side facing the sun.

You can access this area from the panel on the backside of the shower compartment, and push it through in two separate pieces, and also stuff insulation in there. It's not easy, nor perfect, but it helped when I did that. There is no other way to access this space and do it correctly short of removing the shower-and that's not an easy task at all.

When I was at Jackson Center for a shower stall replacement in an attempt to remedy a shower floor pan that was not level, I inspected the area and there was no insulation at all behind the shower. The temperature inside the shower could bake a chicken. I personally put reflectix with tape over the window area and completely blocked it-the way it should have been done in production-and then added a layer of insulation on top of that as well. All Airstream does is spray a black thin coating of something on the window, which does nothing at all to keep the heat from building up in the bath. In fact, I think it is more to keep you from seeing the other side of the shower and actually makes it hotter. It's another thing, not seen, that Airstream does to save a buck or two, knowing you won't figure that out until you've already bought it. Beauty is only skin deep.

I'm not sure if the latest versions still have the same lack of insulation or not but I'd be surprised if they have changed how they build them.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by gmillerok1

....I inspected the area and there was no insulation at all behind the shower. The temperature inside the shower could bake a chicken. ....

Reminiscent of hubster and I finding no insulation above the cab ceiling liner. And it did make a wonderful difference when we insulated it.

[raddocc]

This may be on here somewhere, but, I can't find it. What is the best way to get A/C to the back on hot days without starting the generator? We have tried a fan with mixed results. Is there a way to put in an A/C unit that runs with the engine?

Got to find a way not to bake the kids as we drive across the country.

Thanks,

[Lily&Me]

We did pretty well closing the two side vents, leaving the two center open and pointed straight back.

Turn the fan on high and hit the recirculate button. The latter is the key to cooling and comfort inside.

Takes a few minutes, but we have been cross country in ours with 4 grands in August and all lived to tell the tale.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Turn the fan on high and hit the recirculate button. The latter is the key to cooling and comfort inside.

My Interstate won't stay on "recirculate" for more than about twenty minutes at a time. According to the Sprinter manuals, it's some kind of interior air quality thing since air drawn in from outside is filtered but recirculated air isn't. So about every half hour, you'll have to press the "recirculate" button again. Mildly annoying, but doable.

[Lily&Me]

Mine, too, but using it makes a huge difference in hot weather.


Maggie

[73shark]

I hung (Velcro) two 9" fans under the galley cabinets, one at each end to try to blow some cool air from the front to the rear. Looked good on paper but didn't help much.

[Mcrid]

Installed an LPG switch inside the coach in series with the external LPG switch on our '16 GT. With the help of wiring diagrams discover the Red Wire 6A that comes from the external switch behind the bottom drawer below the microwave. Once I discovered that it was an easy cut, splice and install.

[73shark]

I thought you always cut the blue wire, never the red wire.

[summerwood]

Mcrider...where did you install the LPG switch?

[Mcrid]

Originally Posted by summerwood

Mcrider...where did you install the LPG switch?

Above the gas detector. It is shown in the inset picture. The black switch is not labeled in the picture, however my wife has vinyl labels ready to go on when I get to it. The location is convenient, relatively protected and very convenient to install. I did consider the control console, but there is insufficient room for the switch I wanted and routing to the location was going to be a hassle. So I compromised.

[InterBlog]

Update on the use of Reflectix... I decided that I like it, I'm keeping it, and it's staying in the vehicle at all times because it helps with stealth camping black-out as well as interior heat gain.

The question then became how to create more efficient storage because I was DONE rummaging around each time for the correct subset of pieces in the stack that we were keeping on top of the fresh water tank. That was awkward and inefficient.

I decided to use the same non-destructive method that I'd originally used to secure the Heatshield jumbo interior windshield cover - I inserted Velcro strips behind existing trim screws and use them to cinch around the rolled-up Reflectix pieces.

Initially I thought it might look tacky or cluttered with them all out in the open like that (six windows!), but I can live with them. The metallic Reflectix and the black Velcro correspond so closely to the Interstate's existing decor that my eyes don't single out the rolls when I glance around. They blend in.

It is a major advantage to store each Reflectix next to the specific window it was cut for. Very organized. No more rummaging.

Details in the blog post (not that this is a very difficult or sophisticated project) and one pic below.

STORING REFLECTIX SHADES IN THE AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

[Lily&Me]

That is a great idea, IB, and they do blend in nicely.

Also uses some of that otherwise wasted and vertical space.


Maggie

[bugsbunny]

How did you get the screw covers off in the corner?

Nice job,

Thanks,
Katy