Can any one tell me what type of insulation product I could use in the walls of my trailer and what product might work for under the floor in my 55 Bubble for insulation? Foil, standard, or someting I have never heard of? I have seen some mention of drainage and ventilation for the walls and sub floor. I have seen the pages on this site, but of course I can not find them now that I am looking for them . Any input on this would be GREAT!
Thanks BB 55 Bubble
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There is lots of high tech and expensive stuff out there. My vote was to go back with what it came with...fiberglass. I only pulled some of mine out. The walls had 2" unfaced glued in place with spray adhesive. The floor appeared to be 3"-4" face with some loose laid in the belly pan. In the section that I did went back with 6" faced because it was what I had laying around. There have been few people that have tried the bubble/foil stuff. A couple more were checking into the spray in stuff. Haven't heard any real results in a while from either.
Aaron
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....so many Airstreams....so little time...
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I have looked into using the standard paper back fiberglass but I think that there has been some issue with it retaining water and adding to the rot of wood. I was also interested in finding out that there is possibly an issue with just smashing some insulation that is thicker than the wall. It turns out that if you do that it will reduce the R value. HUH who knew! There is also a potential that the treatment of some of the pink stuff will have some interaction with the aluminum and contribute to oxidation. Is this myth or rumor?
Oh yea what was the stuff that was used originality? My insulation was home to a travling troup of Disney Mickey rejects
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There is a fine line between firefighter and Pyro. I am who ever is having the most fun!/
bubble,
I don't know what was used in 55 might have been asbestos for all I know I know that my houses from that era had rock wool batts in them. I hadn't heard anything about the fiberglass eating the aluminum. They still use it in travel trailers and Airstreams today. The reason it doesn't work as well when compressed is that you are killing the air pockets which trap the cold air and hold it. They do make a white formaldehyde free stuff that is basically hypo allergenic. I know it is used in some of the higher end SOB's that I have seen. If you seal up the seams and penetrations water in the walls shouldn't be an issue.
Aaron
__________________
....so many Airstreams....so little time...
WBCCI #2449 AIR #2495
Why are we in this basket...and where are we going
YO, Bubble;
What I did when I renovated my 63 is a buddy of mine is a Hvac tech and he got me rolls (4x50') of this black course spun insulation that has an R value of 8 compared to the original of 2. I used spray adheisive to hold it up until I replaced the inner skin. I think that this is the best upgrade that anyone can make,
Any furnace and AC place can sell it toi you or order it as it is a standard material for them. I have also noticed that the mice and bugs dont like it either.
Goodn luck John
__________________ I just Love it when a plan just arives. G.I.G.A.T.T.
That sounds better than the older R value but is there some thing with a higher R value? I hate to nick-pick but my wife is 150 soaking wet, and if I don’t keep her warm and happy.......well that could be a good thing . All joking aside this is the route I would love to go with this, some thing that could be two for the price of one. Could I use the foil bubble insulation in concert with this product and gain how much R value? Any thoughts?
__________________
There is a fine line between firefighter and Pyro. I am who ever is having the most fun!/
This product is one of the products available here in central OR at the big box stores. It looks good, the product web site states that the material
Technical info is:
[b]Temperature Range: -60 degrees to +180 degrees F Nominal Thickness: 5/16 inch (.312) Weight: 1.25 oz./sq. ft. Flame Spread Index (ASTM E 84): 20 Smoke Developed Index (ASTM E 84): 30 Fire Rating: Class A/Class 1 Linear Shrinkage: None Reflectance (IR): 97% Water Vapor Transmission (ASTM E 96): 0.02 Puncture Resistance: 60 lb./in. Mold and Mildew: No Growth Emittance: 0.3 Tensile Strength: 3.7 N/mm Pliability: No Cracking Hot Surface Performance: Passed R value : 16.8
It is called: Double Bubble Foil Both Sides
At the Home Depot: 16 In. x 25 Ft. Reflective Insulation Model ST16025 Price: $14.95/ea
Any one used this or something like it?
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There is a fine line between firefighter and Pyro. I am who ever is having the most fun!/
Last edited by Pahaska; 07-02-2006 at 11:11 PM.
Reason: Please use standard font size and color
During our visit to the AS factory in May I took note that they are using standard residential insulation with a R factor of R13. I believe it is also avilable at Home Depot or Lowes in rolls which I think are 18" wide.
Guys,
I used to work for a company in South Louisiana who marketed the foil insulation. The product is GREAT! It will not absorb or hold moisture, pests don't like it and the best part is that with a 1" airspace (less will do, but not as effective and the airspace is the key) that 1/4" insulation will give an R-15-19! The only down side is that it does NOT do a good job on sound insulation. It runs about .27 sf, comes on rolls of 125'x4', doesn't itch, cuts easily with a razor knife and last virtually forever. Without an airspace (compressed installation) it still provides an R value of about 7. Please understand, the airspace makes it work and it's focus is not heat/cold absorption so much as reflection. I just installed a bunch of it in my 79 Sovereign while I was doing floor repairs. I basically installed it in the front end and the back end, not to mention the floor areas that were exposed. I did put my fiberglass back in, but I put the foil down first, then fiberglass, then another layer of foil. You want to install it as tightly as possible and tape it in place wherever possible by using foil tape (available at Home Depot) to eliminate air transfer. I have some pics of my unit I will be posting soon that show the foil in place. I have used the foil before this on a house I restored and it works unbelievably well. And yes, as someone noted, compressing fiberglass does reduce it's efficiency dramatically because you remove the air spaces in it and allow radiant heat to transfer. If anyone is interested in the foil, I can get the number and website for the company I used to work for. Great people and a great product and they can FedEx it to you pretty cheap ($12 a roll or so). Their name is Global Energy Technologies in Houma, La. Yes, it's worth calling them. You can get the old style "single bubble" insulation from Home Depot but the "Low E" brand they have is better constructed and just a better product. Have a good one guys.
-Don
Quote:
Originally Posted by BB 55 Bubble
That sounds better than the older R value but is there some thing with a higher R value? I hate to nick-pick but my wife is 150 soaking wet, and if I don’t keep her warm and happy.......well that could be a good thing . All joking aside this is the route I would love to go with this, some thing that could be two for the price of one. Could I use the foil bubble insulation in concert with this product and gain how much R value? Any thoughts?
Guys, The product mentioned below is really good and available at Home Depot or Lowes. However, if you read my post below, you can get a better product at a much better price. The stuff at Home Depot runs about .45sf. If you order a 4'x125' roll from Global Energy Technologies in Houma, La (ask for Rindy and tell her Donnie sent you) it runs about .27sf and costs about $12-$15 to ship. You'll get a better product than the old Single Bubble stuff from Home Depot at a better price. Many thanks to the poster for the specs of the locally available stuff. The bottom line is it works no matter where it comes from but some works better and is cheaper. -Don
Quote:
Originally Posted by BB 55 Bubble
This product is one of the products available here in central OR at the big box stores. It looks good, the product web site states that the material
Technical info is: Temperature Range: -60 degrees to +180 degrees F Nominal Thickness: 5/16 inch (.312) Weight: 1.25 oz./sq. ft. Flame Spread Index (ASTM E 84): 20 Smoke Developed Index (ASTM E 84): 30 Fire Rating: Class A/Class 1 Linear Shrinkage: None Reflectance (IR): 97% Water Vapor Transmission (ASTM E 96): 0.02 Puncture Resistance: 60 lb./in. Mold and Mildew: No Growth Emittance: 0.3 Tensile Strength: 3.7 N/mm Pliability: No Cracking Hot Surface Performance: Passed R value : 16.8
It is called: Double Bubble Foil Both Sides
At the Home Depot: 16 In. x 25 Ft. Reflective Insulation Model ST16025 Price: $14.95/ea
My post number 12 in that thread also points to installation photos of the approach that I took. The thread also discusses some of the relative insulation values for variouis approaches. It is my personal opinion that foil with an air gap on each side will provide a higher level of insulation in the 1-1/2" wall space that we have on our Airstreams compared to fiberglass. It is also important to understand how foil works by blocking the flow of radiant energy trying to get through our walls. Fiberglass, on the other hand, is working to block the flow of heat by conduction. If I recall the numbers something like 85% of the energy trying to move through our walls in radiant.
Hope this helps. I would be happy to discuss the details further with anyone who asks.
Good information here! Any idea how much insulation we're talking about to put this low-e insulation in a 27' airstream? I assume that you need to remove all of the interior skin to put this stuff in? Thanks for any help on this.
Guys,
You figure the foil on square footage. A typical roll is 4'x125'. Just measure the height and width of your walls and get the square footage. You can use it in the floors as well. The foil works extremely well as a radiant barrier (as Malcolm stated and he is 100% correct) but remember, it does NOT block sound very well at all. I used it in conjunction with the fiberglass. The ideal installation of the foil is with a 2" air space on either side. In our walls that's not possible. What I recommend is that you cut 1" wide strips and spray glue them to the walls every foot or so. The material tops out at 1/4" thick so you would need to stack the strips two thick. Then you install the material itself as an uninterrupted blanket BETWEEN the studs taping the edges of it to the inside surfaces of the studs. The idea is to keep air from transferring at all. This won't be 100% possible but you get the idea. If you are using it in conjunction with the glass so that the glass acts as a sound deadener, then the foils overall effectiveness will be diminished some, but it should be more than compensated for by the fiberglass insulations ability to absorb and retain heat. Remember, the foil works solely by reflectivity, not absorption. If anyone needs any hints on this, just email me. I worked with this stuff for over 2 years and have used it on several projects. You can also look up Global Energy Technology on the web, they have the best product you can get (test proven) and they have a very informative website. I will also be posting some pics of my install on my A/S. Take care guys.
-Don
Quote:
Originally Posted by gr63air
Good information here! Any idea how much insulation we're talking about to put this low-e insulation in a 27' airstream? I assume that you need to remove all of the interior skin to put this stuff in? Thanks for any help on this.
I've got the belly off my 2001 Bambi to take care of frame rust, and have removed all the fiberglas insulation.
I'm considering Reflectix "double bubble/foil both sides" insulation on the rebuild. Looking at the installation methods, it seems one good method is to adhesively attach firring strips onto the bottom of the floor deck around the perimeter of each frame member using contact cement for a 1-in barrier between the foil and the floor deck, staple in the foil and then seal the foil to the frame member with metal tape.
Any suggestions from experience? Thanks in advance.
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Marshall Swartz
2001 19-ft Bambi
2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL
Greensburg, PA - Falmouth, MA
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. Any input on this would be GREAT!
/
I just Love it when a plan just arives. G.I.G.A.T.T.
. All joking aside this is the route I would love to go with this, some thing that could be two for the price of one. Could I use the foil bubble insulation in concert with this product and gain how much R value? Any thoughts?
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