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Wild-Air · 02-09-2013, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masseyfarm

Airstream claims their trailers are the best insulated RV trailer on the road. Impervious to water, varmints, etc.

Airstream - Building Dreams Is Our Business - Part 2 - YouTube

Dave

That is so funny! My AS is miserably insulated with about 3/4" of surplus pink fiberglass matt that was glued to the walls to facilitate production, not to aid in owner comfort.

When I tell people of my AS leaking cold air from the walls they look at me like I had the plague or was cursing the Pope.

To keep my brain from freezing, I have a sheet of Reflectix stuffed between the head of the bed and my head. The Reflectix is 7 times warmer than the aluminum that's 1/4" away. Amazing stuff, but because Thor doesn't own it, they don't use, or so I think.

Airstreams being super insulated only happens when an owner does it themselves.

sandmanxx · 03-26-2013, 11:26 AM

Following..

tuffr2 · 04-03-2013, 08:29 PM

Seems to me that aluminum is a soft metal. That after time the body panels will develope gaps that will eventually leak and let in cold air and start to leak.

Probably if you bought a new AS and moved it one time onto a permanent RV lot. Then did not move it would last 75 years maybe more. But towing anything will cause things to loosen up. It is just the way things work.

Sylver Slypr · 04-03-2013, 09:37 PM

Welcome to the Forums ! Great 1st post and those pics are worth a thousand words to anyone contemplating insulation upgrades.

beetlebob · 05-30-2013, 01:28 PM

I heat a 6 by 16 greenhouse that is aluminum and plex in the winter to 80 degrees easly with a old fashion electric oil filled heater. Looks like the old steam heater coils. Has anyone who is plugged in try one of these?

ROBERTSUNRUS · 05-30-2013, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beetlebob

I heat a 6 by 16 greenhouse that is aluminum and plex in the winter to 80 degrees easly with a old fashion electric oil filled heater. Looks like the old steam heater coils. Has anyone who is plugged in try one of these?

Hi, this is what we use.

bilby05 · 05-30-2013, 03:19 PM

We use the oil filled, like you describe, in our 31' Sovereign. Works for us. But we usually don't go if it is going to get below about 40 degrees outside. I hate propane in an enclosed space. Especially if you bounce it up and down the road for forty years and then use it while you sleep.
Cheers bill b.

drboyd · 05-30-2013, 04:00 PM

The effect of the already meager insulation is further damaged by the aluminum channels. See this article for details.

tsunami · 11-24-2013, 11:34 AM

For the Street Rod community, a product called Lizard Skin is available. One type is for sound deadening and another is for insulation. Both are a spray in material and they can be used together. They are sprayed on just a couple of mils thickness and have been proven very effective to deaden road noise and insulate the interior of vehicles. Might be worth looking into for your AS.
http://m.lizardskin.com

Gcragg · 01-03-2020, 08:42 PM

unfortunately... Airstreams have a major design flaw. And ironically its what most of us love about them and what really sets them apart from the herd. That is they are basically constructed using two of the worst insulating materials on the planet. Metal...and glass. And there you have the primary reason its hard to get any decent R numbers from them.

SYC2Vette · 01-04-2020, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild-Air

…………………...

To keep my brain from freezing, I have a sheet of Reflectix stuffed between the head of the bed and my head. The Reflectix is 7 times warmer than the aluminum that's 1/4" away. Amazing stuff, but because Thor doesn't own it, they don't use, or so I think.

Airstreams being super insulated only happens when an owner does it themselves.

Thanks for the Reflectix recommendation, just ordered. I also have found that our FB area can be chilly even with the cloth panels we have up around the bed area, the walls really suck the warmth away.

I think it is worthy of mention that 4 season "tiny houses" (without furniture) typically weigh at least twice as much as typical travel trailers for similar square footage. That is why you will see even twenty foot tiny houses with 3 axles.