Declaring war on Interstate summer heat gain

[InterBlog]

Rhino liner weighs too much for our application. We are so close to GVWR that even an extra 50 lbs is too much, especially if it is positioned so far above the center of gravity.

I would have preferred something more robust than Bus Kote, but I came up empty on easy alternatives that did not cost the earth.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Rhino liner weighs too much for our application. We are so close to GVWR that even an extra 50 lbs is too much, especially if it is positioned so far above the center of gravity.

I would have preferred something more robust than Bus Kote, but I came up empty on easy alternatives that did not cost the earth.

INTERBLOG - did not realize it adds so much weight. Not something I thought off when doing an empty pickup. Definitely much more important in any of our AI's. That maybe why SportMobile said they can only Rhino coat entire van for certain builds. When I pressed them on why, they kinda danced around the question.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Titus

Can't help but wonder how slick the paint is when (if) it rains.

I couldn't resist...

But ... "It Never Rains In Southern California" an oldie from 1973, the year I left California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmq4WIjQxp0

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

I couldn't resist...

But ... "It Never Rains In Southern California" an oldie from 1973, the year I left California.

MIKE - include Southern Nevada in that. 4" avg. annual rainfall (US avg. 39"), 0.0" avg. snowfall (US avg. is 26"), 294 avg. days of sunshine (USA avg. is 205 days).

The major cities in United States with the most sun year round are Phoenix and Las Vegas. Both are sunny for 85 percent of the time between sunrise and sunset, amounting to over 3800 hours a year.

But the heat sucks in summer. Good thing for A/C, bad thing for electric bill.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

...
...I finished up my roof job yesterday and have this blog post below to show for it.

I caution readers that, although the initial results seem promising, we do not yet have any idea of how this type of application will either wash or wear, and those two considerations weigh heavily on the conclusion of whether it’s ultimately worth doing. Undoubtedly, I’ll have more to say about those things as we go forward and gain lessons learned.

ADDING A REFLECTIVE ROOF COATING TO AN AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

Wow, it has now been three years. I just added my fourth Bus Kote refresh a few days ago. Strictly speaking, I don't think an annual re-coat needs to be done, but every spring after the pollen stops flying, I get out a soft bristle brush and scrub the roof clean, check all the caulk, and then brush on a light overcoat to brighten it up.

This was a good project. It has kept the van cooler these years, protected the lap seams and penetrations, and has adhered very well to the primed roof. Believe it or not, I just finished my first gallon of Bus Kote. The paint itself was still fit for use after 3 years - each successive year's coat came from the original can.

It bums me out a bit seeing the original project pics, though. The paint job on the van, especially the clear coat, is showing conspicuous signs of age (the body paint is now 13 years old, and I swear the aging process is accelerating). Our Interstate is simply getting old. But hey, the reflective roof looks pretty good:

[rowiebowie]

Looks nice Interblog. Good use of our time right now is to do projects on our rigs. Thursday I will re-wire my lithium battery install with larger cables and clean up some of the wiring.

My '2012 Avenue sits outside. Paint is still glossy on the Chevy Express part. But the fiberglass roof suddenly showed it age this Spring. No worry about rust, but as the silver color deteriorates, I'm starting to see the white peaking from underneath. Probably will have it repainted next year.

[Lotus54]

The roof looks nice.
Now that it is dry- I need to get up and do some cleanup- checking caulking etc on the roof of mine. I’m not too worried about heat, but sure don’t want rust or leaks.

[InterBlog]

The other day, I decided that WE ARE DONE waiting for a prop that fits the T1N Sprinter rear barn doors.

Done-zo, ya hear me?! This is a very basic security and heat control (ventilation-enhancing) device that should have been included in every T1N boondocker’s kit long before now. It has been talked about for years, it has been female-dogged about on Sprinter Forum for years, we’ve had noncommittal responses from aftermarket producers such as Hein who say that they MIGHT be able to offer it, but nothing has ever come of it.

I checked with Million Mile Sprinter (Joel Sell) one final time before we embarked on our own design process. Again, a “maybe”.

So my husband designed this prototype yesterday and began acquiring prices last night. The set-up fees are considerable, so we figured we’d produce a batch of them, keep one, and sell the rest on the internet to recoup our costs.

Open up my email this morning and the first thing I see is this bright and shiny object from Joel. He had been working on this prototype without our knowledge. I’m so glad that we had not yet pulled the trigger on our order.

Anyway, there are good reasons why we see convergent evolution and a “great minds think alike” theme in these designs, but I will wait to discuss that until I can demonstrate with AN ACTUAL DOOR PROP, one that I finally get my hands on after 5 years of wishing for it.

[Lily&Me]

That’s pretty cool, and I could definitely use one of those.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

That’s pretty cool, and I could definitely use one of those.

Maggie

I will post back when they are available.

[Lotus54]

There are occasional times where that would be quite handy.
Most certainly better ventilation if the door open a little.

Keep us posted.

Mark

[nvestysly]

If you want to pursue your own design to understand if it has features that may work better than Joel's design, or you simply want to pursue it for the satisfaction of doing so, consider utilizing the resources of a local "maker's space." Many of these programs have a membership fee but give you access to 3D printers, CNC milling machines, laser cutters and other high-tech equipment that is out of reach for the average person. Just a thought.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

If you want to pursue your own design to understand if it has features that may work better than Joel's design, or you simply want to pursue it for the satisfaction of doing so, consider utilizing the resources of a local "maker's space." Many of these programs have a membership fee but give you access to 3D printers, CNC milling machines, laser cutters and other high-tech equipment that is out of reach for the average person. Just a thought.

We've done this kind of thing before. My husband orders custom parts on the internet - it is the path of least resistance. IMO, makers' spaces are better for longer-term investments of time and interest, and designs which require iteration, rather than one-off project needs.

Perhaps the best example is our electrical panel, which he designed to fit all of our components. It was around a hundred bucks via the interwebs.

[InterBlog]

Ha ha - we (mostly LB_3) produced our worm door prop. I want to paint devilish eyeballs and a smiley face on it.



This was cut from a piece of solid oak we had laying around, but I will still be buying the metal one when it comes out, because this is not sufficiently durable for the long term.

I have a wickedly long to-do list, as I have every summer at this time, and I wanted SOME type of door prop to check that off the list, just in case the real one doesn't materialize before we need to travel. Right now, Joel (Million Mile Sprinter) is taking a well-deserved vacation in Yellowstone with 11 of his 13 children, and I don't know what his timetable is on the metal ones.

[wachuko]

My absent minded self would rip apart the locking mount trying to move it when forgetting that it was there...

I like the solution that is available for our year of the AI. Works like a charm.

Intermediate door stop kit...

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by wachuko

My absent minded self would rip apart the locking mount trying to move it when forgetting that it was there...
...

I attempted to idiot-proof it for myself by painting it fire engine red.

[rowiebowie]

Too bad the new vans (Sprinter, Pormaster, Transit) did not offer flip-out rear windows like old Chevy & Fords. I miss the extra interior space of the square-bodied/high-topped current vans, but I love our flip-out rear windows which can be opened rain or shine and draw fresh air over our heads at night will running the Maxxfan. If bugs are a problem, I have Skreenz that attach magnetically over the back door tops.

This arrangement and the Maxxfan (which can operate in the rain due to it's permanent cover) have kept us comfortable on many a night of boondocking by drawing in fresh cool air at bed level while we slept.

[InterBlog]

My ode to yet another epic historical Sprinter and B Van thread via this update:

Our van is now 16 years old, which means that we are cycling out a lot of equipment that has either failed, or is about to fail. That is the occasion that prompted us to pull the original bathroom fan for replacement. It had stopped working and was also leaking.

We found what had long been predicted by many T1N Interstate owners (and NCV3 owners as well) - that there is no insulation between the wet bath and the body of the Sprinter. Or, more precisely, between the wet bath and the interior skin that Airstream attached to the vehicle’s ribs. There’s about an inch of insulation above the interior skin, and you can see it in the photo below, but there is none surrounding the wet bath, which sits a few inches below the ribs. This is important because the wet bath is notorious for becoming an oven in hot weather.

I subscribe to James Adinaro’s mantra of “leave no square foot uninsulated”. He even went so far as to do infrared imaging of his Travato to see where his most poorly insulated spots were .

So, as my husband was trimming the outer casing of the new MaxxAir vent fan to fit between the Interstate’s ribs, I was ripping up small sections of fiberglass and cramming it into that hole, trying to work it around the interior fiberglass shell of the wet bath as best I could. That is NOT the proper way to insulate such a space, but hopefully it was better than nothing. Believe it or not, I managed to shred and stuff about 8 feet (!!) of fiberglass into that small hole.

Moral of this story - if you ever have reason to pull your wet bath, be prepared for scope creep in the form of insulating.

You can see my fingers defining the uninsulated gap in the photo below. We also replaced the main vent fan yesterday, which was an enormous amount of work. So much for my manicure - this is dirty work:

[InterBlog]

This is a long thread, so let me TL;DR my roof treatment -

More than 6 years ago, I took the plunge and re-did my roof with Bus Kote. There were only maybe two other published examples of anyone using that product on a Sprinter roof, and no data on long-term durability, but I took a chance on it. Initial results were promising, in that it resulted in a surface temperature reduction of at least 35 degrees.

I’ve been pleased with this product. It’s very stable and durable - no peeling or cracking. It has worked better than any other product I’ve tried, including POR-15, at protecting the Sprinter’s fragile roof lap seams. It does progressively turn a light shade of gray over time and it gets splotchy, but every few years, I just scrub the roof with soap and water, and then recoat. I had one virgin gallon can of Bus Kote left over from my original shipment 6 years ago (I accidentally ordered too much) and when I cracked open that can this morning, it was as good as new.

The pic below shows a bit of unevenness in the first re-coat of 2023. I will go over it a second time to return it to its best shade of snow-blindness white. We really need all the thermal regulation help we can get right now in our current heat wave.