full-timer for 2 yrs. + and counting...

[Lyvettely]

Hello all,

I found my 69 Ambassador over two years ago on Craigslist, hauled it home and began to gut out everything on the inside to make it one big room. Since I park my Airstream by my family's main house, I do not need a kitchen and bathroom. Due to it's age and the previous owners neglects, my trailer needs a lot of TLC! Some of it's issues are:

- fixing electrical problems. As of 3 days ago I have no electricity running
through my airstream...so sad!
- the whole roof leaks! Even from the lights! My solution so far is that I've
put a large tarp on top. Very attractive!
- the vent on top needs to be replaced since it is non-existent.

and, most importantly...

to fix the insulation issue!

Is it possible to fix it to be comfortable for both hot and cold weather???
I've learned the hard way that in the winter I can blow smoke out of my mouth and in the summer I sweat while I sit!
I've seen some threads about cold weather but not extreme heat.

hope to hear from all of you soon!

~Maria

[DanielB]

Originally Posted by Lyvettely

and, most importantly...
to fix the insulation issue!

There are so many issues here I don't know where to start..

What you have is probably not an insulation issue, it is a heating and cooling issue. Heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Maybe you could tap into your parents vent system and run a vent out to the trailer?

[AIR-Quarius]

It would help if you posted some pictures of what is going on. But hey, gotta start some where huh? Glad your parents are close by you, they might take interest in what your doing too. But do post some pictures and ask more questions, I bet everyone will help out one way or another.

[funkill]

Hey Maria - did you finish replacing your floors yet? Man, I hope they are not getting soaked with all your water leaks. That would be a shame. I spent hours sealing my panels and still have one leak that I cannot find. Dang-it.

I know a bit about using my trailer in extreme heat. I usually flip on my A/C but.... I do hook up a mister to the hose sometimes when I'm sitting outside. Even put it up on the roof of my trailer when I was working on the awning. It did reduce the air temp by quite a bit. Too bad it can't be used inside. Wish I was really relaxing like the girl in the advertisement... I'm guessing you don't have A/C? Maybe you can check into those little misters that are intended for screened porches - you could attach them to your awning and they'd probably help reduce the temperature some! Good luck!




Here's a mister that is intended to be secured to an outdoor umbrella: http://www.mistymate.com/misting-sys...o-systems.html

And another


Laura

[Ganaraska]

Airstreams are not well insulated against heat or cold. They are supposed to move with the seasons. This is part of the design philosophy.

If you are going to sit still you would probably be better off with a square box trailer or mobile home.

However it is possible to improve the Airstream's insulation as part of a total rebuild. There are threads on this.

[DreamStreamr]

Ganaraska's right, not much insulation at all. And lots of glass surface on many Airstreams like our CCD 25. So we try to chase 75 degrees. Four years into it we aren't very good at staying in 75 degree climes. Outside temp just isn't gonna drive everything else for us. So we spent a torrid two August weeks baking in Bakersfield, a really cool October week or two in Sun Valley ID (18 degrees a night or two), and like everyone else we spent last winter wondering why it really was warmer in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics than in south-central FL.

We use windows and fans a lot to stay cool, and rarely use air conditioning. We use our Wave6 catalytic heater often in cool temps, it uses much less propane than our furnace and keeps us toasty. And we do try to move with the seasons.

Best regards,

Jim
http://dreamstreamr.com

[fr8tshaker]

This might be an easy solution for cooling your unit since it is just one room.

The LG Electronics 9000 BTU Portable AC. $299 at www.homedepot.com.

Comes with the vent/exhaust setup as well as a remote

Mt DD purchased 2 of these during the summer when the AC quit during a holiday weekend. She lives btw Houston and Galveston. The window vent was easy to fit and place. They cooled the bedrooms quite well. Actually too well. They had to turn the temp down they were putting out so much cold air. Very easy to roll around and store when not being used. BTW can be used as a dehumidifier only so would be useful during the colder months to keep the moisture down.

FWIW,
'shaker