Is rear hatch insulated ?

[Peter Housto]

Am replacing rear floor and insulation under the bed . Wondering if I should dismantle the hatch to fill it with spray foam . Has anyone ever looked inside this ? Is there pink fibreglass in there or just air ? Looks like quite a job to dismantle . How about just drilling a hole and spraying in some foam ?

[Air-Texas]

Originally Posted by Peter Housto

Am replacing rear floor and insulation under the bed . Wondering if I should dismantle the hatch to fill it with spray foam . Has anyone ever looked inside this ? Is there pink fibreglass in there or just air ? Looks like quite a job to dismantle . How about just drilling a hole and spraying in some foam ?

What did you find out? I might want to spray some foam in it too.

[idroba]

I don't know if it is insulated or not, but don't just drill a hole in it and try to fill it with spray foam. I once had a Trail Mite 13' fiberglass trailer with two shells, inner and outer. No insulation inbetween. I made the mistake of spraying foam in a can between the inner and outer walls. It expanded and bulged both walls. Even the "minimal expanding" might have issues and could bulge your flat panels on the AS.

Just a heads up here, don't repeat my error.

[SilverHoot]

Mine was insulated with fiberglass. I reinsulated with Prodex.

[edglenn]

Airstream brochure for 1969 models lists the cargo hatch as "insulated".
What they mean by insulation, I don't know, but it's probably the same stuff they used everywhere else: fiberglass.
Spray foam won't work if there's fiberglass in there already. Plus, it really DOES expand A LOT. It could bulge the skins.
Better to dis-assemble (PITA), and do it right.

[dznf0g]

I don't know where, but I was told somewhere that the newer ones have foam board or styrofoam sheet in them. I cannot remember if ti was on a plant tour or somewhere here in the forums.

[Air-Texas]

Originally Posted by idroba

I don't know if it is insulated or not, but don't just drill a hole in it and try to fill it with spray foam. I once had a Trail Mite 13' fiberglass trailer with two shells, inner and outer. No insulation inbetween. I made the mistake of spraying foam in a can between the inner and outer walls. It expanded and bulged both walls. Even the "minimal expanding" might have issues and could bulge your flat panels on the AS.

Just a heads up here, don't repeat my error.

I have seen that! Don't ask me where....

[Peter Housto]

I removed the lock/handle assy and could see fibreglass type insulation but not a lot . I was able to squeeze more inside . I worried the spray foam could expand with enough force (I am told) to bulge the soft aluminum . Has anyone tried it ?

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Peter Housto

I removed the lock/handle assy and could see fibreglass type insulation but not a lot . I was able to squeeze more inside . I worried the spray foam could expand with enough force (I am told) to bulge the soft aluminum . Has anyone tried it ?

Try to keep all of this in perspective. The whole trailer is really not well insulated by today's standards. So I would suggest not worrying about one access door.

Ken

[edglenn]

Originally Posted by w7ts

Try to keep all of this in perspective. The whole trailer is really not well insulated by today's standards. So I would suggest not worrying about one access door.

Ken

Yep. Ken's right.

[worldinchaos]

Originally Posted by edglenn

Yep. Ken's right.

Yeah, what are the window's even made of these days?

I definitely did the bare minimum with insulation on my 1959. 1.0 to 1.5" of usable insulation space and single pane super thin glass windows and ribs that are great at transferring heat in a metal skin to metal skin interface, and I have no hope.

So far the only really effective thing I've seen is Darkspeed's use of ceramic coating. If I was doing a large scale renovation for more use than weekend camping, I would go that route.

For a small compartment door only, do what you can with fiberglass, prodex, or foamboard, and get back to camping

[Peter Housto]

Ken has a point . The amount of insulation between those cold inner and outer walls is negligable ! However the compartment under the bed accessed by the hatch is the coldest place inside the trailer (other than the fridge).

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Peter Housto

Ken has a point . The amount of insulation between those cold inner and outer walls is negligable ! However the compartment under the bed accessed by the hatch is the coldest place inside the trailer (other than the fridge).

I have never heard of anyone doing it, but maybe some small heat source under the bed might help make a night more pleasant. I am guessing that running a small duct from the furnace would probably involve going under the floor. Our bed has three drawers in the base. If those were left partially open, the under bed area would probably be a bit warmer.

Our mattress is a fairly thick inner spring, so the temperature of the base has not been a problem. However I can see how it could be if the mattress was thinner.

Ken

Ken

[worldinchaos]

Originally Posted by w7ts

I have never heard of anyone doing it, but maybe some small heat source under the bed might help make a night more pleasant. I am guessing that running a small duct from the furnace would probably involve going under the floor. Our bed has three drawers in the base. If those were left partially open, the under bed area would probably be a bit warmer.

Our mattress is a fairly thick inner spring, so the temperature of the base has not been a problem. However I can see how it could be if the mattress was thinner.

Ken

Ken

Better yet, a water bed, with a water pump that recirculates through the hot water heater.

J/k it'd be fun to experiment, but can you say rear end separation?