Alternative wall covering

[glh101282]

As most of us know, an Airstream, with its aluminum upper construction, transfers heat and cold very well. I do a lot of travel in the winter and the inside is like an ice box, even with the heater going full blast. Heaven forbid but I am considering buying an alternative brand (Bigfoot) that I have first hand knowledge is comfortable inside in cold weather, primarily because they do not have structural components that conduct cold.

As a last resort, since I have owned Airstreams for 40 years and would hate to go to something else, I am thinking of putting some type of wall covering on the interior skin. Anyone have a similar experience and how did you resolve it? I was thinking of some type of carpet material to knock down the conduction of cold out into the living area. I have also heard of using plywood with a thin layer of rigid foam insulation.

Anyone with direct experience or knowledge or ideas?

[55AS]

I paneled the interior of my 55 Flying Cloud with birch plywood, mainly for aesthetic reasons though it did improve insulation considerably.

[glh101282]

Looks good. How did you attach panels to AS. I see the metal strips but is there glue and/or additional screws/rivets in the middle of large panels? Did you apply foil or other insulation between panels and AS? Do you have an idea of how much the panels that you used weighted?

Sorry for all the questions but I am an engineer and we are like that.

George

[55AS]

I understand, being an engineer myself. No foil, no insulation, and no glue. The panels are held in place by the trim pieces alone. 1/8" birch panels are very light. I doubt it added even 100 lbs total.

[glh101282]

I think being an engineer is a bit of a curse. Tend to over analyze simple tasks.

Thanks for your input.

George

[rmkrum]

And let’s not talk about the tendency to ‘overkill’ the results of the analysis when it comes time to “shoot the engineer and build the hardware...”

[Foiled Again]

Before you redo the entire interior GO HUNTING FOR OBVIOUS AIR LEAKS. equipment needed: one or two medium sized candles, matches to relight the candles and a windy day (or someone wielding a leaf blower outside pointed at the area you are checking)

Emptying general stuff from each area as you check it will help too. Start with doors. Your main door may look fine, but leaks around the bottom and top are particularly common. Go around the entire door frame holding the candle, and mark any place it flickers, then examine both the curve of the door, wear on the gasket and alignment of the hinges. Newer Airstream doorss can be recurved with a block of wood and a rubber mallet (see YouTube) replacing a worn gasket is very similar to doing a house door, if the catch has slipped, note how it has a six sided segment right next to the frame... loosen slightly move gently retighten. Adjusting the hinge is a bit hinkier... usually the top of the door moves outward as people brace themselves against it while entering and leaving. Once the screws loosen you end up removing interior door trim, pulling back the interior skin and adding lock washers to the door bolts before adjusting and retightening them. Covering up this repair... well leaving a nice little access panel should be considered. SEARCH and YouTube are your friends, Mr. Botticelli at Colonial has contributed several good ones.

My next choice would be windows, vents, skylights, under the sinks ( be careful some leakage here is designed to allow the interior heat to keep pipes from freezing!)

I found a huge leak under my bed... more like a missing piece of the bedframe right by the nightstand (Sideways queen). Temporarily fixed by jamming a pillow in there. Permanent fix will mean tearing the bed out, making the odd shaped missing piece, then lining the whole wall with prodex... and disassembling the garage door and insulating it if needed, plus checking the gasket and replacing it. ONE easy fix is to tighten a loose garage door by bending the latch so it fits tighter.

If you get cold air in closets near the water heater or from furnace ducts when the furnace is not running.... (this is where I go to a rally or call a repair person... often NOT a big deal, but propane? Boom.. )

Paula

[Foiled Again]

It should.go without saying, but.... turn off your propane bottles while testing with a lighted candle... burning off an eyebrow or two IS NOT the worst thing that could go wrong.

[rmkrum]

Front row seats to a rapidly expanding fireball are generally not a good deal[emoji3]

[55AS]

That thread sure drifted off topic.

[Tim A.]

We have used our 2002 19' Bambi in cold weather since it was new and we have always been happy that the walls and ceiling are covered with the much-maligned "mouse fur" (Ozite). It does an amazing job of insulating the walls.

Air leaks don't cause entire walls to be cold and we have a window and a ceiling vent cracked even in the coldest weather to prevent the buildup of humidity and condensation in the trailer.

Tim