Adding Insulation to Reflection 5th Wheel Underbelly

[Cate&Rob]

Neil

I am going to add the insulation as well while at my underneath projects. I am going to look at trying to put the insulation up against the floor if possible.

Brian

Hi Brian,

Getting the insulation up against the underside of the floor is going to be difficult because of all the things in the space between the floor and the coroplast. Wiring, plumbing, tanks, frame cross members, slide drives, etc. I did (briefly) think about sprayed in foam insulation. This could be an ideal solution for getting the insulation up against the floor and would seal all the air leaks . . . but could seriously compromise future service access. There is also an advantage to keeping the plumbing and tanks above the new insulation.

Rob

[Calbar]

Just to add the similar photo from my 2015 303RLS. (Photo also included in the attachment to post 1)
I am surprised at the Reflection 5th wheel different structure between my '15 303 and Brian's '18 29RS.

Rob

Seems like GD has changed the floor construction for later model years on the Reflection 5th wheel line. Either that or it varies depending on available material.

Another Rob

[ncitro]

I’m pretty sure my 28bh has the similar foam laminated into the floor design. I thought I read somewhere that the smaller reflections were made like this, and once they get over a certain size they switch to batts in the basement.

[Country Campers]

So I was able to get this project done.

Here is before.

And here is a couple afters.


I had to do this ins 3 sections and held these up tight against the bottom of the floor with some plywood strips and wood screws. I wanted to get this done before the Molex recall so I did not disturb the repair. Next is to clean up some of the wiring mess.

Brian

[Country Campers]

Another pic.


This was done because the rear floor in our 29RS is generally cold on the feet. The factory floor is plywood on top , white foam and then luan on the bottom. The wood strips I used to hold the rigid foam up are screwed into the luan. Time will tell , next year if this makes a difference or not. Having the luxury of working inside thru the winter on these projects is awesome.

Brian

[TucsonJim]

So I was able to get this project done.

Here is before.

And here is a couple afters.


I had to do this ins 3 sections and held these up tight against the bottom of the floor with some plywood strips and wood screws. I wanted to get this done before the Molex recall so I did not disturb the repair. Next is to clean up some of the wiring mess.

Brian

I see that you have a combination of PEX and braided hose on that one line showing. Are you going to tackle the plumbing change too? I'm getting ready to start on my plumbing next week.

Jim

[Country Campers]

I see that you have a combination of PEX and braided hose on that one line showing. Are you going to tackle the plumbing change too? I'm getting ready to start on my plumbing next week.

Jim

That is the line going to the outside sprayer on the rear of the RV. I think I will remove that piece and change to PEX. I have the front of the coroplast down as well , too much time on my hands , and the only soft hose I see up there is the black tank flush line. I also have the pass thru storage cleaned out and was looking at the back of the Nautilus panel. I may tackle all of the soft hose during this down time. There is just so much wires and such hanging down it would be nice to put the RV on a rotisserie , would save the crook in my neck. I think this is one of those projects that slowly gains more items to do.

Brian

[howson]

I think this is one of those projects that slowly gains more items to do.

That, my friend, is beyond a doubt a true statement. Don't forget to check all of the cable coax connectors and speaker wiring.

[TucsonJim]

That, my friend, is beyond a doubt a true statement. Don't forget to check all of the cable coax connectors and speaker wiring.

Howard - I have one speaker wire underneath that is without a exaggerating at least 20 feet longer than needed!

[Country Campers]

howson TucsonJim

What would I be looking for with the speaker wiring?

Brian

[Cate&Rob]

Country Campers ncitro

If you really wanted to warm the floor, you might want to consider electric heat. (Of course, this works better if the additional insulation is below the heated space ) In Canada, 120V "car warmers" are relatively common. I started with one of these and through several iterations arrived at a system that will keep the underbelly (gate valve area in my case) at a constant 10C (50 F).

Some "learnings" along the way . . . The electric heater has to be thermally isolated from the surface above (note the aluminum heat shield spaced from the floor above). The internal thermostat is a "safety" set much higher than I wanted, so I powered this heater through a thermostat located in a far corner of the space. I did multiple infrared thermometer readings as I evolved this system. Until I got comfortable with trusting this setup, I watched a wireless temperature monitor (placed in another corner of the space) very carefully. I still monitor this when using the underbelly electric heat, but it cycles reliably in the 10C to 12C (50F to 55F) which is the lowest setting on the residential thermostat. It has been able to maintain this temperature down to -14C (7F) which is the coldest we have camped in. It works equally well in the more common 0C (30F) range.

Rob

[howson]

howson TucsonJim

What would I be looking for with the speaker wiring?

Brian

Polarity. On my phone so limited...but if you look thru my thread you'll see thet swapped wires. Causes music from channels to be out of phase.

[Guest]

I cannot wait until I retire so I can join you guys in remanufacturing my camper.

Jim

[Yoda]

Jim, I'm going to start dropping my underbelly tomorrow. Attaching the reflective liner to the coroplast is one of my plans. I'll let you know how it works out.

Jim

Jim
When I put mine back up, I used tabs of double faced tape to lay out and hold the foil in place to the coroplast. But don't do it at the very outer edge, The foil is a few inches wider and overlaps on the inside of the frame. Made putting it up easier

[Yoda]

I cannot wait until I retire so I can join you guys in remanufacturing my camper.

Jim

You need serious help my friend thinking like that. Just remember when you budget a "fix/ modification" multiply by 4 and have plenty of cold ones on hand for after. And I almost forgot - a good first aid kit handy.

OH and be sure "the one who must be obeyed" does not know what your doing, until its too late to stop.

Bottom line - be careful what you wish for


Now on the upside - there are a bunch of new tools and neat products out there you will need - Better get shopping.

Keith