Tweet
The sticker on the outside of our 2022 280RS proudly proclaims "Arctic Insulation - Four Seasons Protection," After a campout during a Texas summer that extended past the first cold front late last year, I've concluded that "Arctic Insulation" may refer to Fred Arctic - the guy at the factory that does the insulation and the "Four Seasons Protection" applies only if you spend four seasons camping in Hawaii. Even with the A/C and heater, it got very hot and very cold in the trailer from August through November..
Since we're heading for Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks where it is still winter (to us), I thought that I should try to cut down on the outside air infiltration.
The first modification was part of the change to lithium batteries. I removed the battery box with the lead-acid battery, sealed the hole in the metal plate and placed foam board insulation under the 3/4-in. plywood decking in the forward compartment. I then used foam board to insulate the top and sides of the forward compartment.
I then looked at what appears to be the biggest source of air infiltration - the plastic wells located on both sides of the trailer just inside the basement doors. These are thin plastic inserts with holes for inserting your water hose in a way that allows you to keep the hatch closed. This is inside the heated/cooled interior space. Besides the fact the thin plastic has no insulation value, these seemed to have just been dropped in as an afterthought. On the underside, the OSB around the inserts is unpainted and exposed, along with large gaps around the plastic insert.
The simple solution would be to just throw blankets over the inserts while we're camped. But since I had some foam board left over from the battery installation, I felt obliged to make it more complicated.
I cut pieces of foam board and inserted them into the plastic wells, using duct tape to seal the joints. I cut out a 3" hole in the foam on the port side so I can still close the hatch when the water hose is connected (with the knowledge that I'll have to disconnect and drain the hose when temperatures are below freezing). Not pretty - but hopefully effective. Since we carry our leveling blocks in the insert on the starboard side, I used some scrap 3/8" plywood to protect the bottom and sides of the insert and to distribute the weight across the insulation.
I still need to deal with the OSB exposed on the underside of the trailer. Other than paint, any suggestions for how to protect the exposed OSB?
Since we're heading for Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks where it is still winter (to us), I thought that I should try to cut down on the outside air infiltration.
The first modification was part of the change to lithium batteries. I removed the battery box with the lead-acid battery, sealed the hole in the metal plate and placed foam board insulation under the 3/4-in. plywood decking in the forward compartment. I then used foam board to insulate the top and sides of the forward compartment.
I then looked at what appears to be the biggest source of air infiltration - the plastic wells located on both sides of the trailer just inside the basement doors. These are thin plastic inserts with holes for inserting your water hose in a way that allows you to keep the hatch closed. This is inside the heated/cooled interior space. Besides the fact the thin plastic has no insulation value, these seemed to have just been dropped in as an afterthought. On the underside, the OSB around the inserts is unpainted and exposed, along with large gaps around the plastic insert.
The simple solution would be to just throw blankets over the inserts while we're camped. But since I had some foam board left over from the battery installation, I felt obliged to make it more complicated.
I cut pieces of foam board and inserted them into the plastic wells, using duct tape to seal the joints. I cut out a 3" hole in the foam on the port side so I can still close the hatch when the water hose is connected (with the knowledge that I'll have to disconnect and drain the hose when temperatures are below freezing). Not pretty - but hopefully effective. Since we carry our leveling blocks in the insert on the starboard side, I used some scrap 3/8" plywood to protect the bottom and sides of the insert and to distribute the weight across the insulation.
I still need to deal with the OSB exposed on the underside of the trailer. Other than paint, any suggestions for how to protect the exposed OSB?
Comment