Maintenance & Restoration

Night Sailor · 01-30-2013, 02:24 AM

Any idea what the insulation value is for that sandwich of materials? If I run out of foam the ReflectX might be a good option.

I was planning on putting 1.5 inches of spray foam with a R value of 9 in my aluminum slide in truck camper. I also plan to use two sided tape as a thermal break without screws to attach the interior paneling. I have a goal of needing only 3250 BTUs per hour to keep it warm down to 0 get F.

The foam does a good job of sealing the gaps in the siding and I plan a thin layer of Line-X on the roof for extra weather proofing.

Lora · 01-30-2013, 08:39 AM

I seem to recall on another thread where part of the issue is the cold from below. What kind of sandwich do most of the FGRV's have there? Is there something to be done for that? Maybe a removable gore-tex skirt? Or, does most of the cold come from top & sides?

deryk · 01-30-2013, 08:40 AM

np Joe, and something I have't looked into, but is a possibility. I have seen lift kits for the casita's and scamps... who is to say there isn't a lift kit availible for the ParkLiner's axle(from the axle manuf or something like that?) to raise it an inch or 2 to get the clearance to put a 15" tire into the wheel wells? Now Ive only towed my ParkLiner under 400 miles but even though it is wider and taller then my little homebuilt gypsy caravan it tows much easier and dont really feel it behind me and my Rav4 is not a super truck lol.

Another thing I like about the ParkLiner, Im planning on making an awning but dont want to drill any holes into my celing, so I was trying to figure out how to pull it off then I saw what 55Goddess did, and with the way the ParkLiners roof is shaped (I think its called anti trolley or something like that) http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post353221

I think it would be pretty easy to use 2 joined pcs of pvc pipe in a sleeve and lay it on the roof and bungee cord it down on each end and then 3 tent poles and ropes to hold the awning up when you want to use it. Thats what Im gonna try.

deryk

deryk · 01-30-2013, 09:44 AM

The floor in my ParkLiner is 1" marina grade plywood with spar varnish on it...I will admit I do feel the cold radiationg a bit from the floor. Im sure if I was planning serious winter camping I would add foam under the floor. The only thing that I would be concerned about is trapping moisture and eventually rot would happen. Another thought would be in the winter, take off the screen door and add indoor/outdoor carpeting and an inch of carpet foam. Im sure it would help...Honestly in the future when Im ready to hit the road I dont really plan on staying in cold places for the winter lol. But if something happened to force me to live in my ParkLiner tomorrow I would look into the skirting and heat tape over the grey water tank to avoid freezing... and add a marine propane heater that wouldn't be so battery dependent.

deryk

accrete · 01-30-2013, 11:34 AM

good day all. it's been fun starting my morning's off here at FGRV forums.

On insulating the floor... i don't remember the exact model but we use Dynamat since it will not pop-bubbles like the reflectix we used in walls and a layer above the foam sheets above. Here is their website:
Dynamat.com it is the preferred under carpet pad and works fine, we have two layers of it under the stock black rubber commercial floor mat that was in the Chevy van.

On sub-floor exterior insulation: deryk your thought on not-trapping moisture is correct. . . some DIY peeps have used epoxy resin (polyester will melt the foam from what i recall) onto the sub floor (in our case the marine ply) then put up the foam and then a layer of resin and some even fiberglass cloth to protect/seal the whole thing...i don't know if i'm up to such a project...but they say their floors are no longer hot/cold.

On a PS thought... cold floors... our ~$125K (in 2006 new) 38 foot full basement, fully insulated dream-home-on-wheels (one of the best built for full timing in the USA) still has "cold floors" when the temps drop to the teens! So have fun, put some mukluks on and enjoy the adventure

On spray foam: You might want to do some real research on its use in RVs. From what i recall unless there are drain/weep holes the rig is sure to rust from trapped water/moisture...AND...at least one DIY project owner found that the spray foam he applied (the kind in the cans) had turned to all but dust after a couple of years of daily driving in his van and settled to the bottom of the wall cavities. ,(

On raising the ride height of the Parkliner: I specifically asked Chandler if this was an option. He stated he would not do it, nor would he recommend it as a post-purchase project. The PL is designed at that height for a reason...his words. He also stated that it had ~11 inches of ground clearance and should be fine in most situations going off pavement to a BLM park or such.

Enjoy the day,
Thom

Rattlesnake Joe · 01-30-2013, 01:30 PM

Dyerk, How about using Reflextic under carpeting as a way to end cold feet?
The world wide weather patterns are changing all over the world. Polar Bears are drowning as the ice all over the world melts. But no matter this Global Warming...we will have COLD. A four season rv is what we all need . Plus to survive we need wheels under our house, to get out of the way of crazy weather and raising sea levels......................
................This post was edited for brevity purposes.

accrete · 01-30-2013, 02:15 PM

Hi Joe, FWIW i first had the reflectix under our van's stock rubber floor mat and the bubbles popped ,(... that is when i did some more research and found peeps using the Dynamat which is foil/closed.cell.foam/foil. . . you can't pop anything and it works great : )

Cathy P. · 01-30-2013, 06:23 PM

We stayed full-time in a smaller travel trailer (24 foot) with aluminum siding and fiberglass batt insulation and winter is not good. We had heat tape on the water hose and our underbelly was insulated. The water lines would freeze in the wall, not enough to break but enough to greatly slow the flow to a trickle and we had the cupboards open. Also, we made reflectix window liners and you have to be very careful to take them off the window to let everything dry out each day because if not, black mold is very likely to set in. Moisture is a major problem with winter camping and although they say you can leave a vent or window cracked open, it really doesn't help unless you are in a dry climate in the first place. People, pets, cooking and showers create a lot of moisture. Get warm slippers because if you cover the floor, you could be looking at moisture under what ever floor cover you use. We did find that running the heater with the blower versus an electric heater helped to keep the trailer drier and our friends who used the electric heaters only ended up with a disaster! Moisture can be a bigger enemy than the cold - dress warm!

Donna D. · 01-30-2013, 08:48 PM

Before you get all excited about Dynamat, just know that four pieces of approx 12"x36" will cost you approx $100. How many chunks are you going to need?

deryk · 01-30-2013, 10:20 PM

Yeah since Im not living in my ParkLiner, and honestly nothing wrong with just wearing thick socks and slippers it has vinyl flooring s I dont want to cover it up.

deryk