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Old 06-27-2012, 12:15 PM   #1
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Under floor insulation?

Searching shows it's been mentioned plenty, but I haven't found good examples of it being done and documented.

In winter the floors were always a bit chilly if not cold even when the overall trailer was quite cozy. And now I'm removing the carpet with it's foam backing and putting in thin, dense Allure flooring and I assume loosing any insulating effect from the carpet.

SO.... This has be thinking of some sort of foam sheet or pad, but how to get it to stay up there!

Please share any experiences trying to do this.
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Old 06-27-2012, 12:29 PM   #2
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When I put my Pergo floor down, I bought some carpet remnants for winter use and warmth and just wood in summer for cool.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:01 PM   #3
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Yeah, I do have an area rug to keep my feet off the cold floor, but I'd like one that filled more of floor. Perhaps some cut to shape carpet I can easily remove/clean would be good. It's not like that much carpet would be expensive!

Still, something under the floor would really help, but I don't want to trap moisture up against the floor even if it is sealed to a degree on the bottom.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:06 PM   #4
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Are you are talking about from under the trailer exterior? If so there is a funfinder 13 owner on rv.net profdant139 who did this. Tacked it up. He says it stays on fine going down the highway with the wind blast. There are also photos of spray foam underneath on the escape forum.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:12 PM   #5
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Yep, from underneath. I'll see if I can't track down those posts on rv.net. I'd love to see what he used.

Spray foam, hmmm... I wonder how well that works? An inch or two might be great if it would stay up there and not trap moisture.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:20 PM   #6
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the problem with the foam is if, and it is a big IF, you ever need access underneath. I ran into a similar dilemma when trying to make my Egg a 3 season camper. I put down carpet on top of carpet, installed a Cat furnace, contacted a window place to get quotes on thermal windows and the guy said I was wasting my time and money. He said with a 1/4-1/2 walls the entire unit absorbs the outside cold, so you may have a warm floor and warm windows, but your walls will be cold. Just invest in a good heater.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:20 PM   #7
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escape uses that foam that does not wick moisture. Now that i thin about it....it was a video of a 19 foot model that was posted on the forum. You could see real good. I think for the funfinder guy it's tacked up but not air tight. It might depend on the climate/humidity you live in. You could keep an eye on it looking for condensation I guess. Search his rv.net user and it should come up. Good luck.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:24 PM   #8
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Here you go
Insulation video by KINGJ182 - Photobucket
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:29 PM   #9
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I like the idea of something that is snug but not airtight and can be removed. Some way to "tack" it up that can be detached.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:34 PM   #10
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I wonder how they spray that foam under the Escapes, seems like a lot would drip off!
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:45 PM   #11
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it is done by a 3rd party located nearby, there are also 12 volt heated pads installed to keep the tanks warm, but you have to be plugged in for them to function. Again, the floor is not the weak point in your Scamp, the windows and walls are.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:53 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
the floor is not the weak point in your Scamp, the windows and walls are.
That may be the case, but the Scamp stays very warm in general. Overall the insulation is great. It was in the 70s inside while it was below 0 outside this winter with only a small ceramic heater. But that floor was sure cold!!!!

Now some of that was simply heat rising. But under floor insulation surely would help.
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Old 06-27-2012, 01:53 PM   #13
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Carpet makes a HUGE difference!

I have removeable fitted carpet in my scamp for cold whether use. The difference is night and day. The wood floor just sucks the heat out of the camper. The walls are pretty well insulated, and I got thick, sound reducing, insulating, light blocking, magic curtains from Bed Bath and Beyond. It stays pretty warm in the camper now.
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Old 06-27-2012, 02:00 PM   #14
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Yep, I have reflectix shaped to fit the windows and top vents, velco tabs to hold them in place. Between well sealing windows, the rat fur and the added window insulation, it's surprisingly well sealed. If I use a bungie to pull the top of the door to a good seal, air doesn't get in/out of that trailer easy.
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Old 06-27-2012, 04:58 PM   #15
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When putting in new linoleum I used this cork underlay. It was $30 bucks and I used double sided floor tape to put it and the linoleum down. Just tested it in very damp and cold conditions and was very pleased with the effect on bare feet. Not cold at all. It does ad a very slight feel of softness/sponginess to the floor which I like but others may not. It was only 3mm thick and gives an insulating value of R3
Eco Cork Foam | Natural Choice Underlayment, for Laminate and Engineered Wood Floors | Home Depot Canada
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Old 06-28-2012, 05:32 AM   #16
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LiKe Wildbirder I suggest insulating on the top side, under the floor covering. This should be especially easy if you are to install Allure flooring. I used "buffalo board" under linoleum for our ice house. Works great.
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Old 06-28-2012, 08:27 AM   #17
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I recently put a Pergo floor in my trailer. The Pergo thickness and foam backing probably add some insulating value. While mine was laid over the existing linoleum, you could probably lay a laminate floor directly over the carpet in your Scamp. That would retain any insulating value in the carpet.

My first FG trailer was a Scamp that I had while living in Alaska. Great trailer, but it was challenging in freezing winter. And that carpet soaked up a lot of dirt and dust, so I can't blame you for putting in hard surface flooring. But I would think it would be much easier to install and maintain insulators from the top down rather than trying to attach something under the trailer. Heat loss in a Scamp occurs right through the walls and single pane windows, no matter how you insulate the floor. They are just not designed for serious cold, since being light-weight is the prime design consideration. My current Bigfoot is so heavy, there are plenty of times I wish I still had the Scamp.

We use nice plush area rugs to walk on in cold weather. These can be taken out of the trailer for cleaning, as opposed to attached carpet.
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Old 06-28-2012, 09:09 AM   #18
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[QUOTE=cpaharley2008;317903 Again, the floor is not the weak point in your Scamp, the windows and walls are.[/QUOTE]

Yup the windows are a weak point but not so sure about the walls.... it may not be the nicest thing to look at but the rat fur and foil on the walls work pretty darn well in cold weather..... or at least thats been my experience. The bathroom which is missing the rat fur & foil on most of the outside wall due to the shower is always much cooler than rest of the trailer even when their is no heat on in main part of the trailer.
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Old 06-28-2012, 02:05 PM   #19
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I'm really interested in people's experience with the Reflectix/fur combination.

When I look at the Scamp website they talk about having R15 superinsulation. When I look at the Reflectix website I see much lower claims and then only when used in specific ways. Most critical is that the reflective side must be immediately adjacent to an air gap for the material to function as a radiant barrier. As I understand it, on the Scamp one side is glued to the trailer wall (no air gap) and the other side has "Fur" glued to it (no air gap). Reflectix points out that even dust on the reflective surface impairs performance and in the Q&A section of their website says:


What if There is No Air Space Present on Either Side of the Product?
No Air Space = No Reflective Insulation Benefit
(An R-1.1 is provided from the product itself for the Reflective/Double Bubble material.)

So to my mind, the Reflectix is only providing R1.1 used in the way that it is. I can see much greater benefit if the Reflectix was left bare (as Reflectix suggests) - but then we would be looking at silver (aluminum) foil covered walls.

Escape has a similar issue with its double insulation option. From the photos on the Escape forum it seems that under cabinets, etc. they leave the Reflextix exposed and it presumably works properly as a radiant barrier. But elsewhere (all exposed walls, etc) it seems to be glued behind their regular foam insulation - so to my mind it cant work properly there either.

Please correct me if my understanding of the construction of these trailers is incorrect. Also, could people with experience with both the Reflectix/fur combination and other insulation types provide their comments comparing the Reflextix/fur to these other insulation types. I'm very interested in this.

Thanks!
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Old 06-28-2012, 02:26 PM   #20
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Reflectix

Lots of people have commented on the Reflectix insulation and their lousy website. The double sided reflectix is made with two layers of reflective material sandwiching a layer of bubbles. This internal air gap is what Scamp is relying on to provide the insulation.
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