1986 Taurus Cadet Trailer

[Derek.ca]

Originally Posted by k corbin

Using an insulation that does not absorb water or support bacterial/mold/fungus growth is the important thing.

The second factor is being able to find a local supply

The third factor is the cost

The fourth factor is ease of installation

The fifth factor is R value, that is tricky because the bottom line is that you are not going to have a large enough wall cavity to get great R value out of any insulating material. But having some is better than having none.

There is no one best choice and that is a good thing because sometimes you can't manage to afford or obtain a "best choice". That frees up the choices and reduces the feeling of "gosh I wish I could have that insulation but...."

So work with a check list and evaluate what you do find locally that is affordable, and easy to install that does not absorb water or support stuff growing on it.

Thanks for the advice
For now (going camping in two weeks) I am not installing insulation behind the 4mm marine plywood panels. The ply is varnish on both sides so it will not absorb water.
This winter (after my camping trip) I will remove the interior completely and address the flooring, any structure and insulation issues.
I am not concerned with R value, condensation is my main concern. I am considering using the underlaid used for laminate flooring. it is thin, (R value is almost "0") it does not absorb water or support bacterial/mold/fungus growth (close cell foam), and its thrifty.
The plan is to glue it to the walls and screw the panels back in place.
Of coarse the best laid plans.......
Regards
Derek.ca

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Derek.ca

Thanks for the advice
For now (going camping in two weeks) I am not installing insulation behind the 4mm marine plywood panels. The ply is varnish on both sides so it will not absorb water.
This winter (after my camping trip) I will remove the interior completely and address the flooring, any structure and insulation issues.
I am not concerned with R value, condensation is my main concern. I am considering using the underlaid used for laminate flooring. it is thin, (R value is almost "0") it does not absorb water or support bacterial/mold/fungus growth (close cell foam), and its thrifty.
The plan is to glue it to the walls and screw the panels back in place.
Of coarse the best laid plans.......
Regards
Derek.ca

The trick to avoiding condensation getting behind the walls is to have a complete vapor barrier seal that does not allow moisture to get behind the walls.

I also put blocking inside of my fiberglass shell and put in insulation and then topped it with thin plywood paneling. I put in sheets of foam insulation that has a film on it. The insulation panels are pressure fit between my blocking but I also used insulation tape (in my case aluminum duct tape) to seal the foam to the blocking which meant no interior air could creep behind the insulation.



Then I used a high quality, mold resistant paint (marine varnish is OK too) on both the inside and outside surfaces of the wood paneling to water proof it.

I place thin weather stripping foam on the back of the paneling so that when I screwed it down there was no way for moisture to get behind the paneling and into the insulated cavity.

My panel joins are all covered by wood trim over them so I also taped all of those joins with the aluminum duct tape before applying the trim.

It is overkill perhaps but I won't be getting mold on the inside of the trailer wall behind that insulation or on the backside of the paneling.

[Derek.ca]

Looks very good.
Question?
Did you paint the inside of the fibreglass hull with anti-mould paint?
What anti-mould paint did you use?
I like the idea of the weather stripping around the edge of the panels.

This winter the plan is remove the interior, paint the interior fibreglass and floor with anti-mould paint, the wood blocks for the side panels will be glued only at the top, mid belt, bottom were the hull is recessed in about 1/4”, when I screw the plywood panel to the blocks it will be almost flush with the fibreglass hull. I may just seal the edge of the panels with weather stripping. I want to use the original interior furnishings so the more I increase the thickness of the wall the more mods will be needed to fit the original interior.
Thanks
Keep us posted with your progress
Cheers
Derek.ca

[k corbin]

there is absolutely no need to paint the interior surface of the fiberglass with an anti mold paint. Fiberglass itself is not a food source for mold to grow on. What supports the mold growth is dirt getting onto and sticking to the the surface of the fiberglass. Cleaning the fiberglass surface is good enough. But if you can't get it clean then I guess you can use a mold killer on it to kill the spores and then seal the dirty surface with mold inhibiting primer.


If you create a good vapor barrier there is no way for dirt to get in that insulated cavity area. If there is no dirt or other food source and there is no moisture then you won't have any mold growth. It takes water plus a source of food to grow mold. Remember that fiberglass is not food, dirt that naturally contains decayed vegetation in it is the food. Pure clean, washed, sand would not support mold growth. Glass won't, etc.


My blocking is done with cedar which is a naturally mold resistant wood due to natural resins and a high level of tannic acid. I have used some doug fir where I wanted extra screw holding power but it too has pretty good rot/mold resistance. The plywood I have in some areas is a marine trade specialty item made with rot resistant wood.

However some other types of wood when it gets damp are very prone to developing mold and will eventually rot if it stays wet. For woods that are more prone to developing mold you can coat the surface of your wood blocking with a mold inhibiting primer. Just go to the hardware store and ask for some, there are lots of brands of primers that will work. There are both oil based and water based versions. For interior use because of air quality in confined spaces I use water based. It also dries faster.

Today I took down one of the wall panels I put in year before last in the spring and then cut out a section of the insulation. Not even a tiny bit of moisture or condensation staining was behind the panel, no sign of mold but there has been lots of cold, wet weather since I installed it. I took the paneling off that area because I wanted to add some extra blocking as a strong backer plate so I screw in a fitting on the exterior wall.

[Rusty01]

About 3 weeks ago, I bought a1986 Cadet in Kelowna (sorry Stude). By the time I got it home most of the interior had unglued itself and was hanging down all over the place. It has a solid frame and solid floor, no leaks but there is about a 6 inch crack in the front window that had been repaired at some time. I drilled a small hole to keep it from getting worse. I am looking for the Weld-On 4 recommended by K Corbin. Thank you Derek for showing your repairs. I would like to follow your progress.

[Cadet]

Picking mine up tomorrow. $600

Think I made out well. I will need to gut it!!!

[Maria Cunningham]

Thank you for talking about this beautiful little camper. We bought a 1986 cadet camper and it looks like it is in excellent shape. Someone remodeled the camper maybe 15 years ago and it has been stored inside.
I am trying to get a manual for this camper. Do you know where to obtain one?
Thanks,
Ria C

[Cadet_N126]

Hi Derek:

I am renovating a 1985 Cadet N126-D model and am trying to put a plywood panel in the pop up and rebuild the insect netting. The tolerance are very tight. Question ...does your 1/4 inch roof panel extent up to or over the cuppola pop up fiberglass rim? The latches don't allow for the 1/4 plywood so easily. I have ordered N126 parts from Predom in the Netherlands. https://www.predomonderdelen.nl ... Barry from Smithers ,BC