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Old 06-28-2020, 06:30 AM   #1
JohnR
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Additional Insulation?

Hi All,
My wife and I are new to the RV life. We have a Cougar 366RDS with the Polar Package. We plan to use it as a permanent cabin high in the Rockies. We have found that at night, the RV cools down quite rapidly. Would it be ok to add some rigid foam insulation to the underside, and inside the pass through storage area? Are there other things we should be looking at besides adding more insulation?
Thanks,
John
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Old 06-28-2020, 06:47 AM   #2
JRTJH
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If you use it as a "permanent cabin" the most effective single mod you could do is to use some rigid foam to build an "underpinning" around the exterior of the trailer. Most of the heat loss "above the floor" occurs from single pane windows and "minimal insulation in the exterior walls" but the vast majority of heat loss "below the floor" occurs through the wind blowing under the trailer. Creating a "skirt around the trailer" will work wonders toward keeping the floor warm and preventing much of the heat loss. It won't matter (to the wind) if you use 1" thick foam or 4" thick foam. Both will block the wind infiltration equally well and with the minimal insulation in the walls above the foam, thicker is not necessarily better.....

I've seen people around northern Michigan use the exterior foam sheeting to line the sidewalls of slideouts, exterior trailer walls and even on the roof, although I can't imagine how they keep it in place, other than cargo straps over the top and secured on both sides...

As for securing the foam around your trailer, you can use 1x2's wedged to the trailer perimeter or driven into the ground as stakes and SCRIM tape to secure the foam to the 1x2's.
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Old 06-28-2020, 07:01 AM   #3
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"High altitude" can be described as different things but it's a fact that all fuels produce less BTUs the higher the altitude. The LP devices will have a reduced efficiency in relation to the greater the altitude.
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Old 06-28-2020, 12:37 PM   #4
JohnR
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Thanks Guys! Yeah, the LP Furnace doesn't work very well at 8,700 feet elevation. I like the skirt idea.
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Old 06-28-2020, 12:49 PM   #5
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About 237 years ago I shared a trailer with a buddy while going to college. If memory serves, it was an Airstream or similar; we called it the "silver bullet". I went to school up north and the pipes froze (as John pointed out) as heat was lost from under the trailer. We got some hay bales (the brick shaped ones) and put around the base of the trailer and that kept the wind from blowing through and freezing things. Also, if you are camping in the cold, a heated water hose will help. You might look at wrapping the sewer line in a lot of insulation over it; not sure about using electrical heated tape on the sewer hose. No experience there....
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Old 06-28-2020, 01:03 PM   #6
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If it's going to be truly permanent you may want to check out a mobile home dealer. They typically put skirting under mobile homes that have a spring loaded pin on the bottom so that frost heaving of the ground or movement from above doesn't pop it loose or let it collapse.
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Old 06-28-2020, 07:49 PM   #7
JohnR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy View Post
If it's going to be truly permanent you may want to check out a mobile home dealer. They typically put skirting under mobile homes that have a spring loaded pin on the bottom so that frost heaving of the ground or movement from above doesn't pop it loose or let it collapse.
Ah yes! I bet there are lots of mobile home repair/setup guys in the Colorado Springs area who could install the skirting. The property where we are staying is about 1.5 hours west of The Springs and very rural. I would post a picture if I knew how

Thanks!
John
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Old 06-29-2020, 08:50 AM   #8
flybouy
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Welcome to forum. Colorado Springs is a long way from Lititz,PA. DW has a sister in Divide CO, that's about 45 min up the mnts from "the Springs". Her husband retired Army from Ft. Carson.

Posting pictures are easy, here's a link to how: https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ead.php?t=7518
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Old 06-29-2020, 07:50 PM   #9
JohnR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy View Post
Welcome to forum. Colorado Springs is a long way from Lititz,PA. DW has a sister in Divide CO, that's about 45 min up the mnts from "the Springs". Her husband retired Army from Ft. Carson.

Posting pictures are easy, here's a link to how: https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ead.php?t=7518
What a coincidence! The property is located about 30 minutes south-west of Divide. We're looking into getting a skirt installed.

John

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