Posted 2013-09-10 7:59 PM (#154666) Subject: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Regular
Posts: 60
I've read thru the posts about dressing room insulation but I need some clarification please. I know this topic has been discussed before but for the life of me, I can't seem to find the answers to the following questions. I must not be using the correct search words.
First, if using foil faced insulation, does the foil go toward the outside wall or toward the interior of the trailer? Is the foil itself the vapor barrier or does something else need to be added like firring (sp?) strips and if so, do the firring strips go against the wall first and then the insulation or the other way around?
Second, I've seen flexible foam sheeting and aluminized heat and sound insulation shield also recommended as insulation choices. Do the same principles apply to those regarding vapor barrier and/or firring strips.
Third, are there any other proven choices for insulation?
Posted 2013-09-10 8:55 PM (#154668 - in reply to #154666) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Veteran
Posts: 136 Location: Watertown, TN
Kim,I've finished out a couple of trailers. I used styro-foam with the foil facing toward the inside, cut for a tight fit and foamed any cracks with window and door frame foam. Put the insulation in first and leave some air space between the insulation and wall material. That will keep the thermal transfer pretty even and avoid sweating or frost if you are an extreme rider. Most people seem to put wood stripping on the inside of the walls for this. What I have found works just as well and maximizes my space is using 1" diameter by 3/16" thick felt washers behind the wall material at each screw. The felt doesn't compress much and stops the thermal transfer dead. Other friends have used different methods, but I have been quite happy with my results
Posted 2013-09-15 2:48 PM (#154768 - in reply to #154666) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
The insulation goes against the outside skin, the furring strips go on last to which interior wall panels and cabinets are attached. The vapour barrier is the last membrane or water barrier before any interior panel is attached. Because the trailer's aluminum studding structure is an excellent conductor of cold, the wall panels should not be directly attached to the aluminum structure. Wood "R" value are only a little over one per inch, but a 3/4" furring strip is enough of a thermal break to effectively block the cold from penetrating to the interior walls.
Taping and sealing every crack and hole is important to prevent any warm interior air, from penetrating and condensing on the exterior walls.
Posted 2013-09-21 11:18 PM (#154891 - in reply to #154666) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Member
Posts: 30
Spray foam insulation works great! We did that in my previous trailer. If I recall correctly there was a 30 degree difference from bare metal temp in horse area to surface of spray foam in living quarters. No AC involved just a laser temp sensor. I used a portable AC vented under the trailer and with this type insulation I was very comfy.
Posted 2013-09-22 9:40 AM (#154895 - in reply to #154666) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
In a small area like a LQ, the vapor barrier is almost a mute point. More moisture moves through a electrical outlet plug hole than through the paint on a 4x8 sheet. In a LQ the area with in the trailer is so small in comparison to the openings ( doors, windows, penetrations for electrical etc) A vapor barrier on the wall might slow down the vapor getting inside the wall. But to such a small percentage to not be worth the effort. A vapor barrier in a trailer is not going to stop humidity in the outside air from entering the trailer. A good coat of paint will effectively stop as much vapor movement as placing a vapor barrier on the interior surface of you insulation. Bottom line more moisture will enter your wall cavity through a single electrical outlet than thru the entire panel you have covering the wall.
You will be better served by making sure the wall cavities are fill full so that no air can circulate ( convection with in the cavity) that you have thermal breaks between the outside and inside walls, and if possible a reflective material to stop radiate heat movement.
Heat moves via Conduction, Convection and Radiation.
Conduction = Thru material . Some materials like Aluminum and Steel transfer heat faster than other materials like foam. Hence a thermal break helps stop or slow the heat transfer between outer and inner walls.
Convection is the movement of air circulating with in a cavity, where the air circulation picks up heat on the warm wall and circulates it to the cold wall inside a single wall cavity.
Radiation is where heat moves like from the sun or from a fire. It radiates from a source. A reflective foil will stop this type of heat transfer.
Posted 2013-09-25 10:16 PM (#154966 - in reply to #154666) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Member
Posts: 22
Location: Bellevue, NE
Our studs have a depth of 1 3/4". Can we just put 1" of foam insulation in the cavity or do we need to fill in the entire 1 3/4"? We hope to use the polyiso foam board insulation that has foil on one side and plastic on the other side. It will get pretty expensive if we have to buy a 1" board and top it with another 3/4" board (they don't make it in 1 3/4"). And, I wouldn't know how that would affect placement of the foil and plastic sides. If we just do 1" deep, we are thinking the foil will go against the outside skin and the plastic will face towards the inside of the trailer? We will attach furring strips to the fronts of the studs and then affix our wall paneling to the furring strips, and plan on sealing the backsides of the paneling with either paint or sealer, per Gard's recommendations in a previous post. Does this sound about right or am I way off??
Posted 2013-09-26 7:41 PM (#154978 - in reply to #154970) Subject: RE: For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
To get the best insulation value, You want to fill the cavity full so no air can circulate with in the cavity. But you need to consider the trade offs. Do you really need the best insulation?
Trailers in general are not high efficiency homes. If it cost you $5 worth of propane to heat it over a weekend vs $4 is that a big deal to you? Howq many weekends would you have to save $1 to add up to the incremental cost of the added insulation? Most folks are just concerned about taking the chill off some mountain air when camping. Its not like you will be out in the horse trailer when it's 25 below.
If you really want to get the best insulation, Talk with some folks that will spray Urethane or Icynene into the cavity and screed it off flush with the surface of the studs. Then there is no air gaps and air circulations
For Gard or anyone knowledgeable about dressing room insulation
