Insulation

wjazzarajr · 08-15-2018, 07:17 AM

Good Morning everyone! I am new to this forum and am seriously considering the purchase of a new Berkshire 45A XLT. Like many potential purchasers, I would like to know the good, bad and any other helpful information. I do not own a motorhome presently, but it has been a dream of mine for a long time. I presently have a boat that I live on part time in the winter in Florida so I am familiar with some of the systems.

I am concerned with insulation, both sound and temperature. Can anyone help me out with the value or type of insulation in the Berk xlt? Can I use the unit comfortably in cold weather? Is the roof insulated sufficiently for both warm and colder conditions and also for noise (rain noise is always a concern).

I was also considering an Entegra Aspire bunk model. I am told that they are pretty well insulated also.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

Warren

larrytbm · 08-15-2018, 07:41 AM

Very few RVs are well insulated. Unless they have 3.5" thick walls like a house, then with just 1.5" or 2" there is only so much insulation that can be used. Also, don't believe that the insulation value claimed by one brand vs. another is somehow significant. Many use Reflectix insulation which is really a radiant barrier, not insulation. And in the fine print they may say "best case equivalent calculated value" if they are honest. "Best case" might be in the center of the roof, the sides might be half as much and the slideout roof even less. There could also be significant gaps in the insulation and areas with no insulation. Finally, much of the heat gain or loss is thru the windows and air leaks.

Buy what you like and use the furnace or AC to deal with temp control.

AlexG · 08-16-2018, 12:38 AM

It has been a couple of years since i toured entegra factory but it looked to be superior in both quality and engineering to berkshire. While i am not in a position to change my coach now entegra wil definitely be my first choice with newnar distant second.

That being said, i regularly take my coach to skiing trips and stay at below 0 temps. I installed permanent heater in the bathroom and 2 little ones in the wet bay. I also have a few more that i use throughout the coach as needed and it all works out just fine. You can take a look at my thread "a few mods" from few days ago for pictures.

dave-g · 08-16-2018, 03:59 AM

I have had my 2012 39bh camping in 16 degree F weather- all was fine.

Newmars have thicker walls but I did not like that they are made of wood framing.

I find road noise and noise from others in the campground very reasonable.

I believe the Berkshire line is a great value, and all rv's built today could use better quality control.

I bought used, but if I was buying new, I would look at the dealer service department, and how close the factory was for repairs the dealer could not handle. Or I have heard of people taking delivery at the factory on a Monday, camp in it and drive the wheels off it a few days, then have the factory hit a punch list of fixes if needed. Then drive home on Friday.

Best of luck

Igave · 08-16-2018, 10:27 AM

We have traveled the past few years from Montana to Nevada/Arizona in January and back in February/March. It’s nearly always snow and very cold temps for quite a bit of the trip and several nights. We also augment our heat with a small ceramic plug in heater and have had a cozy trip always. In summer we use the window sun screens and shades and start the ac units before the heat of the day and stay comfortable. Starting them early seems to work well for us. We’ve sailed quite a bit, although not in freezing weather, and I’d have to say the insulation etc. in the motorhome has been far superior. It’ll never equal a sticks and bricks, but still pretty darn comfortable. I think you’ll enjoy the Berkshire and our experience with our 2016 and with forest river have been excellent. No other brand envy here. From our research and experience leads us to believe the Berkshire is a great bang for the buck. After a bit over two years we would buy it again with no qualms. I imagine, though, the motorhome won’t float worth a darn.

wjazzarajr · 08-16-2018, 12:03 PM

Thanks for all the info everyone! Looks like a good enthusiastic group! I will keep you posted on my progress!

Warren

wjazzarajr · 08-16-2018, 01:50 PM

Can anyone let me kniw what the Berkshire XLT uses for heat? Furnace type, etc.

Thanks,

Warren

Mmnsc · 08-16-2018, 03:28 PM

Heat pumps front and rear. Fire place and depending on the year it either has 2 propane heaters or 2019 models have aqua hot equalivent. If ordering consider heated floors. They are wonderful

wjazzarajr · 08-16-2018, 03:32 PM

Thanks for the info!

RayFromIowa · 03-19-2023, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexG

It has been a couple of years since i toured entegra factory but it looked to be superior in both quality and engineering to berkshire. While i am not in a position to change my coach now entegra wil definitely be my first choice with newnar distant second.

That being said, i regularly take my coach to skiing trips and stay at below 0 temps. I installed permanent heater in the bathroom and 2 little ones in the wet bay. I also have a few more that i use throughout the coach as needed and it all works out just fine. You can take a look at my thread "a few mods" from few days ago for pictures.

We have a 2019 Berkshire XL 37A which doesn't have any heat in the bays or water bay. We live in Iowa and winterize it and sometimes take it south during February or March. You mentioned that you mounted permanent heaters in the water bay. Would you share what heaters you used and how you wired them? There's no power outlet in the water bay but I think I can pull an extension cord from the storage bay.

Thanks in advance.

Ray

AlexG · 03-19-2023, 07:21 PM

In my coach it was easy to drill the floor under the fridge to feed the wire into basement. I put a number of outlets for space heaters and for water filtration system's uv light. As for the heater I have Lasko MyHeat Personal Mini Space Heater for Home with Single Speed, 6 Inches, Black, 200W, 10. It currently 21 bucks at amazon

**Lincman983** · 03-20-2023, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wjazzarajr

Can anyone let me kniw what the Berkshire XLT uses for heat? Furnace type, etc.

Thanks,

Warren

The Berkshire XLT(dependant on the model year utilizes an Aquahot boiler type furnace for the main heater as well as the water heater. Secondary heat would be the heat pump s on the front and rear a/c units. The fireplace also can used for heat.

**Lincman983** · 03-20-2023, 08:26 AM

Here's some more info on the roof, floors and walls.
Walls:
1.5" thick 2# Density in Main Side wall
1" thick 1.5# Density in slide out end walls

Roofs:
1" thick 1.5# Density in first layer of roof (Legacy and Berkshire) 2" thick 1.5# Density in first layer of roof (Berkshire XL, Berkshire XLT and Charleston) 1" to 3.25" thick 1.5# Density in second Second layer Radius Roof (Berkshire, Berkshire XL, Berkshire XLT & Charleston)

Floors:
1.5" thick 1.5# Density in Floor(Legacy) 2.5" thick 1.5# Density in Floor (Berkshire, Berkshire XL, Berkshire XLT & Charleston)

**Eric B FR Diesel** · 03-20-2023, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayFromIowa

We have a 2019 Berkshire XL 37A which doesn't have any heat in the bays or water bay. We live in Iowa and winterize it and sometimes take it south during February or March. You mentioned that you mounted permanent heaters in the water bay. Would you share what heaters you used and how you wired them? There's no power outlet in the water bay but I think I can pull an extension cord from the storage bay.

Thanks in advance.

Ray

Hey Ray,

your coach should have ducted heated tot he plumbing bay when the furnace is running... the duct is a small hole in the floor above the tanks.

RayFromIowa · 03-23-2023, 04:51 PM

Eric

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked everywhere for a hole that you described but found none. Both furnaces (front and back) are on the slideouts and there is no piping from them going down. The rear furnace is in the bathroom which is right above the water bay. I removed the cabinet bottom to expose the furnace and the piping goes into the bedroom and toward the shower - nothing going down to the bay.

I did insulate the area around the tanks as much as I could and placed a trouble light with a 60W incandescent bulb to generate some heat so hopefully, that will suffice. We usually don't travel a lot in cold weather but sometimes we get caught. In the worst case, for a short-term fix, I could blow the water out. The water tanks do have heaters so we should be safe - at least for a short stint.

Ray

**Eric B FR Diesel** · 03-23-2023, 06:30 PM

Do you have a shower miser system?

RayFromIowa · 03-24-2023, 07:39 AM

Yes, we do. I noticed from the bay that there is a hole cut (about 6" x 6") from the bay to behind the shower for the pipes. I stuffed some batt insulation to keep cold are out of that space.

**Eric B FR Diesel** · 03-24-2023, 09:03 AM

when you camp in the winter months do you usually have fully hook ups or dry camp? I ask because if you are dry camping one thing you could do is turn the shower on and engage the shower miser... all that system does is recirculate water in the lines that are ran to the shower from the fresh water tank back to the fresh water tank... might help keep the lines from freezing.... not sure if i would run it 24/7 but might do it for an hour or two every few hours... keeps the water moving...

RayFromIowa · 03-26-2023, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric B FR Diesel

when you camp in the winter months do you usually have fully hook ups or dry camp? I ask because if you are dry camping one thing you could do is turn the shower on and engage the shower miser... all that system does is recirculate water in the lines that are ran to the shower from the fresh water tank back to the fresh water tank... might help keep the lines from freezing.... not sure if i would run it 24/7 but might do it for an hour or two every few hours... keeps the water moving...

Thanks for the suggestion, Eric. We dry camp more than use a full hookup. We're heading for Texas today and snow is forecast for this morning and we'll get to a full hookup tonight when the temps get to the lower 30's. I think we'll be OK with keeping warm this year. The dry camping we'll do is in Texas so we're safe this year.

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