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Old 08-27-2021, 10:20 AM   #1
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Xplorer Package add-on, Possible M2 option down the road.

Anyone in the insulation industry?

This summer as temps climbed and we are trying to do everything we can to stay cool, I was thinking about what we might be able to do to squeeze out a little more efficiency and insulation. For typical insulation, you either need more space or higher tech. higher tech can start to get cost prohibitive. I was looking for something that can go under the decking...but production friendly.

I came across Radiant Technology. This did not make sense to me at first, in that I always felt like it was only good when exposed (assuming solar gain/reflective). This article seemed do a better job of explaining it.

I wonder, if we could add sheets of woven foil (with a thermal break) to the underside or the roof decking. An air gap would be ideal.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/w...diant-barriers

The idea would be to add this to the Xplorer package option. It is not super expensive and if it can reduce heat gain 5-10%....I'd take it. ROI is not bad.

Ideally we will eventually have an Xplorer option on all models (minus the 4x4 before anyone gets crazy)
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Old 08-27-2021, 11:04 AM   #2
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I happen to have a similar product in my attic spaces of the home.
The one I have is two sided aluminum with thermal break in between.
It reflects the heat gain in the attic away from the ceiling in the summer and reflects heat loss from the ceiling back into the living area in the winter.

It seems to help some but I cannot put numbers to it. I have noticed air conditioner on upper floor runs less often than before.

We have had this in place roughly 8 years now.

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to put this on the floor and also in the walls.

One of the bigger issues with the floor (DX3) is the slides leave and open path for cold and hot air to get into the floor areas. This creates a very cold floor in the fall, winter, and spring times. Some way to "close" this path when slides are extended would be a great addition IMO
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Old 08-27-2021, 11:11 AM   #3
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Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to put this on the floor and also in the walls.
Let's not get crazy...baby steps. (floor and roof maybe). Walls have no air space and it is laminated, gets tricky.

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One of the bigger issues with the floor (DX3) is the slides leave and open path for cold and hot air to get into the floor areas. This creates a very cold floor in the fall, winter, and spring times. Some way to "close" this path when slides are extended would be a great addition IMO
This is tougher because houses just don't have slide outs. My plan is to overcompensate in other areas.
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Old 08-27-2021, 03:04 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by KRedburn View Post

One of the bigger issues with the floor (DX3) is the slides leave and open path for cold and hot air to get into the floor areas. This creates a very cold floor in the fall, winter, and spring times. Some way to "close" this path when slides are extended would be a great addition IMO

I agree. The large openings necessary for the slide rams to operate allow cold air (hot as well) travel into the storage bays and make the floor of the rig very cold. I have been trying to figure out some way to temporarily close up those openings when camping in cold weather. Thought about getting some furniture foam and cutting blocks out that could be wedged into the openings to prevent at least some of the cold air from getting under the floor. Has anyone figured out some ingenious (meaning simple) way to accomplish this?
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Old 08-27-2021, 04:23 PM   #5
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Having retired from designing hvac and plumbing systems in commercial/institutional facilities, insulation was very important to our system design so we always recommend radiant barriers to the architects as part of their insulation package. Obviously building construction is very different from rv construction but how about bonding radiant barrier sheeting somewhere within or on the laminated wall/roof assembly? The sheeting is not expensive and comes on rolls so it’s easy to handle.
One thing to consider is that a radiant barrier is also an excellent vapor barrier so don’t install it in a way that could trap water vapor inside a wall cavity. Also there would be no reason to install a radiant barrier in the floor since there would be little to no radiant energy there.
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Old 08-28-2021, 05:55 PM   #6
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Use pool noodles to seal under slide when extended.put some kind of flag to remind you before retracting slides. Cheap and blocks air under slide. Hope this will help

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Old 08-28-2021, 06:05 PM   #7
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In the '70s, the government was trying to retrofit all of its buiildings to save energy. They even had us riding motorcycles to save on gas. One thing I learned was that 30% of heat loss in a house was due to air flow. My trailer has a poorly sealed storage area directly under the couch which folds out into a mini bed. There was direct air flow between the storage and the inside of the trailer. I sealed it with a thin piece of plywood and some carpet. Every storage hatch has the same issue. Sealing all of those places will make a big difference. When it is that hot, I'll have the AC on or be outside.

We went to White Sands one June and stayed at Oliver Lee campground (highly recommend). When we opened up our trailer, it was 94 degrees inside. Once the AC was on, it was livable within about 10 minutes, and comfortable within 30 minutes. We do have pugs for the tent ends.
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Old 09-01-2021, 10:56 AM   #8
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I agree. The large openings necessary for the slide rams to operate allow cold air (hot as well) travel into the storage bays and make the floor of the rig very cold. I have been trying to figure out some way to temporarily close up those openings when camping in cold weather. Thought about getting some furniture foam and cutting blocks out that could be wedged into the openings to prevent at least some of the cold air from getting under the floor. Has anyone figured out some ingenious (meaning simple) way to accomplish this?
I have cut rigid insulation blocks to go in the slide holes. Not perfect but does help. A more flexible foam would be better that is fitted to the slide rail that would automatically close off the hole when the slide is extended. The holes are closed off already when slide is in.
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Old 09-01-2021, 02:08 PM   #9
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4x4 M2 Explorer, hell yes
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