insulating enclosed trailer ideas

[JIM GRACE]

i just recently converted my 16x8 v nose trailer into a toy hauler set up and it came out sweet. I noticed that once the heat got into the 90's normally ice cold air was warming up. I touched the metal roof and burned my finger so that is what i need to change. i researched either blue foam w/metal backing or siver backed bubble wrap. also somekind of coating that you can paint on top of the trailer which will cut the heat. everything chould be at lowes or HD. what do you guys sugest??

[mxpimp2000]

i just done my 6x12 enclosed with 1in foam board. I was putting up new plywood walls so i went ahead and put up the foam board. It should help some

[dheemstra]

Paint the top of the trailer white or buy a chrome roof.

[Rootar]

get the R-max blue foam board (plastic on one side and aluminum foil on the other) and glue it really good to the skin of the roof.

[mxpimp2000]

heres mine just waiting on the walls to go up then electrical work

[jgar]

I would use the foil faced rigid insulation. You can cut it with a table saw to get nice and tight joints. Then use foil tape over the joints and it will be seamless.
http://www.jm.com/insulation/building_insulation/products/bid0022_ap_foil-faced.pdf

[slightlybent47]

Here’s the trick to good insulation in a trailer. The top needs several things, one is a rubber paint coating for RV’s. this will do several things, like insolate and keep the top from rusting or corroding, it also keeps the top water proof much longer and last but just as important it helps keep the heat and sound of rain down if you get caught camping in the rain.
Next is the insulation itself. Foam board will work but I found that for the roof that 2” foam rubber padding. I got it at Hobby Lobby and it works great. It’s very easy to install and it insolates better then hard foam board. And it cuts the sound down much better as well.
Then to cover the foam on the roof I used that paper board like they use on home construction. It’s what they use before they put up siding or brick. It’s like a moisture barrier but it also insolates as well. It has a smooth white surface on one side so it looks good once it’s installed. I used two pieces, one on each side where it curves down to the sides and I used sheet metal screws with small washers to secure it. then a cut a big piece for the middle and put that up over the two curved pieces and overlapped then about an inch or two.
Now for the sides I did the same thing but instead of using that paper board I used 3/8th plywood. I took down the luan board that came with the trailer, that way I can nail or screw something to the wall and it will stay there. Then to finish the inside I put carpet on the walls. I used that 3m spray adhesive to stick the carpet to the walls.

Don’t forget to run what ever wires you need before you seal it up, that way everything is hidden and looks like a professional job.

You can see how I set mine up with the quad sitting on a platform so I can store tires and what ever under the bike. That way I can laod the bike in and out without unloading everything else.
The shelf on the left side is on hinges and suspended from the roof with wire. That way I can fold the shelf down for more room if I need it. The platform that the bike sits on is great for a air mattress, and the TV, VCR, DVD, mini fridge and AC make it home away from home.

Here is a pic of mine.
http://i54.tinypic.com/3096l2t.jpg

[selbygirl]

hay jim this what i did i used 3/4 insulation board get the one with the silver foil on it the foil will help deflect heat allso .. most pole barns with tin roofs use rooled foil that helps deflect heat .. and cut your board s to fit in between the cieling ribs.. then i used the hvac tape voil tape to help hold it up ..then i used sheets of luan and put over that ... get self tapping screws with big heads ,,to install the luan on the ceiling ribs .. i got all the stuff from lowes

[bbender85]

Originally posted by JIM GRACE
...I touched the metal roof and burned my finger so that is what i need to change.


hm. i started the same project about a year and a half ago, and i've had the insulation to do the roof sitting in my shed for over a year now (got put on hold all last summer)... but i bought the rolled fiberglass insulation with the paper backing. now you have me wondering if it will be a fire hazard with the roof getting that hot?!

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by bbender85
hm. i started the same project about a year and a half ago, and i've had the insulation to do the roof sitting in my shed for over a year now (got put on hold all last summer)... but i bought the rolled fiberglass insulation with the paper backing. now you have me wondering if it will be a fire hazard with the roof getting that hot?!

Fiberglass is fire resistant and most are fire proof, so you’ll be fine using what you have.
Besides it won’t get hot enough to catch anything on fire.
Remember fiberglass insulation has been used in high heat situations for years and has held up fine. If your worried about the paper backing then jus take that off when you install it.

[bbender85]

i planned on installing the paper backing side down, so that won't be an issue. phwew, you had me worried. :D i am just getting my butt in gear to start working on this thing again (got a 22' RV awning, ceiling insulation and paneling, AC unit, converter/charger, all sitting around waiting to go, lol).

[jgar]

Originally posted by bbender85
hm. i started the same project about a year and a half ago, and i've had the insulation to do the roof sitting in my shed for over a year now (got put on hold all last summer)... but i bought the rolled fiberglass insulation with the paper backing. now you have me wondering if it will be a fire hazard with the roof getting that hot?!

You might be better off with the rigid insulation. With fiberglass insulation the more you compress it the less effective it is. Rigid would also be better for sound reasons. The foil faced rigid makes a great substraight. You can use it in the bays, and a 2nd layer over everything. Then put your plywood on. With 2 layers of rigid, plywood and carpet it would be cool and quiet. Mass kills sound.

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by jgar
You might be better off with the rigid insulation. With fiberglass insulation the more you compress it the less effective it is. Rigid would also be better for sound reasons. The foil faced rigid makes a great substraight. You can use it in the bays, and a 2nd layer over everything. Then put your plywood on. With 2 layers of rigid, plywood and carpet it would be cool and quiet. Mass kills sound.


Sorry to disagree with you in that the foam board is less effective in sound dampening.
In fact I use to install outdoor speakers that were made out of Styrofoam. The foam board will resonate sound and just transfer it from one side to the other, because it’s hard and ridged. Fiberglass will dampen the sound much better because it’s not a solid object and when one side vibrates it dose not transfer it to the other side.

This is exactly why I used 2” foam rubber padding. It fits nice and tight in the gap between the walls and it transfers less noise and vibration from one side to the other.
This is what they use in sound booths at recording studios, because it is the most effective at dampening sound.
Also because it has so many air chambers it makes a great insulation as well.

[jgar]

Thats a very good point that I did not take into considerstion. I have built a lot of high end in home movie theaters as a gc. I will offset my framing members so they dont stack, insulate like crazy, double walls with air pocket, use rubber membraines, layers of sheetrock, etc. But I dont think I have heard of foam rubber padding. Do you happen to know any brand name or other info you could share. Thanks

[slightlybent47]

The foam I’m talking about I got at Hobby Lobby. It’s like the foam with the egg carton like bumps on it. Only without the bumps, it’s just smooth on both sides. It comes in 3’x8’x2” roll. It’s sometimes used as a cushion for camping to go under your sleeping bag or on a cot. The same thing thats in seat cushons or like whats used in foam pits. And it comes in sheets 2" thick so you can cut it to fit in between the metal studs.

Using insulation with a heat barrier is kinda useless since the aluminum top is a heat barrier itself. And it’s much thicker then a thin foil coating that’s on insulation.
The same thing applies to the sides as well.

The ½” foam board that you get at home depot is solid and is a good moisture barrier and a wind break and works great in home construction. But it a trailer the walls are sealed much better then a house so a moisture barrier is not needed.
The foam board probably has the best r rating but does nothing to deaden sound.
Then foam rubber would be the next best r rating and the best sound dampening of all of them.
Then fiberglass would be next and it would offer some sound damponing.

The down side of both of the foam types is its flammable and fiberglass is not. So if for some reason the trailer were to catch fire the foam would give off toxic fumes.

In a trailer you don’t have much if any air transferring through the inner and outer wall. So the main thing your trying to reflect is the radiant heat coming from the aluminum siding.

Another thing that would help knock down some sound and I just now thought of it.
If you were to paint the inside of the outer skin with the same rubber paint I used on the roof. It would keep the vibration of the skin of the trailer down. And that would help from sound transferring through.

That’s why I like the 2” foam rubber, because I cut it in strips that fit in between the metal studs of the trailer. And I used 3M spray rubber cement adhesive to stick it to the inside. Then when I put the plywood in the inner wall it sandwiched the foam nice and tight in between the wall. So now when I tap on the siding on the outside it has a dull thump instead of a loud bang.

[slightlybent47]

Probably the best insulation you can use is Dynamat like is used in cars to insulate the floor and fire wall. But that would be very expensive.

[slightlybent47]

Here I go over thinking something again.lol But if you have to use the ½” foam, it might help to glue the foam to the inside of the siding. The reasoning for this is that the skin of the trailer is thin and can flop in and out and make a lot of noise. By gluing the foam to the skin it would make the skin more ridged.

[bbender85]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
Probably the best insulation you can use is Dynamat like is used in cars to insulate the floor and fire wall. But that would be very expensive.

back when i was into that scene a little more alot of people were using insulative wrap for water heaters instead of dynamat, since it was way cheaper but very similar in construction. just a thought.





Originally posted by jgar
With fiberglass insulation the more you compress it the less effective it is.

the insulation i have is only 2-3" thick, and my stud thickness is 2", so there won't hardly be any compression.

i'm hoping to get to that step in the next two weeks. i'll advise with what i come up with.

[sunco]

Jim, we talked awhile ago about the 8x16 vnose. I bought one and will post up some pictures later. That is the perfect size trailer and pulls better than my 7 x14 flatnose. I'm doing the least amount of work on it & doing everything light so that I'm not pulling a 7000 lbs trailer down the road :devil: