Basement insulation

[DQDick]

Never have been able to put a picture on here so if they don't show up you'll have to go to the Montana Owners Facebook page where I can put pictures on a post. I took some extra bunge cord from restringing yard recliners, a couple of eye screws, a couple of snap swivels and made a holder across the front of the bays. Then I cut 11/2" foam board to fit and installed it in front of the bunge cord. Basically owe the idea to Rondo from the last Central Plains Rally, except being a hill billy I tried to find a way that was less work.

[jcurtis934]

Sure looks like that would keep the basement area a lot warmer or cooler depending on the outside weather.

[DQDick]

The other good part is, since we are completely containerized, you just pull them out and store them on the stuff stored in the middle or on the other side when you need to access something.

[richfaa]

We stay in fairly moderate weather year round so the OEM insulation works for us. We have not been in cold weather since 2006 and rarely in extremely hot weather for very long.

[DQDick]

We spend the summer in Kansas and the winter in New Mexico. Both have extreems of hot and cold. Last three days were all time hot temperatures. Provided incentive to finish the job.

[MARK A]

Would it work to glue it to the back side of the door? Then it would be out of the way when you opened the door.

Mark

[Ram Montana High Country]

Nice idea Mark. Does anyone block the stair vents in the summer?

[Razrbk]

Originally Posted by Ram Montana High Country

Nice idea Mark. Does anyone block the stair vents in the summer?

Absolutely.

[DQDick]

Yes, before I did this I always did that. This new rig has wall vents instead of under the stairs and we now have electronics down there I don't want to get really hot (two satellite boosters, a backup battery pack and a router). Plus it works just as well in the winter when you can't block the stairs.

[DQDick]

Originally Posted by MARK A

Would it work to glue it to the back side of the door? Then it would be out of the way when you opened the door.

Mark

I don't know why that idea bothers me like it does because there probably isn't anything wrong with the idea. I my case, I want to insulate past the door opening, both above and below, and be able to remove them if for some reason I need the space.

[Ram Montana High Country]

Good Point DQ - we're still so new that most trips are the shorter variety and don't have my dodo together to keep basement mostly closed. Wat would be a good adhesive is fastened to door in your opinion? Maybe a good layer of insulation be installed on the back side of basement wall sealing to floor above - could stay year round.

[DQDick]

Actually, that's where I got the idea. At the Central plains rally I saw that Rondo had cut insulation just a hair wider than the bracing on the ceiling and pieced it in there. I've got electronics down there (two antenna boosters, a battery back up and a router) that I want to keep cooler so, for me, it made more sense to do it this way.

[DQDick]

Just had to open one side and get the cat carriers out (severe thunderstorm watch and a possiblity of tornados) in case we have to book for the shelter. When I pulled the insulation you could feel cool air cascade out. I didn't expect that much difference.

[Ram Montana High Country]

Well - it works then … good deal. That's kinda why I was thinking the behind rear wall in garage and ceiling above. But either would help.

[Rebel702]

Use Velcro strips on the doors if you wanted them removeable.

[Bad Moon]

A couple of points: Polystyrene insulation is flammable, and releases copious amounts of smoke when ignited; in residential construction, it is required to have a thermal barrier. There are some foams available with integral fire retardant . RMax has a foil face which provides flame protection, and being isocyanurate, has a higher R value.

I think a bigger problem in the basement is drafts. the basement doors have very poor weather stripping, with big gaps at the corners. We cover our stair vents with thin plywood in the winter when not using the furnace. The fireplace is usually enough to keep us warm, as long as the drafts are stopped. When I finally get around to adding a second AC in the bedroom, I will include strip heat.

[Rondo]

Just to let everyone know, I took the 1 1/2" pink Styrofoam and cut it to fit in between the vertical supports behind the basement wall. I didn't put it totally across the wall because of the wires going to the outlet but it is behind 3/4 of the wall. I took 2" foam and "wedged" it between the I-beams in the ceiling and cut out or grooved areas where there were wires or a light fixture. I'm trying to figure out some way to insulate the front basement wall between the front storage and the basement itself but with all of the hydraulics and electrical wiring across that wall in the front storage area it is rather hard to do. Since it is just a particle board with fabric covering I'm thinking of stapling some of the foil bubble wrap to the basement side to insulate that area. I like the idea of DQDick putting the solid pieces of foam over the door ways and may try that also. We'll check it out at the Central Plains Rally coming up next month in Shelby, IA. Have not utilized the step area or storage or covered the vent holes yet but that is a work in progress over the next month and a half. The DW has some ideas on improving the steps and the covering on them instead of carpet, so will work on that project also. I'm also going to install the foil backed bubble wrap in the back of the cabinets in the unit. Sure could feel a lot of heat coming in when opening the cabinet doors last winter in AZ and this last week at an Escapee's rally down in Sedalia, MO. Also in the storage areas around the refrig on our unit will get some of the foil bubble wrap also. Improvement on the unit is a never ending item but well worth the time and effort.

[Bad Moon]

Another issue is lack of continuity in the insulation "envelope". The only separation between the basement storage area and the "plenum" (for lack of a better term for where the utilities, stairs, etc, are) is just a piece of carpeted 1/2 inch plywood bulkhead wall. The same thing between the basement storage area and the forward generator/battery compartment, which has a sheet metal floor. So, between the conditioned interior living space, and the outside, all you have are two 1/2 inch plywood bulkheads, and one floor of 14 gauge sheet steel. No wonder these trailers are so cold in the winter. i think the only effective way to reduce heat transfer is to insulate the bulkhead wall that separates the basement from the plenum/conditioned air space, and the bedroom floor. But this still leaves a lot of "holes" through the insulation envelope around the furnace, water heater, and utility connection box.

[richfaa]

I guess Rv insulation is as good as it can be but we do not give it high marks.There are as mentioned a lot of "holes" in this thing to allow both warm and cold air to enter. The pretty dark colors on some models do not help with cooling. Fortunately we are able to move back and forth and stay in moderate climates so we are not bothered with extremes. I thing the coldest this 13 has seen was 27 degrees for a few overnight hours in Florida few years ago and 107 degrees in Oklahoma in 2015. Nether was a pleasant experience.