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JeremyBriggs's avatar
JeremyBriggs
Explorer
Jan 30, 2019

Can you strip interior walls of Vacu-Bond wall?

Hi there, new to all of this but I am considering full time RVing but layouts are never exactly what I think would work best. Considered the whole converted school bus thing but came upon a couple Class C's and got to wondering if I could just rebuild a few things that could totally work for me. Now Ive found a 2012 Thor Majestic 28a for a good price, but in doing some research and coming up empty I figured signing up and asking here just maybe someone would have more knowledge. The majestic certainly doesn't seem to be insulated enough to full time in Canada so better insulation would be a must. Also what I've found is the walls are vacubonded so finding the aluminum wall frame to secure an changes to cabinetry would be no easy task. It doesn't seem as though just prying off the interior wall to find exactly where supports are and changing out the insulation would be an easy tasking. I imagine the glue used will not separate easily so rather the risk effecting the bond to the fibreglass outer shell, I have come up with the idea of taking a router to the walls and cutting out a much as I need so get some higher R value insulation and exposing the aluminum wall frame. In my head this seems to work (hahaha) but I guess what I am asking is am I crazy, will this be possible? Any info is greatly appreciated

thank you

7 Replies

  • Thats my point. The best insulation in the world in the walls wouldn't have any effect if the windows and door leaks cold air.
  • ron.dittmer wrote:
    Slightly drafty windows will hands-down nix R20 insulated walls.


    Who is building Class C's with R 20 walls? That would be 6" of fiberglass batt, 5-1/4" of beadfoam, or 4" of EPI.
  • As thin as the interior wall 1/8" tempered hardboard is, I would imagine it significantly contributes to the over-all structural integrity of the motor home. But at the same time, motor home companies have massive voids in their walls to accommodate slide outs. So I would think, as long as you keep your "removal" to reasonable limits and replace & glue replacement tempered hardboard, you will do fine. But removing 100% of the interior wall, then improve the insulation, then replacing the interior hardboard will likely be a structural disaster because the replacement material is not vacu-bonded, and not bonded to virgin materials.

    Like a real house, the worst of heat loss originates from windows, doors, and roof vents, so buying a quality made rig with those considerations will contribute so much more than messing with the walls. Slightly drafty windows will hands-down nix R20 insulated walls. Roof vent inserts can easily be made from styro-foam to eliminate radiated cold from those sources. The thick pink or blue foam insulation for foundation insulation is an ideal product for that because it doesn't crumble.
  • Vac-Bonding might be an issue. I asked 2 dealers about ripping it apart from the inside and they told me no.
    That's why I was under the impression that you can't take things apart from the inside or its at least its a very difficult job.
    That's as far as I researched it.

    All my rv plumbing runs within heated interior walls. I do not have any water lines on outside walls where they tend to freeze, that includes my floor which is a 3-4" raised floor that's heated. I also have a dedicated 2" heat duct that keeps my water pump warm as well as my exterior side compartment.

    Here's what I did :
    I just finished adding 1" Dow board on all my windows. After trimming each piece to custom fit the inside framework of each window , I then cut a square in each panel so I can see out.
    I covered the hole by covering it with heat shrink clear plastic from a storm window kit.
    I held the Dow board in place by using clear tape where the Dow board meets the metal frame. This also put the final touch of sealing the drafty cold window, making it draft free.
    Our queen bed rides up against the window, no condensation plus its totally warm now reflecting heat back into the cabin.
    There is an aftermarket rv window replacement company that will custom build you a dual pane window or make you a custom framed storm window to secure inside the frame. I did what I did as a test and inexpensive to see if it really makes a difference and it does. Down the road, I might go for the custom windows, I will see, depends on the cost.


    Roof Vents:
    I had a marine canvas guy make me some 14x14 insulated vinyl panels with 4 stainless snaps to attach them to the inside of my roof vents and shower skylight.
    At night I covered my entrance door with a HD drape that I roll up and store in place above the door. I use a round draft snake to insulate the bottom of the door.

    This the 3rd rv I have used this system. All this combined made a huge difference in keeping the interior warm and cut down my propane use.
    I just tested it in zero F temps and the interior is 75F, just what I set the thermostat at .
    Once the furnace heated the rv up, it allowed me to use an electric heater (1500 watts) to maintain or greatly offset the furnace kicking on.

    One of our members advised me to use a drape or HD clear plastic curtain to seal off the front cab area. I also did that because there is no sense for me to heat that area when parked, I don't have swivel seats as part of my interior.

    Good luck and enjoy the cold weather use. We use our rv all year long and have found that we are not alone.
  • Majestic is one of the better ones to insulate a class C. Now that being said "better" is a relative term in the RV industry. Like another poster asked where are you located? How do you plan on camping (plug-in or boon docking)? Where do you plan on camping?

    I put this together, it may help

    Cold weather camping
  • JaxDad's avatar
    JaxDad
    Explorer III
    JeremyBriggs wrote:
    The majestic certainly doesn't seem to be insulated enough to full time in Canada so better insulation would be a must.

    thank you


    Since your location is listed as “?” are you in Victoria BC, Winnipeg, or Halifax?

    There’s sort of a difference in the amount of heat and insulation required depending on your answer......
  • A stud finder will show where the studs are located.

    Some RVs are manufactured for colder climates. You can add a keyword to your search to find something like arctic package or cold-weather package