What's Your 2014 Wish for RV Design
Thought this would be a good time for us to voice our wish list for RV designs and perhaps some companies will incorporate them. Still on our list is for rv makers to let the customers design their...
Forum Discussion
Most of the improvements desired have already been posted but to elaborate on the main and most important ones:
A single seamless sheet of exterior white coated aluminum roll sheet for every RV roof as standard with it being wrapped around the sides an inch or two. Important to double seal with 2 continous very weather/sun resistant/proof filler caulks/coatings around each roof opening. One wide waterproof adhesive bead under the flange so sun and weather can't affect it's long time functioning life and one fully,widely, and smoothly totally covering the joint with a min of an inch wide of cover on each side of the joint. Also a must to use a waterproof gasket under anything mounted over a roof opening to truely prevent roof leaks. 3 Individual true leakage barriers before and leakage could even occur past the aluminum.
This aluminum would be over one 3/8" thick continous sheet of Azdel composite panel which is very light in weight yet very strong and impervious to water or mold and adds a lot of R-value and soundproofing while being very puncture resistant and it's a moisture barrier too. Fabulous stuff! Even 2 layers of 3/16" Azdel could be used if 3/8" is too hard to work with or too expensive. The first of the two layers (if used) is stainless steel screwed to the trusses and the second layer glued to the first so NO screws go thru to leak around in the roof underlayment. This goes over the strong min of 5" high aluminum roof trusses or stamped steel rust resistant coated trusses and spaced 12" apart or no more than 16" apart max and having a continous roll sheet (no seams) of either Astrofoil or Reflectix reflective bubblewrap between the truss top and the Azdel.
Now, the roof insulation inside can be either very light fiberglass properly stuffed and fitted or the light closed cell foam fitted tightly to eliminate air pockets and voids for air flow. You would now have a truely sealed weather, rain, cold or heat loss roof that would last longer than most people will even live and therefore, the RV would retain a very high resale value! Add in the considerably lower energy to heat or cool the RV in any climate conditions and the true comfort gained. A true R-value of 39-50 in a sealed construction environment for any climate condition.
50% of heat etc is lost thru the roof and most ALL water leaks originate at the roof so that's where the biggest bang for the buck is and it's not that expensive to eliminate!
Next is the 25% loss thru the floor which is a much smaller area in sq footage area (1/4 to 1/3 in size) than the 4 exterior walls added together size which account for the remaining 25% of loss. The floor is easy and cheap to seal and insulate and remember that it where the freezeable liquid tanks and valves are! Heat rises and that also means warmer floors inside and cold floors are not nice at all as many of us know so well!
Side walls only need decent insulation and must have dualpane windows (20% tinted at min) or very easily removable inside good fitting storm windows and little heat or cold will pass thru and heat/cold loss is more than cut in half and so is any sweating or water drippping/runoff.
You only by the RV once and how many would not even spend the extra $1000 to $2000 dollars if it even took that much to buid the RV right originally? Would paying $1000 more on a $20,000 or $2000 more on a $80,000+ RV kill a purchase??? ---Penny wise and pound foolish!--- You'd get back every dime times more in resale value with an RV with abolutely NO rot or water stains and having saved a lot of energy money not spent while being so much more comfortable every day when using the RV. Win, win, win!
A single seamless sheet of exterior white coated aluminum roll sheet for every RV roof as standard with it being wrapped around the sides an inch or two. Important to double seal with 2 continous very weather/sun resistant/proof filler caulks/coatings around each roof opening. One wide waterproof adhesive bead under the flange so sun and weather can't affect it's long time functioning life and one fully,widely, and smoothly totally covering the joint with a min of an inch wide of cover on each side of the joint. Also a must to use a waterproof gasket under anything mounted over a roof opening to truely prevent roof leaks. 3 Individual true leakage barriers before and leakage could even occur past the aluminum.
This aluminum would be over one 3/8" thick continous sheet of Azdel composite panel which is very light in weight yet very strong and impervious to water or mold and adds a lot of R-value and soundproofing while being very puncture resistant and it's a moisture barrier too. Fabulous stuff! Even 2 layers of 3/16" Azdel could be used if 3/8" is too hard to work with or too expensive. The first of the two layers (if used) is stainless steel screwed to the trusses and the second layer glued to the first so NO screws go thru to leak around in the roof underlayment. This goes over the strong min of 5" high aluminum roof trusses or stamped steel rust resistant coated trusses and spaced 12" apart or no more than 16" apart max and having a continous roll sheet (no seams) of either Astrofoil or Reflectix reflective bubblewrap between the truss top and the Azdel.
Now, the roof insulation inside can be either very light fiberglass properly stuffed and fitted or the light closed cell foam fitted tightly to eliminate air pockets and voids for air flow. You would now have a truely sealed weather, rain, cold or heat loss roof that would last longer than most people will even live and therefore, the RV would retain a very high resale value! Add in the considerably lower energy to heat or cool the RV in any climate conditions and the true comfort gained. A true R-value of 39-50 in a sealed construction environment for any climate condition.
50% of heat etc is lost thru the roof and most ALL water leaks originate at the roof so that's where the biggest bang for the buck is and it's not that expensive to eliminate!
Next is the 25% loss thru the floor which is a much smaller area in sq footage area (1/4 to 1/3 in size) than the 4 exterior walls added together size which account for the remaining 25% of loss. The floor is easy and cheap to seal and insulate and remember that it where the freezeable liquid tanks and valves are! Heat rises and that also means warmer floors inside and cold floors are not nice at all as many of us know so well!
Side walls only need decent insulation and must have dualpane windows (20% tinted at min) or very easily removable inside good fitting storm windows and little heat or cold will pass thru and heat/cold loss is more than cut in half and so is any sweating or water drippping/runoff.
You only by the RV once and how many would not even spend the extra $1000 to $2000 dollars if it even took that much to buid the RV right originally? Would paying $1000 more on a $20,000 or $2000 more on a $80,000+ RV kill a purchase??? ---Penny wise and pound foolish!--- You'd get back every dime times more in resale value with an RV with abolutely NO rot or water stains and having saved a lot of energy money not spent while being so much more comfortable every day when using the RV. Win, win, win!
