RV Construction

Keep them cricket pumps moving in a blur. Bedrooms are usually in the rear. Turn up or down the thermostat -- where's Nurse Ratchet...? Ignorance and insanity at it's best. Thanks for the photo. How you you feel if that was your freakin' house?

maillemaker wrote:
I don't understand why the houses are not just made completely from plastic. Large blow-molded or vacuum-formed shell components.

Some "motorhouses" are made that way, but guess what ... you have to figure out how to pay for them ;) : http://www.coachhouserv.com/

Okay, it's wood but OMG what a super-schitty job of insulation. Sad!

That's what most ceilings look like too as far as insulation goes. Doing a job correctly doesn't take more time if the installers are adequately trained. Lack of regulations and inspections contributes. A TT manufacturer could care less if they can get away with it to save a buck or two. Very sad!!

I too would gladly pay more if I knew improved quality was included but there is no yardstick for measuring and comparing quality.

RVs are incorrectly designed because they have no vapor barrier on the interior side of walls and ceilings. When campinig in colder temps. and measures are not taken to remove warm moisture laden air, it migrates through luan and insulation to the exterior skins or ceiling membranes where it condenses and can lead to delamination, rot and mildew. You'd never ever get away with this in building construction. Again, it's done simply because it's cheaper and they can get away with it. As a P.Eng. that used to work in building constr. (now retired) and an amateur car restorer, I am APPALLED at the way RVs are designed and built.

maillemaker wrote:
I don't understand why the houses are not just made completely from plastic. Large blow-molded or vacuum-formed shell components.

The main reason is referred to as the "UBC" or "Uniform Building Code" known by some as the national bible for building construction. It does not apply (directly) to vehicles since they are not considered buildings.

The fact that most buildings are financed for at least +-30 years motivates most lenders to require that the materials used in construction, at least for the main structure, will outlast the initial loan period.

In other countries I have seen multistory residential buildings built from 2" thick styrofoam panels, covered with chicken wire with 1/2" of shotcrete both sides. The project Architects/Engineers assured me the expected design life was 10 years. The buildings were lucky to make that. You could think of them as recyclable soda bottles or insulated coffee cups.

Chum lee

valhalla360 wrote:
As long as you keep it dry, wood has far better strength to weight ratio and fatigue loading characteristics. As long as you keep it dry it will last for decades.

I will not argue with those statements. It seems very odd to me that Coachmen would brag about Azdel sidewall with aluminum studs and rigid insulation and then go back to wood studs, luan and fiberglass for the back wall ! Classic "we can save a buck because no one will read the fine print" about Azdel only used on the sidewalls !

valhalla360 wrote:
For a weight sensitive item like an RV, that strength to weight ratio really makes a difference.

If it really was about strength to weight, they would use wood studs, luan and fiberglass in the sidewalls also !

Ralph Cramden wrote:
.....Energy Brace Substrate = Coroplast.

It must be a generic equivalent, because a 4x8 sheet of Coroplast is $22 at Home Depot !

Me?
I wanna see that again in eight years. Where all the insulation has fallen leaving the spaces uninsulated. It would have cost ZIP to cut foamboard to fit those openings.

Chew & Spit pride. Make America Great Again.

Water is an RV killer. Yes, and NO. Find the water intrusion at first intrusion and dry it, NO PROBLEMS. Have water intrusion and do not find it or it is hidden, then you have PROBLEMS. But, this could be your stick house also. Just watch a few episodes of Holmes on HGTV. Doug

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Me?
I wanna see that again in eight years. Where all the insulation has fallen leaving the spaces uninsulated. It would have cost ZIP to cut foamboard to fit those openings.

Chew & Spit pride. Make America Great Again.

As someone who HAS removed sides and back walls for 38 years on older RV's, that insulation does NOT drop or bunch downward. It STAYS just as you see it in that pic. When I replace/repair I just use, spray adhesive on the wood to hold in place, because I am REPLACING the existing Fiberglass insulation. Doug

maillemaker wrote:

As long as you keep it dry...

But that's the rub. Water is the RV killer. If you made them impervious to it by using materials that do not degrade when wet the darn things could last 30 years without batting an eye.

Steve

I'd be willing to bet more than 95% of all new RV buyers won't keep the RV 30yrs. The vast majority unload them long before 10yrs is up.

With very rare exceptions, the new RV buyer is not buying for 30yrs. With halfway decent maintenance, no problem keeping the rig dry for the 5-10yrs that they own it (or if they have no clue what maintenance to do, they likely have no clue what materials when into the construction).

No manufacturer is going to raise the MSRP drastically for something that the vast majority of buyers either don't care about or don't understand.