Total Rebuild of a 1979 Dodge Class C

TreeSeeker wrote:

The truth is, an RV is a pretty small box to heat or cool, so the benefits of insulating, vapor blocking, etc., are probably pretty marginal when it comes right down to it.

I am not so sure. We have friends whose cabin was gutted and rebuilt with 6 inch insulated outside walls. They heat the LR/Kitchen (about 20x15 ft) with about 3-4 logs for an evening when it is in the 30s outside.

My living room is about 10x15 and is uninsulated. It takes about 10-12 logs to heat it when the temps are in the 40s.

So insulation can make a huge difference in the amount of energy required for heating. Granted the amount of fuel to heat even an uninsulated RV would be much less than heating an insulated house, but you are limited in the amount of fuel you can carry. So, if you have good insulation in your RV your limited fuel will last much longer.

I think the vapor barrier is important because the humidity in an RV will be higher than in a house since you have such a small space. People are still expelling just as much water vapor in their breath and you are also cooking. So the same amount of water vapor is being generated as in a house. If this vapor is condensing on the inside of the RV walls then you are going to have mold problems.

You're right, TreeSeeker. I didn't mean that the benefits are nominal, but just that exactly how thoroughly one does it is less critical than in a year round residence. I guess I wasn't clear. I built my daughters a two story playhouse years ago (11x7 main floor and 11x5 upstairs) and insulated it. In the middle of winter a small ceramic space heater will keep it toasty warm, and once it warms up the thermostat on the unit hardly kicks it on. That's with single pane storm windows that I used as primary windows because I got them for free.