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dpgllg's avatar
dpgllg
Explorer
Jun 03, 2018

skylight blinds / shades

I want to make some blinds for my skylights to block the sun while the RV is stored to minimize any sun damage to the interior.

I have a roll of the foil insulation about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. The foil is on both sides. My concern is that the light reflected back against the skylight could or would damage the plastic.

Can I use the foil against the plastic or should I cover it with some cloth or something?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Dave
  • Check out the blinds that are made for skylights. You should be able to find several with a google search. Are any of them made from the foil insulation? I've seen black and white ones, but honestly don't know if they make foil ones or not. They also make insulation pillows you can stuff into the opening. Usually made of foam.
  • The foil will reflect the heat and could warp the plastic. That said you could order the ones made for them if they will fit after you measure them. In a pinch get a white shower curtain or liner and some good magnets. you can make temporary covers that way until you find exactly what you want.
  • Here are a couple stevesblindsandwallpaper.com they get then from United but lower price. United shade which you can order through CW
  • Cut a cardboard box to fill the space. Affective =100% ,cost=0. There is no point in spending time or money on something that no one is ever going to see. I keep one under my mattress to use when temperatures cause excessive condensation. Keeps my makeup from running while I sleep.
  • Don't use the foil, it will generate and trap heat and damage the plastic. The make pillows to fit in there, get some.
  • I bought a sheet of 1 inch insulation board, cut it to fit snug in the skylight opening. It has worked great.

    We used them often in the summer to help the AC cool the camper. It is a major improvement over just a shade. If we want light we just grab it and pull.

    We slide them under the mattress when not in use.

    I made some handles from a piece of plastic trim molding which allows you to remove it easily.


    I put large wooden washers on the back side to keep the screws for the handle from pulling through.
  • bid_time wrote:
    Don't use the foil, it will generate and trap heat and damage the plastic. The make pillows to fit in there, get some.


    OP Here,

    I understand about the heat but when I was researching this I discovered that the Camco product now comes with a reflective sheet on one side to reflect the heat back out of the RV. They had a all cloth model but that one is out of stock on most websites. If the reflective is potentially harmful to the RV Camco is selling a lot of these.


    Dave

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