Best quality: Micro Minni, R-POD, E PRO
I am looking at a Micro Minni, R-POD, and E PRO. All three have a floor plan I like and they are all around the same price. From a quality perspective, which is better? Things such as craftsmanship, r...
Forum Discussion
Pbutler97 wrote:Gdetrailer wrote:
Insulation?
Nope, plain old fiberglass insulation is used through out all RVs and RVs have a wall cavity of just 1" so R2 or R3 is best one can hope for.. The exception to this may be some "three season" or "Artic" RVs which may have a bit higher R factor insulation but those come at a higher cost to the end buyer..
There is no fiberglass insulation in the walls of a trailer with laminated walls which all 3 models the OP is considering have, it's white beaded styrofoam. Even if they used extruded polystyrene foam which they don't, thats only an R 3.5 to 5.5 per inch depending on the density.
They claim an R7 but you only get R7 in a brochure out of 1" of beaded styrofoam. As far as 3 season and Artic packages that usually means they add a piece of reflective barrier in the mix, run a half assed piece of duct from the furnace into the underbelly, maybe add some cheap tank heaters, and slap a decal on the side.
:R
The "difference" in R value between 1 inch of fiberglass and Expanded (IE beaded) styrofoam is minimal at best.
1" of Fiberglass gets you R3-R3.7
1" of Expanded (IE Beaded) styrofoam is only R3.6 per HERE
The ONLY "foam" insulation that has a RV value close to R7 is Polyisocyanurate (AKA PolyIso) of R6.5-R8 per inch depending on the manufacturer which is light yellow in color and is a close cousin to spray in foams which have simular performance as PolyIso.
The beaded stuff is total junk and is used since it is the lowest cost rigid insulation that can be bought.
There is zero advantage to using the beaded styrofoam when it comes to R Value per inch.
Any RV manufacturer stating that their 1" beaded styrofoam insulation has a R value of 7 is lying.
Where beaded styrofoam can be an advantage is unlike fiberglass it doesn't absorb and hold moisture. While one may think that is an advantage, what does happen is the moisture ends up trapped at the bottom of the wall and that can make a small water leak 10 times worse as that water puddles up in one place and it must wick through everything that can absorb water creating more water damage in the end.
