Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I will be insulating the walls soon and am thinking about styrofoam sheets for the job. Is this the better way to go instead of fiberglass batts?

Yes on foam because Fiberglass will hold moisture it you have a leak or get it wet for some reason. Also better insulation properties with ****foam ( poly or styro or polyuro ). Fiberglass will settle with time and vibration of traveling down the road. YOU will be glad you insulated if the slight additional weight and wall thickness are not a problem.

I used metal insulating doors as my foundation on the trailer I'm building. Using French door coupons ( the part cut out of the french doors windows ) for the entire outside structure. Using the Weekender as a building profile. You can look in my album at the pictures.

Good luck and have fun building!



Pat

I used a rigid insulation, I think it was the same as Great Stuff foam. It cut cleaner and easier than the polystyrene (the little balls).

tried using the "pink stuff" fiberglass insulation on the First Try - gave up pretty fast - and itched the rest of the day - switched over to closed cell styrofoam - works great. Unless your walls are very thick - once you compress fiberglass insulation to fit - it loses it's R value

alloffroad wrote:I will be insulating the walls soon and am thinking about styrofoam sheets for the job. Is this the better way to go instead of fiberglass batts?

In a word, yes.

asianflava wrote:I used a rigid insulation, I think it was the same as Great Stuff foam. It cut cleaner and easier than the polystyrene (the little balls).

Foam made of the little balls is expanded polystyrene... often called "beadboard". Better polystyrene insulation boards - such as Styrofoam and Foamular - are extruded, and are both stronger and cleaner to work with. The extruded products are much more expensive than the expanded stuff, but on the small scale of a teardrop that doesn't matter.

Great Stuff is polyurethane foam. Although it is apparently available in board form, it is much more commonly sprayed on.

I used 1" foamular on mine and it worked well....couple of thoughts though...

1" foamular is a true 1" inch...so you need the appropriate thickness of wood stock for the wall studs.

Not all regions of the US carry 1" extruded foam...I think the builders down south have 3/4 inch available which I could not find here in Juneau...So you need to check your local supplier

I don't think my isulated walls are too much heavier than regular ply...but you do get the benefits of insulation including thermal and sound deadening qualities...and a place to run wires...

brian_bp wrote:

asianflava wrote:I used a rigid insulation, I think it was the same as Great Stuff foam. It cut cleaner and easier than the polystyrene (the little balls).

Foam made of the little balls is expanded polystyrene... often called "beadboard". Better polystyrene insulation boards - such as Styrofoam and Foamular - are extruded, and are both stronger and cleaner to work with. The extruded products are much more expensive than the expanded stuff, but on the small scale of a teardrop that doesn't matter.

Great Stuff is polyurethane foam. Although it is apparently available in board form, it is much more commonly sprayed on.

Why do you love to counter anything I post? Do you know what I used? I'll give you a clue; it wasn't white, blue, or pink.

Rocky,

I'll bite. What did you use?

Mike...

I used the little balls packed into big sheet kind. Readily available at Hoem Despot or Loews. A bit of a pain to work with, but as has been said, for a teardrop, not a big deal. Cheap is important to me.

1 5/8" Polyurethane insulation board with steel clad on both side with attaching tabs on panels ( look close at intersection - not all screws are in place inside shell yet - and tabs need to be flattened before attachment with screws ).

Upper corner in galley door picture.





Pat

PS: the rust on the steel clad is removed and reprimed before painting and covering with interior material in galley and cabin areas. Panels are a building block ( frame ) to cover. The galley is the midship stiffiner for the " torsion box " on the HF frame.

asianflava wrote: I'll give you a clue; it wasn't white, blue, or pink.

Rocky,
Was it yellow? It it was I bet it was the same stuff I used with a name that I can't ever remember. Isocyano somthing or other. I like it because it has a 50% better R value than the little bead stuff and a foil backing that I think helps reflect heat. I cut it on the table saw and it hardly makes a mess at all compared to the little bead stuff. I used some of the white little bead stuff on the first trailer and when you cut it, the little beads get charged with static and stick to everything and everywhere in the garage. What a mess! The only trouble with the Isocyano stuff is I can't find it in 3/4" or 1-1/2" around here, which is why I had to use two layers (one 1" and one 1/2") in my roof.
Bruce

asianflava wrote:

brian_bp wrote:

asianflava wrote:I used a rigid insulation, I think it was the same as Great Stuff foam. It cut cleaner and easier than the polystyrene (the little balls).

Foam made of the little balls is expanded polystyrene... often called "beadboard". Better polystyrene insulation boards - such as Styrofoam and Foamular - are extruded, and are both stronger and cleaner to work with. The extruded products are much more expensive than the expanded stuff, but on the small scale of a teardrop that doesn't matter.

Great Stuff is polyurethane foam. Although it is apparently available in board form, it is much more commonly sprayed on.

Why do you love to counter anything I post? Do you know what I used? I'll give you a clue; it wasn't white, blue, or pink.

If it seemed like I was suggesting that asianflava used polystyrene, I apologize for the confusion... that comment was just intended to help everyone understand the polystyrene options. Not all polystyrene is "little balls".

I'm not disagreeing with anything (is that countering?)... asianflava's post said "I think it was the same as Great Stuff foam", and I was just trying to help with the understanding of this material. I don't know what you used, but it sounds like you were not sure, either.

bdosborn wrote:

asianflava wrote: I'll give you a clue; it wasn't white, blue, or pink.

Rocky,
Was it yellow? It it was I bet it was the same stuff I used with a name that I can't ever remember. Isocyano somthing or other. I like it because it has a 50% better R value than the little bead stuff and a foil backing that I think helps reflect heat. I cut it on the table saw and it hardly makes a mess at all compared to the little bead stuff. I used some of the white little bead stuff on the first trailer and when you cut it, the little beads get charged with static and stick to everything and everywhere in the garage. What a mess! The only trouble with the Isocyano stuff is I can't find it in 3/4" or 1-1/2" around here, which is why I had to use two layers (one 1" and one 1/2") in my roof.
Bruce

Ding! Ding! Ding! That's the stuff, 3/4in was pretty easy to find.....in TX. Now I guess I'm in the same boat as you. Like I said originally, whatever it is, it cuts cleaner than the "little balls".

bdosborn wrote:

asianflava wrote: I'll give you a clue; it wasn't white, blue, or pink.

Rocky,
Was it yellow? It it was I bet it was the same stuff I used with a name that I can't ever remember. Isocyano somthing or other. I like it because it has a 50% better R value than the little bead stuff and a foil backing that I think helps reflect heat. I cut it on the table saw and it hardly makes a mess at all compared to the little bead stuff. I used some of the white little bead stuff on the first trailer and when you cut it, the little beads get charged with static and stick to everything and everywhere in the garage. What a mess! The only trouble with the Isocyano stuff is I can't find it in 3/4" or 1-1/2" around here, which is why I had to use two layers (one 1" and one 1/2") in my roof.
Bruce

POLYISOCYANURATE We can find it here in 1/2 3/4 1" 1 1/2" 2 " and 3"
r value is 7 per inch
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11590