Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The makers of the foam says to have an air gap for the foam to have the R-value. Do you still need the air gap when using it in a tear? What have others experienced using foam?








KIA'S--MIA'S--POW'S--DAV'S--are what our freedom cost us

i will be laminating 1/8th inch ply to each side of 3/4 inch foamboard to make a structural panel. not going to worry about an air gap. only way to do an air gap is to do a full frame. i want to cut that weight out of my camper so i can carry some other things.

sounds like a good idea but won't that cut down on your R=value. I know when I dry camp I'm always glad I have the R=value there.

what the r value cant handle.. this will

little wood stove burns wood scraps or briquettes.

in additon to that. i will run a few turns of 1/4 inch soft copper tubing around the chimney for instant hot water when needed. otherwise hot water is provided by one of my solar water heaters that i build.

good idea

I'm planning on using a Coleman heater. They're made to be used in tents and ran off of propane. No harmful gases or odors. I used one in my last 4x8. I would turn it on 5 min. before going to bed and once inside it was nice and toasty. One bottle propane would last me half a month so was spending $10 a month for heating.

they make a propane fireplace too. its nice you can sit there all night and watch the flames , vented outside.



wouldnt need any other entertainment for the whole trip.... and probably be out there watching it burn while in your driveway too lol

these catalytic heaters you don't need to vent and no open flame. With my luck, I would set my tear on fire with any type of open flame.

WARNING!!

The catalitic heaters do give off CO and need some type of venting. DO NOT GO TO SLEEP WITH IT OPERATING

Use a fire/smoke/CO/gas detector

they use up air so they recomend leave a window cracked while in use. It would be wise to read warnings and instructions that come with the heater before you use it. I used it many times and had no problems with it. here is a link to the heater and there is a link there for the manuel.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanC ... d=5053A751

timlsalem wrote:The makers of the foam says to have an air gap for the foam to have the R-value. Do you still need the air gap when using it in a tear? What have others experienced using foam?

I've got the pink styrofoam insulation in my walls, floor, and ceiling...3/4" in the walls, 1 1/2" in the floor and ceiling, and no air gaps. At slightly under 30 degrees Saturday night I was quite comfy in my sleeping bag...even with a window open a couple of inches, it was "substantially" warmer in the tear when I got up Sunday morning than it was outside, just from my body heat.

Substantially = I have no idea how much, but I could feel it was quite a bit cooler when I opened the door and got out.

David

I bought an inexpensive indoor/outdoor thermometer, and have the outdoor sensor in my galley. If it's 27º outside, it can get as cold as 52º inside. I consider 52º perfect sleeping weather, but my wife likes it a bit warmer. Last weekend, it got to 50º outside, and we had to open the windows and the vent.

I can't quite understand the 'air gap' point, except for house construction. Possibly for transfer of humidity. With most of these trailers, we have vents for that. The purpose of insulation is to fill that air gap to stop transfer of heat or cold. I think for TT use; it's a moot point

What's the r value of canvas or tent fabric? Usually these campers are so small it really doesn't matter what the R value is - just like canvas on popups!

Grid Runner Adventures wrote:they make a propane fireplace too. its nice you can sit there all night and watch the flames , vented outside.



wouldnt need any other entertainment for the whole trip.... and probably be out there watching it burn while in your driveway too lol

those are the best heaters going. too bad they're so pricey. however if you look in old boat stores (the second hand sort) you can find the old style models that are even smaller for around $300.00 the worst you'll need to do is buy a carb kit to replace the old gaskets. about $25.00. I had one in my old school bus and it heated that whole thing... 40 feet of steel, no insulation.