Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey people much smarter than myself! Curious if anyone has an informed opinion on partially insulating a teardrop? I'm considering only doing the floors and roof and having just wood walls for simplicity, weight, etc. Also, would there be any insulation effect if I left a small air gap between two sheets of 1/2" ply? Whatcha think?

AaronRCTID wrote:Hey people much smarter than myself! Curious if anyone has an informed opinion on partially insulating a teardrop? I'm considering only doing the floors and roof and having just wood walls for simplicity, weight, etc. Also, would there be any insulation effect if I left a small air gap between two sheets of 1/2" ply? Whatcha think?

First of all, I have my doubts about me being smarter than anybody.

My first (Hunter brand) teardrop was made in a factory in 2004. It had an insulated ceiling and plywood walls and floor. It had a condensation problem on the walls on cold nights. I'd ventilate it by opening the windows on both doors but sometimes I'd still have to wipe the walls down in the morning with a towel. I built a teardrop in 2013 with insulated (sandwiched) walls and ceiling. No more condensation. It has 3/4" of hard foam in the floor for structural reasons --not for insulation. My 7" of foam mattress handles that issue. If your teardrop has a cold floor, your mattress isn't thick enough.

Leaving a gap in a wall or ceiling may allow condensation in that space. A bad idea. I think most homes have a space for ventilation above the insulation in the roof to keep the condensation out. And that's with screened holes on the eves and top of the roof.

Tony

Air space can act as an insulator. Think dual pane windows. Sealed windows can and do leak and when they do air and moisture gets in between the glass and condenses. Can you build a wall that will have the air space sealed and not fail?


Insulation is relatively light. A 1" thick 4 x 8 foot piece of the blue or pink high grade foam insulation weighs about 6 pounds. Also insulates better than air.

I think you should be ab;e to tell what my thoughts are.

Gotcha. I think insulating wins then, thanks!