Roof Cap Insulation

[Rail73]

Hello,

I have a Pace American (from Home Depot) 6x12 that has a translucent front roof cap made of some kind of plastic. Have insulated the walls and ceiling of the trailer with 1" foam board, but am not sure what to do about the plastic cap. I like the fact that it lets some light in, and thought about just stuffing the space with some clear bubble wrap. Has anyone tried something like this, or other solutions? Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Rail 73
Casual Camper

[dustboy]

It's tricky, I managed to wedge some 1" foam sheet up there. The bubble stuff should work pretty well too. Even more difficult is getting all your interior paneling to line up there without any gaps..

[Rainier70]

If having the light is the most important factor, then I wouldn't insulate. You can insulate later if you find that it is too much of a heat loss. Try the bubble wrap and see if it cuts the light too much.

[Glenlivet]

Personally I'd leave it. For the actual amount of heat one might lose through this very small proportion of uninsulated ceiling the benefit of the natural light it provides, probably outweighs.

People, including myself, tend to fall into the mindset that insulating is like sealing a boat hull: gotta get it all! Any part of any size left untreated is eventually going to sink you Or like reinforcing a bridge deck, any part left un-reinforced, that's where it's going to fail.
We imagine that any portion left uninsulated will now vent heat all the faster for the rest of it being insulated.
In reality if 4/5 or 19/20ths of some surface is insulated then you'll get just that much benefit. I'd keep the light. JMHO

[Erikh425]

One option that I have used in the past is just a cheap throw pillow wedged into the space. I am not sure what the r value is of a throw pillow and it doesn't let any light in, but it really keeps the cold out.

E

[Rail73]

Thanks, Everyone!

Dustboy: yeah, the paneling doesn't line up very well - but I put a piece of trim on top to cover that (had the same problem in the walls).

Erikh425: I hadn't thought about using pillows as they would block the light, but that's a great suggestion for keeping warmer in the winter (it is dark at night and who cares about light then?)! My major concern in the summer here in AZ is keeping cool, but I don't have a heater in the trailer and hadn't really thought about winter use yet so will keep that in mind.


Rainier70 and Glenlivet: I'm mostly inclined to leave it as is, but I sit up front and do feel some heat through that plastic in the afternoon. If the bubble wrap doesn't help, I'll probably look in to some type of exterior shade solution (I have some old Army camo poles and spreaders - have been thinking about buying a net to put the entire trailer in the shade).

Rail73
Casual Camper

[tnriverluver]

I used the Aluminum bubble foil in 3 layers and taped it up in there as I went. large V-nose cap on mine and it works pretty well.