Where should I put this reflectix?

[Cameron]

I've got my big roll of Reflectix and a can of spray adhesive all ready to go, wanting to get my Ollie better prepared for some cold winter camping, where should I put it?

[topgun2]

Also get yourself some tape like THIS.  That way you will not be getting the spray adhesive in places yo don't want or need.  

Indeed, where possible I'd only use the tape.  The reason for this is because an air gap between two layers of the insulation will only increase the insulation qualities (i.e. R value).

Then, with my Ollie I first looked at places that were most exposed to the cold and/or heat.  Things like the basement door should be considered and, depending on what types of batteries you have, you might want to put a layer of insulation on the battery door.

Then - the attic is a place and all areas you can reach in the between the hull's.

Have fun!

Bill

[rich.dev]

Yes Reflectix is a radiant barrier, so like @topgun2 said, reflectix is really only effective when there is an air gap between it and the surface you want it to act as a radiant barrier for. For example, you’ll find reflectix on the outside of the inner top hull of an Oliver. That way you have the outer top hull, an air gap, then the reflectix attached to the outside of the inner top hull. As for the fact that Oliver attaches reflectix to the inside of the bottom outside hull, I believe (might be wrong) but the only benefit of that is to avoid heat from escaping from the inside to the outside, ie reflecting heat back to the inside. The Achilles Heel of the Oliver is the huge gaps between the 2 bottom hulls, so reflectix is not really an effective insulator there. 

 

[topgun2]

If you are really going down this additional "rabbit hole" then I'd suggest getting some 1/2 inch foam pipe insulation and putting it on both the cold and hot water pipes.  Even without removing the kitchen drawers you can shove that pipe insulation almost all the way to the entry door. 

Also relative to the above post - don't forget about putting some around the inside of the outside shower.  With a pair of scissors and a little of that tape you can get a good layer around and over that plastic box.  The same can be said of where your shore power comes through the outside wall.  Another place is around the turn signals (from the inside of course) and that wall in the basement that separates the basement from the area under the street side bed.  And - how about another layer around the Styrofoam that covers your water heater (assuming of course that you have the standard water heater). Get creative!  But, be a bit careful around electric areas.

Bill

p.s.  not only does that pipe insulation help with regards to freezing issues, but, it also helps keep your hot water a bit hotter such that you will lose less heat during the water's travels from the water heater to the shower in both warm and cold weather.  And, it helps keep your water usage quieter - yes, some sound does travel from the water pump through the water its pipes.

p.p.s.

just remembered another place - the underside of those "hatches" that allow you to access the area under the dinette seats and under each bed.  Actually instead of using Reflectix in these areas I used an insulation/sound proofing material like THIS STUFF.  It not only insulates part of the bedding area but it also cuts noise from the water pump on the curb side.

[Cameron]

My adventures in reflectix have begun. The first photo shows one single layer cut to fit the basement door. No glue or tape, just cut to fit and pressed in. We'll see if it stays in place when on the road, otherwise I'll use some double sided tape. The second photo shows the two hatch lids under the street side bed. The fourth shows how I used some foam strips to keep about 3/4 of an inch space between the two layers for increased R value. Per advice above, I used the spray adhesive only to stick the foam pieces on the reflectix, then used aluminum tape around the edges. Next week I'll continue working on the basement area.

[johnwen]

On 10/8/2023 at 4:12 PM, topgun2 said:

ust remembered another place - the underside of those "hatches" that allow you to access the area under the dinette seats and under each bed.  Actually instead of using Reflectix in these areas I used an insulation/sound proofing material like THIS STUFF.  It not only insulates part of the bedding area but it also cuts noise from the water pump on the curb side.

Bill,

How do you like the "this stuff"?  Does it stick as you'd like it to?  Any quieting from basement noises will be appreciated.

John

[johnwen]

3 minutes ago, johnwen said:

Bill,

How do you like the "this stuff"?  Does it stick as you'd like it to?  Any quieting from basement noises will be appreciated.

John

How thick?

[Cameron]

58 minutes ago, johnwen said:

Bill,

How do you like the "this stuff"?  Does it stick as you'd like it to?  Any quieting from basement noises will be appreciated.

John

Aluminum tape is amazing. I used lots of it on the furnace and ducts when after delivery I discovered some problems. Sticks great. Haven't tested any noise- dampening qualities yet, but I have to imagine it will help, especially after I'm able to crawl into the basement area (claustrophobia?) and put reflectix on the ceiling and other walls of the basement.

[topgun2]

3 hours ago, johnwen said:

How do you like the "this stuff"?  Does it stick as you'd like it to?  Any quieting from basement noises will be appreciated.

Actually I used something more like THIS but the stuff I used had Foil on one side.  I think that the "rubber" stuff would be a little better but since I already had what I used in my "junk" pile - I used it.  No problem with the stuff I used though other than the fact that it did not have glue on it and I had to use the spray glue stuff and used the foil tape on the edges.  The noise reduction is good.

Bill

[Cameron]

The more I look, the more places I find to put it

 

[John Dorrer]

I have placed some in the bathroom attic and a couple other attic areas. I have a piece I install at the outside door of the basement, and one covering the outside shower (small cut around the rear jack toggles).

QUESTION: I want to install some over the driver's side bed for my wife. We have hyper-vent. Do I want to install the Reflectix between the hyper-vent and mattress or under the hyper-vent and directly over the fiberglass?

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, John Dorrer said:

Do I want to install the Reflectix between the hyper-vent and mattress or under the hyper-vent and directly over the fiberglass?

If it were me -

I'd actually place the insulation (Reflectix in this case) on the underside of the fiberglass.  This is fairly easily done on the two "trap" doors but is somewhat more difficult to place it on the underside of the fiberglass.

If you really want to have insulation on top of the fiberglass then I'd suggest using a foam insulation panel on top of the fiberglass followed by the hyper-vent and then the mattress.  While I do not have the hyper-vent product I have used a 1/2 inch insulating foam panel under my mattress without any issues for the past 8 years.  If you go this route then also consider cutting pieces of the foam board for use around the edges of the mattress to insulate the mattress from the relatively cold exterior wall.  When I did mine, I cut the foam board such that it was about one to two inches short of the top of the mattress so that it could not be seen nor felt when I was in the bed.  I believe that it was John Davies that continued with this idea by insulating from the bottom of the windows down the wall to the bottom of the mattress so that when turning over in the middle of the night your bare arm (other body parts) would not touch the relatively cold exterior wall.

Bill