Additional Insulation blown in floor.

[ShawnAZ10]

While working on my 36RE, I noticed there's a 12-14" gap of space under the kitchen/living area. That's the part that is the coldest during the winter. The entire area is separated from tanks and utilities, and I didn't see any heat vents in there. Can anyone think of any reasons not to blow some additional Insulation in to this area?

[5th_Time]

Both hydraulic rams for the slides are in that area. Lots of hydraulic hoses and fitting to seep oil in there.

Also, belly pan is not sealed, just kind of tucked-in. So you might be seeing a cloud of celulose behind your trailer at highway speeds depending on what you blow-in.

Even so, it seems like some 10” batts might make a big difference. That rear bellypan is notoriously difficult to remove and reinstall to get this done.

[r time soon]

I would agree that batt type insulation would be better than blown in. There are holes in the frames for the hydraulic rams and the tubes to go through the frame. Some of these openings are quite large. Also the inner tubes that extend have teeth on the bottom side which are exposed downward and could become very clogged with insulation and really mess up the gear packs and mechanisms for opening and closing the rooms and possibly mess up the slide out and the cross shaft that maintains the parallel movement of the room.

[ShawnAZ10]

Great input, thank you both! Definitely going to go with the batting. The rams are enclosed in tubing, so I should be good there. There is a form of wire trussing, so I'll have to cut the plastic covering in about five different sections to install batting then tape it up with the million mile/hr tape. Will probably have to reinforce any bellies that droop down with some metal strapping, too. Now maybe my wife can walk around above that area and not get cold feet! lol

[r time soon]

You might not want to use Duct tape as it won't stick very well. The rv industry uses an underbelly tape made by Cast and others. Clean the corplast underbelly with isopropyl alcohol or acetone and apply. If you accidently stick it to itself you might as well cut that piece off as it doesn't peel apart very well. Here is one link to this type of tape: https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Belly-.../dp/B00BJ5SPO8


Personally I prefer not to have holes or cuts cut into the underbelly.

[mhs4771]

What you can use to support the Belly Covering is to purchase some sections of 1/2" metal conduit, cut the length just a fraction longer than the inside distance between the frame, flatten the first 3 or 4 inches of the cut conduit, then place the ends up onto the frame lip and hammer it straight until it wedges between the frame. Will support the belly yet be easily removed if you need to drop it.

[ShawnAZ10]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

What you can use to support the Belly Covering is to purchase some sections of 1/2" metal conduit, cut the length just a fraction longer than the inside distance between the frame, flatten the first 3 or 4 inches of the cut conduit, then place the ends up onto the frame lip and hammer it straight until it wedges between the frame. Will support the belly yet be easily removed if you need to drop it.

Excellent idea, rigid rod would be way better than any sagging strap. Thank you!

[ShawnAZ10]

Originally Posted by r time soon

You might not want to use Duct tape as it won't stick very well. The rv industry uses an underbelly tape made by Cast and others. Clean the corplast underbelly with isopropyl alcohol or acetone and apply. If you accidently stick it to itself you might as well cut that piece off as it doesn't peel apart very well. Here is one link to this type of tape: https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Belly-.../dp/B00BJ5SPO8


Personally I prefer not to have holes or cuts cut into the underbelly.

That's a great help thank you. I originally was thinking gorilla tape, but was turned on to the polypropylene trailer tape. Night and day difference, of course. Not cherishing the idea of cutting into the belly either, but the manufacturer didn't put more than a couple of inches of insulation in a four season trailer. Incredible. We would rather have warm feet/lower propane usage. Service technician replacing all of our lippert jack's (different story), swears by the tape as long as the surface is cleaned first, and with MHS4771 suggestion, it should be solid.

[ted 95]

a question... is there a possibility the insulation can get wet while driving down the road?? you might want to use 1-2" of spray foam. will do the same job and moisture is no problem. you can get the spray kit from HD.

[ShawnAZ10]

Spray foam would be difficult with the square footage above the plastic belly cover. There are about six sections divided by steel trusses in this nomad land varying from roughly 26" to 48" from the 2x12 back to the bumper on my 2013 36RE. We filled each section with R30 10" attic insulation and sealed up the plastic bubble wrap insulation with HVAC tape, thoroughly cleaned the plastic underbelly, and applied the million mile/hr tape to complete:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SSGAZG..._mnSoCb21HVYBF

[ShawnAZ10]

I understand what you're saying though regarding the moisture. It's important that any opening other than the rams be foamed. I do wonder if there is anything that can prevent moisture coming in from the ram holes.