Insulation ratings in High end 5th wheel

[glennwest]

I've been researching rvs for full timing and Nu-Wa is a serious contender, but I find many other high end units post high r ratings than Nu-Wa. One example is Elite, Mobile and Select Suites. Have ratings at r15, r23 and r27(side, roof, floor). Nu-Wa doesn't post r values but claim their Dow insulation is superior. Who do you believe? I'll be working out of my Rv and vactioning between jobs. Will be some very hot climates and some very cold climates. DW with me. I have never lived in an rv and really don't know how hard heating and cooling these units are. My knowledge of insulation comes from stick built homes and the higher the better as long as they breathe. Not trying to start a thread about who is best rv, just real world findings about insulation. Thanks and God bless.

[K-Star]

Newmar is a fulltime contender and the R Values advertised on their website for their 5er models are:


Cypress: Roof - R13; Sidewall - R8; Floor - R12

Torrey Pine: Roof - R22; Sidewall - R11; Floor - R26

Kountry Aire: Roof - R24; Sidewall - R11; Floor - R26


I just finished up a winter in eastern PA. We made out very well. Make sure you get the Double Pane windows. That is the only thing I did not get and now wish I did. Kountry Star is a discontinued model (05 the last year) and would place between the Cypress and Torrey Pine. Also go for the window awnings. They help a lot keeping the interior cooler in the summer.

[glennwest]

yeah, DW and I recently looked at a 06 Torrey Pine and liked it very much. Been researching them too. They were asking $55,000 for it a 35 footer. A lot of upper end rvs have higher insulation rating than Nu-Wa. I've been reading on their site(Nu-Wa) and no one says they're hard to heat or cool though. Confussing.

[Ray,IN]

I think the http://dynamaxcorp.com/ Dyna Aire 5er has the best insulation rating in the industry. Their add in Highways magazine states "sidewall insulation value of R 13", floor R 27, roof R 23.

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN I think the http://dynamaxcorp.com/ Dyna Aire 5er has the best insulation rating in the industry. Their add in Highways magazine states "sidewall insulation value of R 13", floor R 27, roof R 23.

Actually, I just went back and looked at the DRV Suites website. Their specifications for the Elite Suites show:

Roof - R25
Sidewall - R16
Floor - R29

The Mobile Suites specifications show:

Roof - R25
Sidewall - R15
Floor - R29

Rusty

[Ray,IN]

Well_shut my mouth_. At 87K base price, it should have the best.

[glennwest]

Well I bought a 07 Mobile Suite 32TK3. Very cozy, quiet, well insulated. Heavy too. We setting it up the next few days. Hope to be in it full time by end of week. Thanks and God bless.

[RustyJC]

Congratulations and enjoy!!

Rusty

[Forty4san]

Do those insulation ratings include the slide out?

[Dick D]

2 weeks ago I toured the DRV Factory and those units really do have that much insulation in them. I was impressed. The day before we had toured the Hartland factory, nice units but not near as much insulation as the Mobile Suites.

[glennwest]

In our Mobile Suite now. Cooling is not an issue. We are in Houston TX now and yesterday the temp went to 102 with index of 107. Actually got it down to 68. Wife had set thermostat low so it would not cycle. We've actually have to do this here in the apartments. It literally took our breath when we stepped in. MS has dual heat pumps/AC, dual pane windows. DW is very happy. Says like living in her doll house. Must be a girl thing.

[FiverBob]

Sad to say, all the manufacturers stretch the numbers to make their rig look better than the next guys. I have never seen tests done by a certified test facility to support their claims on any rig. They take the cumulative stated ratings of the materials they use and say that is their rating. That does not mean that is an accurate statement.

Each material obtains their R rating under certain optimal circumstances. When you combine these materials, this does not mean they will accumulate in the total rating. A good example is the use of a film insulator called Astro Foil. By itself it has a rather high rating. However, when you read how it achieves that rating, it has a large air space on both sides of the foil - - it must have that space to use radiation as its principle insulating factor. That is not how it is used in the sidewall or roof of the RV. They will state they are using a certain thickness of fibreglass insulation, then in the actual installation that thickness is compressed to fit in the smaller studs reducing the insulating factor. How does the aluminum stud, which has a poor insulating value, factor in over a wide surface area of a sidewall, not just testing the value between the studs?

I would love to see the true numbers by testing a typical wall section and roof section in the real world applications. We might see some major changes in the advertised R values.

Bob

[WldKargo]

Take a look at the -10 degree guarantee from Excel RVs: The Nations Top-Rated 5th Wheel - Excel RVs. We have not had any freezing issues with our TKE39 in 0 degree F weather and the unit stayed very comfortable. You can find more info on the Excels if you look at the Excel Owners Forum located elsewhere on this site.

Cheers,

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glennwest Wife had set thermostat low so it would not cycle.

I'd suggest setting the fans in both zones on HI (as opposed to automatic) and then set the temperature in each zone where you want it. This way, the fans will run continuously and the compressors will cycle as needed to hold the temperature setpoint.

We've run ours this way for 5 years - the fans cycling on and off bothered us, too. With them running continuously, it's like a constant background "white noise." A side benefit is that evaporator coil icing shouldn't be a problem.

Rusty