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Old 08-17-2012, 02:42 PM   #1
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I'm not believing this !

I pulled the old TV out above the dash and removed the cabinet to have it cut down. What I found totally shocked me! There was only a small strip of 2" fiberglass insulation behind the cabinet below the roof! There is NO INSULATION between the roof and the ceiling above the cockpit area, at least as far back as I could reach! I would assume that if there is no insulation there, then there is no insulation between the roof and the ceiling throughout the entire MH! It's no wonder we can't cool the coach with both air conditioners running wide open when the temp is above 90 degrees outside! The sticker price of this coach was $243,000 when it was built in 2002 and Monaco couldn't spend another $25 or less to insulate the ceiling! AMAZING!
Now, my question is, are most coaches in this price range built like that, or was it just Monaco that was so cheap?
I am going to pull down the florescent lights in the middle of the ceiling and try to find someone who can blow insulation throughout the roof cavity. If this is not possible or too expensive I will attempt to push fiberglass insulation in every direction using a pole or piece of wood.

Have any of you run into this problem and if so what did you do about it? Your suggestions will be appreciated!
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Old 08-17-2012, 02:52 PM   #2
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Is the ceiling material considered insulation? I haven't looked in my ceiling yet but Newmar says it is R16 in the ceiling and R11in walls and floors. I have been very comfortable in the sun in 98F.
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Old 08-17-2012, 02:55 PM   #3
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When I had my Coachman I found the same problem I took the TV down and packed insulation behind the tv and in that whole section it made a lot of difference in the cooling that is one reason I was sold on Newmar because of the way they insulate their coaches
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Old 08-17-2012, 02:59 PM   #4
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We have owned two Winnebago MH and both had no insulation in the upper front cap area. In the roof there is a some type of foam. Also in the rear cap there is about a 10 to 12 inches of open area that could be filled with insulation. The back wall has the foam type in it.
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Old 08-17-2012, 03:02 PM   #5
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It probably won't make you feel any better, but the sticker on my Winnie was even a bit higher and I have the same situation so it's not just Monaco.

I do believe that Winnie considers the ceiling material insulation. It looks like Styrofoam sandwiched between two sheets of thin luan type material.

I've read a number of posts from folks who (like Rodney) have put insulation in the front cap with good results.

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Old 08-17-2012, 03:04 PM   #6
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MSHappyCampers......I have a similar coach. The structure of your roof IS your insulation. It has multiple layers of different materials. The area you accessed is the front cap and it doesn't have any insulation installed. If you were to put something like the pink stuff in your roof, you would need to add another 6" of height to the coach. The insulation in the roof starts where the caps meet the roof.

If you go to the Monaco archives, they show the multiple layers of insulation and wood. Both the front and rear cap have none. When I changed out my TV, I stuffed the front cap with the pink stuff. I don't know if it really helped because I couldn't get the air space needed when you use the pink stuff. A spray in foam would probably work the best.
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Old 08-17-2012, 05:07 PM   #7
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insulation

Ever watch the TV show "Homes on Homes"? Mike Homes is a strong advocate of foam insulation and I guess he prefers purple. Spraying foam in the front cap with the TV out might be easier but the clean up might take more time?

Our '04 CC Inspire doesn't appear to have anything and sitting in Goodyear AZ facing due West in 117 degree heat we need to do something other than covering the windshield.

Any thoughts on the spray foam idea?

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Old 08-17-2012, 05:24 PM   #8
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When I removed our front tv I found insulation in the front cap. As already mentioned on the Newmar's R16 in the ceiling and R11 in the walls. Ours is nice and comfy inside when temps are in the mid 90's outside. Are you sure your a/c units are fully charged?? They also may need the a/c evaporators cleaned. If there's a lot of dirt on them the air can't filter properly and thus that will effect the cooling process. You may want them checked out.
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Old 08-17-2012, 05:32 PM   #9
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Joe, afraid to tell you, but the styrofoam in your roof is the insulation. Think about how well an three dollar styrofoam ice chest keeps ice. Does a pretty good job. Same way with you roof, except there is duct work running through it and that can heat up the air the AC will push in the coach.

Our previous coach had very little fiberglass insulation in the cap top as well. I am sure the current one is the same way. I have discovered the huge glass windshield on our coach allows a lot of sunshine and heat inside. I am searching for a reflective screen to put on the outside of the windshield to reflect the sun and heat away before it gets inside. My major mistake was buying a black (mostly) coach. Looks great, but heats up like a hot potato.
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Old 08-17-2012, 05:45 PM   #10
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Joe, Look here-http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/quic...tml#post495944
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Old 08-17-2012, 07:29 PM   #11
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Pretty typical construction of most class A RVs...even a Monaco. You can easily add some batt insulation in there.

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Old 08-17-2012, 08:55 PM   #12
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Newmar and Entegra are the only two who heavily insulate.

Here is a Newmar right before the rear cap goes on.

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Old 08-17-2012, 09:06 PM   #13
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Some issues with insulation. The front cap typically has ducting (defroster in some coaches) and a lot of cabling for TV's and their equipment. So insulating that area could be tough without pinning the cabling down and never being able to move it.

I also thought about the blue insulation like Mike Holmes likes to use would be perfect, but I wonder what it would do to the fiberglass and full body paint if the insulation is attached to the back of the fiberglass and absorbs heat. I have a feeling it would cause the fiberglass to do some strange things.
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Old 08-17-2012, 09:26 PM   #14
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I wondered what would happen to the foam insulation over time with bumps,stresses etc. In a home the foam insultion doesn't move....in a rig its subjected to stress.
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