Spray Foam or No spray Foam

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Dcboyd

I also have the high lift, and it is still tight crawling around under the undercarriage. Of course axles are the same height as no lift. I can’t imagine not having it. Of course probably 90% of owners are content with whatever they receive, as they have no intension or desire to be bottomside.

I have been under my trailer many times without the lift. Lots of room to work actually.

[DC Boyd]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I have been under my trailer many times without the lift. Lots of room to work actually.

In my case without the lift kit I drag the rear frame going in and out of my driveway.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by DC Boyd

In my case without the lift kit I drag the rear frame going in and out of my driveway.

So you added the lift later? I am curious as to how steep your drive is, as my driveway was very steep, and with the raised rear frame on an Escape wasn't close to hitting.

In my reno, I did drop the drive down 2' which made it less steep, just one 2x piece of lumber under the front wheels to get both axles close to level. [emoji4]

[Dcboyd]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

So you added the lift later? I am curious as to how steep your drive is, as my driveway was very steep, and with the raised rear frame on an Escape wasn't close to hitting.

In my reno, I did drop the drive down 2' which made it less steep, just one 2x piece of lumber under the front wheels to get both axles close to level. [emoji4]

No I did not add it later. Had thee trailer delivered less than 3 weeks ago. As I drove it into the driveway the wife following me yelled “it did not drag”. I always had to enter and exit at a sharp angle. It now has 4 road miles. The lift on standard frame was close to the lift on my Airstream and it would leave frame marks on the asphalt. I decided to not take the chance of dragging again. I might have been ok, but for the small cost decided to not chance it. Now that I have it in my back yard on a concrete driveway under cover, and have spent many hours underneath I am glad I made the choice. 300.00 over long term, was a no brained for me. For you and other maybe not.

I love to work on things being a retired contractor. I have a full woodworking shop, i'am a fair plumber, electrician and love tinkering. Being into boating, sailing vessels (wood and glass), and trailering for the last 4 decades give me a perspective of circumventing problems before they happen. Trust me, I have learned a lot the hard way.

This forum which is filled with engineers, scientists and school of hard knocks people has been a blessing for me. It has allowed me to look at things and say, it could be be improved upon. Hindsight is 20/20.
There are too many here to thank, but hope to meet some of you on the road, to thank personally.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Dcboyd

hope to meet some of you on the road.

If you're in Houston sometime, you're welcome to come by and chat. I get the feeling we are not that much different from one another. Personal info sent by PM

[Dcboyd]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

If you're in Houston sometime, you're welcome to come by and chat. I get the feeling we are not that much different from one another. Personal info sent by PM

Will be at the Keels and Wheels Boat Show In Seabrook May 1-2, exhibiting my classic YellowJacket boat. Like boats?
I do have a sister/brother-in law that lives in League City. I do find my way there sometimes..
Sounds like a good offer.

[Perry Butler]

We have a thermometer that keeps track of the highs and lows for the day and find it's pretty darn accurate. A couple of nights ago it got down to 22 F. I was up at 2 am for a little relief and the toilet wouldn't flush using the water from the campground site provided spigot. I switched to our tank/pump and it flushed just fine, and again the onboard water system flushed when the sun came up at 7:30 am. We rarely have full hookups and much prefer no hookup sites.

When I realized our spigot water line was frozen I checked the inlet next to the hot water tank and verified the hot water tank keeps that area quite warm. (We keep our hot water tank heating on cold nights) So the only thing frozen was our water line and filter. Neither split, but consider that lucky.

We've camped a number of times where the temps got down to 10 F and below. What do you think would happen to the exposed water line underneath the trailer if we didn't have the underbelly spray foam insulation?

Yes, for our style of camping we absolutely want the underbelly spray foam.

Food for thought!

Perry

[Dcboyd]

If I lived up North and camped during the winter in a trailer with below freezing temps, it would be a 4 season trailer, not a 3 season +..
but that’s just me. I believe everything has a use and purpose.
Each to their own.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Dcboyd

If I lived up North and camped during the winter in a trailer with below freezing temps, it would be a 4 season trailer, not a 3 season +..
but that’s just me. I believe everything has a use and purpose.
Each to their own.

In my previous post, it was 22 F in Davis Mountains State Park in Texas, not "up North" in Minnesota.

If Bigfoot made a 5th wheel again we'd consider it, but since we can't afford a recent model Bigfoot, or Oliver, we'll just have to settle for our 5.0, that so far, after numerous nights below 25 F, has not let us down in cold weather.

But like you said, "Each to their own."

Enjoy,

Perry

[Dcboyd]

We will be in Davis mountains , and Guadalupe mountains in mid April. Our first major outing in the new 21. We just sold a 31’ older Airstream, and one year we had it in Breckenridge Colorado in Januaryfor a couple of weeks skiing. It was into single digits but trailer did well. Lol twin 40# propane bottles were filled every 4-5 days.
Of course it is a 4 seasons trailer, but now that it’s just two of us and kids are grown,we don’t need that large a trailer. Plus I don’t plan to stay where it’s a constant cold like that area, unless it’s in a house. Hitting 70 has changed my perspective

I did insulate all the exterior exposed lines with pipe insulation and some canned foam in the tight areas. Hopefully that will help for cold nights warm day situation.

[dlakeman]

I thoroughly inspected my 21C. The results reinforced why I'm glad I didn't get spray foam insulation. I have a 23 page PowerPoint presentation with pictures of the issues (IMO) I found. If anyone would like a copy please PM me. The "main" issues I found were unprotected propane lines, propane lines going through bottom of trailer through ragged edge holes with no caulking thus potentially allowing chaffing and varmint infestation, water tank sensor wires secured with masking tape, solar panel wires on top of trailer not secured thus chaffing top of trailer, unprotected water lines on bottom of trailer, wires to trailer brakes not secure, raw/untreated wood on underside of trailer adjacent to/on top of grey water tank, and other issues. I have corrected all the issues I found.

[Small but Sweet]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Leo, one this to take into account is that many members do additional options due to their own specific scenario, many do it just because others feel it is necessary, and others do it 'just in case'.

It is good to get the input from others, but do realize that many are justifying some of their own choices. I have heard of many touting the need for some options I don't have, using certain uses as the criteria, whereas I have exceeded their listed criteria and without the options have never had an issue like they are weary of.

This said, there is lots of great advise from members of this forum, many with a history in some areas in question. Do listen to what they have to say, but with a bit of time, even being a rookie, you will get a grip on what you need.

Remember too that even without a single option you can take your trailer and go make some wonderful memories, there are just a few comforts and conveniences that make the stay in the trailer better suit your needs. These needs differ a lot in different owners. Heck, I did a lot of modifications in a brand new trailer to get what we wanted, much of it done because I could. Also, to have options you may not really need is not likely to cause any troubles either.

As discussed many times, in both my Escapes I never opted for a lift axle, and really doubt I ever would if buying another Escape. I do boondock a lot and never had an issue.

Do enjoy the selection of options part of your purchase, it is a fun phase as you wait to get the trailer. There is no doubt you will be enjoying the ownership, as it is just a great amount of fun to travel to unique places and have some fun.

That’s some great advice and kind words to the original poster.

As indecisive as I am, I’m so happy we picked out an inventory model and all we had to think about was where to put captain’s reading lights, and on the foam question we were on Team “Yes” ever since hearing that it helps quiet some noise. The process of picking everything would not have been enjoyable to me. I especially love the color combinations that the pro designer put in our Escape.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

I thoroughly inspected my 21C. The results reinforced why I'm glad I didn't get spray foam insulation. I have a 23 page PowerPoint presentation with pictures of the issues (IMO) I found. If anyone would like a copy please PM me. The "main" issues I found were unprotected propane lines, propane lines going through bottom of trailer through ragged edge holes with no caulking thus potentially allowing chaffing and varmint infestation, water tank sensor wires secured with masking tape, solar panel wires on top of trailer not secured thus chaffing top of trailer, unprotected water lines on bottom of trailer, wires to trailer brakes not secure, raw/untreated wood on underside of trailer adjacent to/on top of grey water tank, and other issues. I have corrected all the issues I found.

Another under trailer issue - your PEX water lines under trailer need to be protected from UV exposure. Covering them with split foam insultation works.

https://plasticpipe.org/pdf/pex-uv-resistance.pdf

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Another under trailer issue - your PEX water lines under trailer need to be protected from UV exposure. Covering them with split foam insultation works.

https://plasticpipe.org/pdf/pex-uv-resistance.pdf

Thanks. I had covered the pipes as part of my corrective actions for all the issues I found, however I was more worried about road debris damage than UV exposure (which I didn't think of).

[bozbie]

Sorry to jump in on this winter forum,
but does anyone out there know what "white insulation" refers to
on a build sheet for an E 19?
I dont think it is anything around a water heater or underneath...

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by bozbie

Sorry to jump in on this winter forum,
but does anyone out there know what "white insulation" refers to
on a build sheet for an E 19?
I dont think it is anything around a water heater or underneath...

That is likely referring to the white closed cell foam insulation that Escape now uses under the vinyl headliner instead of the original Reflectix foil bubble insulation. Reflectix may still be found behind the bath and refrigerator cavity based on build pics I have seen.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by bozbie

Sorry to jump in on this winter forum,
but does anyone out there know what "white insulation" refers to
on a build sheet for an E 19?
I dont think it is anything around a water heater or underneath...

You must be looking at that build sheet of the 19 for sale on EFT website. I believe Dave it correct and there referring to the closed cell foam. I also noticed that build sheet has white windows and so does the trailer.This is the first escape i seen with them . I guess it was a option . Must have only be offered for a short time.

[bozbie]

That’s my understanding too. White lost out to black and frameless...that E19 is in my town. What’s the chance of that....still , being sold at new price that’s hard to take. Is that normal? I’m new to this.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by bozbie

...being sold at new price that’s hard to take. Is that normal? I’m new to this.

Molded fiberglass trailers hold their value and its a really new trailer being a 2019. Plus with the factory wait times right now to get a new trailer there is a value to being able to get one today. Also supply/demand with COVID is driving things crazy. You should see the prices people are getting for old Scamps and Casitas over on fiberglass-rv-4sale.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by bozbie

That’s my understanding too. White lost out to black and frameless...that E19 is in my town. What’s the chance of that....still , being sold at new price that’s hard to take. Is that normal? I’m new to this.

You can always make a offer. I seen several sell for more than they cost new. I guess its just supply and demand. To me its not worth taking used unless you save some money. After looking for a few years I just ended up ordering new.