Looking for information

[Steven M]

Hi, lots of questions and hopefully some answers from all of you helpful people. My wife and I looked at a local 21 and are hoping to order a 2017 when they become available. We are looking to get the thermal window package and extra insulation along with the heating pads and spray foam underbelly. Is it worth getting? We plan on pulling out the trailer in January and heading south with it. Anyone have problems with the extra insulation in terms of condensation? Also the outside shower, any problems there? I know that as I think about it I'll have plenty more follow up questions. I am grateful for any answers and thoughts that you might have. Steve M

 

[Karen H.]

Welcome to the forum, Steven!

Here's a good place to start with your insulation questions:

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/extra-insulation-and-spray-foam-insulation-3077.html

 

[Rossue2]

Hi Steven- there is a ton of info hidden in old threads/posts here. You can Google many items to read these. For example search extra insulation escape forum.

While lots of owners came from other trailers, many like us are first-timers and have found this site to not only helpful with the build sheet but in all things trailering. Best of luck!

 

[xyz]

I've been in temperatures that reach -5 F regularly overnight for about 3 months now, and this 19' with extra insulation, double-pane windows, and spray foam only gets condensation on the windows briefly if I'm cooking something very hot and don't have the Maxx Fan on high enough.

I keep the Maxx Fan on about the third setting with the kitchen window cracked overnight, using a combo of a DeLonghi Ceramic Heater (120V) and the propane furnace, and have no condensation issues. My wife also researched and purchased hypervent marine material for underneath the mattress and seating cushions, and we actually stopped in Marysville, WA on the way back from Canada to pick it up - to keep mold off of the wood.

We don't have the heating pads, but I would absolutely recommend the extra insulation and window package. The only issue is the gray valve freezing, but a couple minutes with a heat gun fixes that.

 

[NW Cat Owner]

(snip) My wife also researched and purchased hypervent marine material for underneath the mattress and seating cushions, and we actually stopped in Marysville, WA on the way back from Canada to pick it up - to keep mold off of the wood.

We don't have the heating pads, but I would absolutely recommend the extra insulation and window package. The only issue is the gray valve freezing, but a couple minutes with a heat gun fixes that.

I got mine from this company and it was a bit less than from the mfgr. I ordered enough that I got free (base) shipping, but there was an oversize charge of $15. Even though they're just north of me, I decided it was worth paying that over fighting traffic back and forth through Seattle.

HyperVent Mattress Pads - HyperVent | Fisheries Supply

You can also have ETI install heat tape around the pipes if you think you'll be camping in really cold weather. I might be with some shows I might vend at, so I had them add that to my build sheet. I was trying to anticipate future use of the trailer for my show needs, so I figured it was better to have it than not have it and really wish I had as I'm not crawling around in freezing ass weather to thaw those pipes!

 

[yardsale]

We got significant condensation on the metal window frames as they create an effecient thermal bridge to the outside. Solved it by covering the frames with pipe insulation. Don't bother with heated tanks unless you intend on plugging in all the time. Also, note that even with heated tanks, the exit pipe leading to the dump valve is insulated but not heated and will freeze to a thick slurry even with 100 percent pink stuff, and will not drain in temps below, say 20 degrees F.