Find Cold Spots In Your RV
12-08-2017
Author: in Henley's Happy Trails
Let’s face it; the homes on wheels we drive around are not always insulated like an actual sticks and bricks house. The slides are not always airtight, and there are generally numerous ways cold air can find its way into your RV. For those of us who don’t always winter down south, these little cold spots and drafts cause energy loss which can cost a lot in either electric or gas energy. In an effort to save money, we have made it a mission to find and insulate these energy leaks. There are many ways to insulate spots in an RV, but the weak point must be found before it can be insulated.
Search for the coldest areas in your RV.
The first step to find where your rig is losing energy is to walk around the RV. Sometimes one area of your rig will be cooler than other areas. If you notice a particularly cool area, it may be because cold outside air is coming in from somewhere. Try to feel if there is a draft in this area of your rig. Make sure you don’t have any fans on in the rig when you do this. If you can feel the cold air moving in, you can sometimes follow it to the source of the airflow.
Use an infrared thermometer to narrow down the search area.
Infrared thermometers are great tools to fine tune the location of a cold spot. Cheap ones cost around $14 and work great. They are shaped like a Sci-Fi phaser gun and record the surface temperature wherever it is aimed. To narrow your search field, you simply pull the trigger and slowly make sweeping motions back and forth while reading the temperature. Hopefully you will notice some areas that are colder than others. Using the thermometer, follow the coldest areas until you can see the leak.
Use a flashlight.
Sometimes points of energy loss are hard to find simply because they are hard to see. Initially you may have narrowed a section of your rig down to a corner but are still unsure where exactly air is entering. In this instance, a flashlight can be of tremendous help. If you think you know the general area, have someone stay inside while you shine a bright flashlight on the spot from the outside. If the person on the inside can see the light through the hole, then you found your cold spot entry. For obvious reasons, it is best to do this project when it’s fairly dark outside. It may be a good idea to turn the lights off inside, as well.
What should you do once you find the trouble spot?
Once you have pinpointed the area that is causing your cold spot, determine the best method of insulation. What to use will depend heavily on the size of the area needing insulation. Sometimes a towel or blanket makes a good temporary fix. Expanding foams or silicone caulking work well, too. There is no hard rule on what must be used to stop cold air from coming in, but the more of these weak spots you find, the longer your propane will last and the more you’ll save on the next electric bill.
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Author: Levi and Natalie Henley
