Waiting for answer from Jayco (r-value insulation)

[Texascamper]

I have a 2012 white hawk 27dsrl. Was told the r values where r22 roof, r14 floor, r9 walls. Very important to me living in Texas. Main problem was jayco brochure displayed great insulation, but failed to put any r values so no reason not to believe MULTIPLE salesmen.. NO ONE knew the correct R values of the white hawk. Living in Texas, this whitehawk I bought does not even come close to keeping up with heat or cold. Always a 10-15 degree difference between bath, bedroom and living area. AC never shuts off. doesn't keep up. Found out after purchase actual r values where a pathetic r8 ceiling, r5 walls, r7 floor. That is basically no insulation at all after brochure promised great insulation. I have contacted Jayco after finding out this complete deception for an answer to bring the r values anywhere near promised. Still waiting for response. It sucks that for a measly 160 bucks I could have had an insulated trailer as I was told I was getting. Needless to say I am not a happy camper. Other than the fact it has no insulation it is a great trailer... to bad jayco didn't bother to consider this problem or to save a measly amount of money they ruined a great camper. I will update as to Jayco's response to this deception that has left me with a camper that is severely under insulated for my use.

[tlhdoc]

Sorry to hear that you are not happy with your trailer. Who told you the R -values? Is the $160 for the heavier insulation package? Was that an option on your trailer? FYI the AC unit will always run when turned on. The compressor cycles off and on, but the fan is always running.

[jdorant]

just curious, do you have the standard 13,500 btu AC or the 15K btu?

[thomasmnile]

A general observation of RV's and not an indictment of Jayco or any other manufacturer. I'm sure you would agree there's no way a recreation vehicle of any type will be as effectively insulated as a site built structure. Since an RV has to maintain a light weight, thick walls and dense insulation just aren't an option. Jayco, like many manufacturers building RV's with laminate wall and floor construction, uses a bead foam insulation board. It is a fair insulator at best. Our previous RV was a fifth wheel that was insulated with the Dow Blue Foam (way more dense than bead foam) and fiberglass in the attic. The insulation R value while better than bead foam, was still challenged to retain a comfortable inside temp. warm or cool. Were it not for 2 AC units, life would have been quite miserable in summer heat and even then and interior temp of 80 was not unusual when the outside temps were in the mid 90's.

We now own a WhiteHawk 27DSRL. It does not have the "arctic package" which is $179's worth of radiant barrier, not insulation material in the belly, nose, & attic. This radiant barrier itself, adds little to insulation R-value. It's contribution to insulating value depends on the existence of an adequate air space between the outer roof or belly and the barrier so heat or cold is either repelled or retained. I'm not sure any RV manufactured has sufficient air space in its roof or belly cavity for a radiant barrier to be effective.

The conditions you describe in your WhiteHawk are what we have noticed in ours, especially the bedroom. When we have been out in cooler weather, we have discovered we absolutely don't need heat in there; the two of us sleeping seem to keep it warm enough. We haven't been out in real warm conditions yet, but I suspect it will still be warm, because when we have operated the AC, the ducted air flow is weak there, even with the chill grille on the AC unit closed. I suspect if we find things too warm this summer, I would consider swapping out the 13.5K BTU AC for a 15K unit, though I'm not certain how much that would improve things. I know opting for shady campsites in summer will definitely be part of our plans.

Good luck.

[JAMMFAM]

texascamper, found this from an earlier thread, FWIW;

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...lacier-Package

[Grumpy]

I don't see how you can say JAYCO deceived you. The word "great" insulation is no where on the brochure. Your dealer could and should have made a phone call to verify what he was selling you. Another thing they should have done was look at the "r" values in the higher end trailers and fifth wheels for a comparison.

In my opinion that is where your problem is, not with JAYCO.

[TX_Arvee]

Living and RV'ing in Texas, I would say there probably are not too many single a/c unit RV's that can keep up with 110F days out on the road. Given an RV sees heat from all sides, unlike a home, it's a lot to ask of a RV company. I cant tell you what R value the dealer stated the unit had, or if they did. But the dealer whould have told me anything if he thought it would get me to sign. I compared the manufacturers and realized JAYCO was far better than like units by others.

This being said, the only real solution to Texas heat is more a/c. I envy those with 2 A/C units, as that would be awesome. Running at night helps, finding shade is the best at helping the A/C perform, blocking heat from windows, adding a fan to help circulate air inside the coach also helps.

It has been talked about on here a few places, that the A/C units are designed to run a lot. Unlike home units. I dont know the details on this, but I can tell you, mine has run a lot in the little time we have had it. When it breaks, I will buy the best upgrade I can get. I wish I could install two.

I would bet that even if the R values were what you thought they should have been, that you would stil have a problem overcoming Texas heat.

Secondary Solution: Ice Cold Beer

[mikmurphy]

Originally Posted by TX_Arvee

Living and RV'ing in Texas, I would say there probably are not too many single a/c unit RV's that can keep up with 110F days out on the road.

Agree on TX heat being hard to cool! Our first TT, an old Airstream, could NOT deal with summer days in TX very well. Second RV, a MH, had two ACs and it required both for the unit to begin to cool. All the other suggestions, ie, shade, location, etc., help lessen the load on the AC. Our goal with the new TT is to escape TX heat in the summer by heading north and west! Our first big trip this coming August (one week after DW retires) is to head to Montana. ...