Heat Loss Signature 260RD

[Grizz80]

Has anyone scanned 260RD with an infrared device noting where the most heat loss is occuring? We camped a few weeks ago with temps in the mid to high 50's, had our thermostat set to 65⁰ and noticed the unit did not retain heat very long thus kicking in the heater throughout the night every 30 mins or so... we supposedly have the Artcic Package, all ceiling vents and windows closed, just wondering why such poor heat retention...

[jkwilson]

Walls, windows, doors, ceiling, roof vents and the floor. No part of an RV is very well insulated or sealed. The windows and slides are particularly bad.

[Stealth13777]

Single pane windows, couple inch thick walls, underside that isn’t up against the ground or skirted to the ground. There just isn’t any mass to provide temperature regulation like in a house, and even what is there isn’t great. It’s the reality of an RV, in both hot and cold weather. What makes me happy with Grand Design is that I have yet to be in conditions that either of our trailers couldn’t keep up with, hot or cold.

In your RV, as an example, The R value at every structural aluminum member is next to nothing, as aluminum transmits heat very well. The ceiling vents are just a thin piece of plastic, the vent above the stove can transmit air, and if you start digging under drawers/cabinets, you’ll find openings into the belly that are supposed to be there, but they def don’t help. Plus there’s virtually guaranteed to be air leaks around the slide, and I’m not sure if they insulate the floor of the slide (maybe someone knows?). You can find and work on stuff if you have ‘cold spots’ in the trailer that bother you - I previously did some work in a pass through that was making the bed cold, but it won’t make the trailer hold temps like a house does. These things work much more similar to a car than a house as far as temp retention, although that’s a bit of an extreme comparison.

[FlyStar]

When we purchased our rig I thought the electric fireplace was kind of a gimmick. Experience is that it is very quiet and pretty much keeps the RV warm enough for sleeping when the outside temp is in the 50s. Colder than that, the furnace runs a bit but with the fireplace burning, not that much until outdoor temps drop into the 30s.

[Second Chance]

"Arctic Package" is a marketing gimmick. You can look at the Reflection 150 Series construction page here:

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showro...s/construction

They focus on insulation but don't say anything about single pane windows, gaps around slide seals, etc. In our previous Reflection, I replaced the "reflective foil" insulation on top of the Coroplast underbelly and put foam pipe insulation on the water lines to the kitchen so they wouldn't freeze. It also helped to make some snakes out of tube socks and cotton batting to stuff around the bottom corners of the slides (a place where it's hard to get a good seal and cold wind would blow in). You just have to figure out the little tricks that help with your particular rig.

Rob

[Redapple63]

What Rob said!

Bill

[Soundsailor]

Has anyone scanned 260RD with an infrared device noting where the most heat loss is occuring? We camped a few weeks ago with temps in the mid to high 50's, had our thermostat set to 65⁰ and noticed the unit did not retain heat very long thus kicking in the heater throughout the night every 30 mins or so... we supposedly have the Artcic Package, all ceiling vents and windows closed, just wondering why such poor heat retention...

Ok, I have not scanned my 260RD, but am finishing a trip where the evening temps were often in the 30s. We have the double pane windows which helps. We also sealed the roof vents. We have a single standing electric heater which is all we need on most nights. On the colder nights the furnace might come on a few times.

[Grizz80]

would you tell me what model of free standing electric heater you use??

[Soundsailor]

would you tell me what model of free standing electric heater you use??

AmazonBasics Portable Radiator... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGFB3FQ...p_mob_ap_share

[Riverbug]

would you tell me what model of free standing electric heater you use??

Be sure to keep an eye on temps in the belly if you rely much on the electric heater in freezing temps. When the furnace doesn't run, there's no heat going into the belly where the water lines are. Some will say it doesn't make a difference. But I can say from experience that if you have frozen pipes, you can run the furnace and wait a bit and you'll likely have flowing water again. That's for temps in the 20's anyway. Ours froze while in transit, then thawed once we parked and turned the furnace on.