Time to insulate.. WINDOWS!! Willy's handy dandy solution.

[Willy]

Well, it's that time of the year when things start to get a bit nippy 'round here. Doin' my windows and, having talked about it before, figured that I'd show ya all my tried 'n true method of not only insulating, but gaining a bit of privacy. 2 sided (glue both sides) 1/8" foam tape and translucent Coroplast make for a toasty warm camper and basically gets rid of 'sweating' from the aluminum window frame. This is a quick 'n easy solution and can be taken off to reuse next winter. Check out the exciting pics (in sequential order)!! ..Willy.

 

[ttpadilla]

Nice, clean job!  Looks great.  How much difference in natural lighting (during the day) is there, once this is installed?  I know you said it's translucent but I can't tell if you can see through it.  What about attaching with Velcro for easier on & off for those times you want to let more sunlight in?  Would that also work, or would it reduce the insulating efficiency?

 

[SirJoey]

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Great post, &amp; nice work, Willy! Thanx for sharing!</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I too am preparing to start insulating (or ATTEMPTING) some windows.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>It's been 8 years since I spent a winter in a camper, &amp; back then, I didn't insulate the windows, but I DID do the roof vents. This time around, I plan on covering at least SOME of the windows, as well as 2 of the 3 roof vents, but I'll leave the one in the bathroom uncovered for evacuation of bathroom moisture.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Just the other day I picked up one of those "kits" which is just thin plastic, supposedly clear, which U put up with double-stick tape, &amp; then hit it with a blow-dryer to take out the wrinkles. I've never used this stuff before, so I don't know how well it's gonna work, which is also why I only bought enough to do one window. If it works well, I'll buy more.&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I see I'm not the only one here who's into metal-detecting! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;<br />I have a White's. Wotchoo got?&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><br /><br />

 

[Vern M]

Look into day/night shades as a neat and effective insulation option. Works for me.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I use the double sided tape in order to keep the window 'sealed'; velcro lets air through. The translucent coroplast lets a lot of light through, can aaaaalmost see through it, and gives that extra bit of privacy.. something like bathroom windows. I prefer this over the clear heat 'n shrink film for 3 reasons, re-usability, toughness (I have a dog and it also makes it harder to break in through the windows), and (this is the big one) insulation value. There's, IMO, a significantly greater R-value than plastic film or glass due to the 2 layers of plastic AND the restricted air space between them. It's like reflectix insulation without the aluminum layer (or if it's touching something).<br />&nbsp;Regarding my metal detectors, the one you see in the pic is my White's MXT Pro, and I have a White's TDI for when I want to pull out the 'big gun'.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;

 

[ttpadilla]

If it still lets light in and you can almost see through it, that might be perfect for me.&nbsp; I really like the way it looks.

 

[SirJoey]

&nbsp;Regarding my metal detectors, the one you see in the pic is my White's MXT Pro, and I have a White's TDI for when I want to pull out the 'big gun'.&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Wow. Serious equipment. Both blow away my humble little Classic 5, but for me, on my <br />extremely limited income, the 4 Bens I dropped on this thing was a MAJOR investment!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /></strong></span>

 

[peacetara]

I really like this idea.. What's 'coroplast' and where would I find some.&nbsp; Is it expensive?&nbsp; I think I've seen something like that stuff you have before, but I've never heard of it.

 

[Willy]

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Wow. Serious equipment. Both blow away my humble little Classic 5, but for me, on my <br />extremely limited income, the 4 Bens I dropped on this thing was a MAJOR investment!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /></strong></span>

<br /><br />&nbsp;Unfortunately, the ground up here (in B.C.) is sooooo tough that, while I'd love to be able to use a cheaper detector, I have to use the more expensive units (with VERY aggressive ground tracking or a PI) in order to get any kind of depth and to prevent overloading. Strangely enough, I've found that the highest end units (V3i, GTI 2500 'n such) don't do as well as the MXT. It has the best ground tracking I've ever seen and will run smoothly over ground that shuts other VLF detectors down. There's lotsa basalt here and TONS of black sand/magnetite/maghemite. It's also a big bonus that it's a full-on prospecting machine and super sensitive to small gold. All my detectors have been 'paid for' years ago (metal detecting for gold in Alaska) and I've upgraded to the new ones by selling the old and jumping on awesome deals when I've seen them. These days, I couldn't afford to buy a new unit. <br />&nbsp;One thing that I always say to anyone who wants to start (seriously) metal detecting is to get an MXT. Not much in the bells 'n whistles department, but what it does do it does EXTREMELY well. I also like the quick 'n easy to adjust analog controls, as well as the fine tuning they offer a person. I want to spend my time detecting and not playing around with menus and pushing a bunch of buttons.

 

[SirJoey]

&nbsp;I want to spend my time detecting and not playing around with menus and pushing a bunch of buttons.

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Now THAT pretty much sums up the way I feel about it, too!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />Oh, I put up the piece of plastic today with the double-stick tape. It worked out fairly well, except for the fact that the high setting on my blow dryer is burnt out, so it wouldn't get hot enough to tighten the plastic. The only reason I even OWN a blow dryer is for drying the dog during winter.<br /><br />I do like the fact that this stuff really is nice &amp; clear, though. A big plus for a claustrophobic like me, who absolutely MUST be able to see out!&nbsp;<br /><br />Next time I'm in town, I think I'll pick up a couple more of those "kits", &amp; do a couple more windows, but I'm not gonna cover 'em all. Prolly gonna leave the 2 smallest ones uncovered for the occasional warm day, or for any time I might need the ventilation.&nbsp;<br /><br />Now I just wonder how hard it's gonna be to remove that sticky tape, come spring....&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br /></strong></span>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;If ya had a local politician handy, you could stand the SOB in front of that plastic and get him to spew out some pre-election rhetoric.. that outta tighten 'er up like a drum.<br />&nbsp;Re. Coroplast:&nbsp; http://www.coroplast.com/&nbsp;

 

[ttpadilla]

Glad I'm not the only Claustrophobic in the group!

 

[Seraphim]

peacetara


Coroplast is like a plastic cardboard: often used for signage. It's not expensive. Recumbent bike riders use it to make aerodynamic shells, or velomobiles..

Can be easily found locally.

All the dated political signs being tossed: light steel wool will remove the printing, I hear..

http://www.industrycortex.com/files/1/43478/255128378.jpg

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I was at Home Depot the other day, looking to buy some white Coroplast for my ceiling and I saw some clear, as in see-through, corrugated Lexan. Bit pricey, but not translucent so maybe less claustrophobic for some.&nbsp; &nbsp;

 

[highdesertranger]

willy nice beepers i am also a whites fan.&nbsp; i have a gmt.&nbsp; how do you like the tdi.&nbsp; is it preforming to your expectations.&nbsp; everyone seems to be into the minelabs but that price, ouch.&nbsp;&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Tony parker]

Very nice idea i really like this. It is a water and stain resistant material and versatile material that can be used in a both indoors and outdoors. And it was great idea for insulate the windows. coroplast is very easy and Quick solution.

 

[CrossCountryGal]

That really looks good!<br><br>I wonder if a couple of spots of silicone caulk would hold it in place? &nbsp;I don't want to fool with removing and reinstalling trim.

 

[Varmint]

CrossCountryGal, if you have a sewing machine you might consider stitching the velcro to your coroplast. I don't know what thread you'd use for this in a machine, but my preference for my own sewing is 10-30lb braided nylon baitcasting line. This is the same stuff I use for leatherwork, and it'll be my choice for my own saddle bags/panniers. I don't see why it wouldn't work for sticky-backed velcro. And no, I DON'T like things coming apart.

Also, if one were to surround the window with a "Z"-shaped bracket, you could simply slide the coroplast into place from the side, eliminating the possibility of it falling down. It could be slid in from the bottom, but that would require a "catch" or other fastener of some kind to hold it in place.

Just thought I'd share some of my own thoughts on this. Nice thread, gang!

 

[ccbreder]

silicone would be too permanent. but it would work.

 

[Seraphim]

We had no problem with velcro, but then we used white plastic which did not absorb heat, and velcro with the heavy duty adhesive. After two years we occasionally had to replace a small square of velcro.&nbsp;