Inner "bumper" insulation.

Estancio · September 2016

This week I have been re-working the rear storage area behind the sofa back and inside the T@B grey plastic bumper (it holds the tail lights and license plate). I noticed there is no insulation inside this bumper as a gap of a couple of feet exists between the upper shell and where the floor starts. It is well over 10 square feet of space and I image the lack of insulation has considerable impact on heating and cooling systems. Has anyone insulated this area? Could it have been left open for some reason?

ChanW · September 2016

I had to seal up that area, as the factory styrofoam was kind of flopping around back there.
I used foam board of the same thickness (½" I I think) but sealed it in there with aluminum foil tape. It's held up pretty well for two-plus years now

Estancio · September 2016

ChanW, mine did not have styrofoam. No insulation at all. I was considering stuffing it with fiberglass insulation. Is that a bad idea?

Verna · September 2016

Reflectex can be used as a substitute. It is like bubble pack covered with aluminum material. One layer is around an R value of 6. You can find a small roll of Reflectex in the insulation department of Lowe's or Home Depot.

Since you have the Dutchman T@B (I think) manufactured before 2010, it's hard telling who took the insulation out of the area, or whether it was there originally.

ChanW · September 2016

It looks like it's a rectangular shaped space.
You could get a small chunk of ½" foil-backed poly-iso foam from home depot, cut it to size, and stick it in there with tape.
The foil tape I used is amazingly sticky, and lasts forever, where duct tape would fail after a time.

Photomom · September 2016

How do you access that area?

Verna · September 2016

Photomom, you probably can't access that area because of your storage area with the lid.

Michigan_Mike · September 2016

ChanW said:

It looks like it's a rectangular shaped space.
You could get a small chunk of ½" foil-backed poly-iso foam from home depot, cut it to size, and stick it in there with tape.
The foil tape I used is amazingly sticky, and lasts forever, where duct tape would fail after a time.

I agree, the aluminum foil tape "I thought was rather an expensive purchase" has proved to be amazingly versatile and useful in the other various applications I've used it for. I tucked some small wiring in along the bench area of my trailer and used this tape to keep the wiring concealed and out of harms way via use of the bench area. I also purchased a roll of the reflectex insulation from Home Depot and plan to beef up the insulation in the rear of my trailer too and the aluminum tape will be utilized there as well.

Estancio · September 2016

Mine was a first run Little Guy "Demo" T@B that I bought directly from the Ohio office during their first year of manufacturing. There was never insulation in that area. Accessed thru the hinged lid behind the sofa seat back.

Estancio · October 2016

For the past week I worked on improving the inner bumper area. Added foiled styrofoam insulation. Two laters of 1/2". Cut 25" x 70" and they slid right into the space. Should have an R value of about 5. Then I added some wood framing to accommodate a hinged shelf. 70" piano hinge is great. Storage compartment will be for pillows. Shelf serves as a level night stand. Total cost less that $100.