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vapor barior.... or not?


Sled Head

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I am building a 6'6" X 14' on wheels. I am not sure if I should put up a vapor barrier. If so, what kind? Should I put it inside behind the panneling or behind the alluminum siding? In the roof? I figured someone might know from experience. Thanks!

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If there is aluminum tubing or metal studs for wall framing or inside the wall cavity...spray it with a foam product called Comfort foam or Icynene and when dry cover with interior cladding/finish... new homes use this in walls, valted ceilings, and rim joist areas....Great products

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I would apply tyvac to the exterior.Tyvac will let moisture out but wont let it in.make sure to tape all seams and nail holes before siding.I would also put 4-6 mil poly on the interior before finishing too.

------------------
If people weren't supposed to eat animals.
Why are they made out of meat??
FM Stickersl

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My thoughts on the vapor barrier thing is don't do it.

Vapor barriers work effectively in our homes, etc. because we are running HVAC systems for the most part. Our homes also stay a constant 70+ degrees year round. Once you have the moisture IN your icehouse, there is absolutely no way for it to get OUT with a vapor barrier in place. No air exchange, no dehumidifier, the moisture will always be there.

Minneman has a good point on rigid insulation. Most building codes will allow a given thickness rigid insulation to act as a vapor barrier. There is a particular thickness and material composition for the insulation but it works to meet code.

I like to look at an icehouse as a nice piece of outerwear. Pick your favorite Gore-Tex garment and think about this for a second. You start out your walk to your fishing spot with cold body temperature. As you continue to walk, your body warms up and you start to sweat. If your outerwear doesn't 'breathe', it starts to absorb the moisture. The moisture builds up inside and as you come to your fishing hole and you cool off, you start to get cold again because now your clothes are wet.

I hope I'm not completely off base on this but I don't see what good it would do to put it in.

[This message has been edited by hanson (edited 08-23-2004).]

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Interesting topic. I've had my house on wheels for several seasons now and learned something about "insulation" at the end of last season. Coming back from the Eelpout Festival (it was -30 that morning) a piece of my siding came off and exposed the weakness of my house. What I thought to be insulation ended up being 2" of styrofoam between the interior paneling and the siding. I've had to keep the side of my house with the thermostat from the wind or my heater will run constantly.

So, my plan is to use a "heat wrap" to improve my heat retention. My question is then, is a heat wrap the same as a vapor barrier or are they two different animals? I don't want to spend some bucks on something that will only turn it into a sweatbox but at the same time want to increase my heat retention.

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Hey Squid,

Styrafoam is insullation. It won't carry quite as high a "R" factor on the insullation rating as the rigid insullation but it works quite well.

Not sure about your heat wrap question, but I'm guessing they're different. I thought heat wrap was some sort of foil backed product to deflect the heat back into the house, while the vapor barrier is just a plastic sheet.

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All I know is that some kind of insulating material should be between the metal studs or metal tubing and the interior finish; so the frost doesn't build up so much on the inside of the house.

Call some fish house builders and pick their brains for suggestions.

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