May buy a Chinook Concourse/Destiny type any where from 2000 on up and wondering if anyone has ever really seen behind the headliner material and other areas to see insulation. Or been to factory and seen the actual insulation process.
type?
thickness?
voids?
best model year for shell construction and insulation?
I live in Colorado and whichever unit we buy will see some freezing temps. So many mfgs talk up there insulation, but what really happens??? we spent a night recently in a 2004 Born Free down to 26 degrees and the furnace ran a lot. A lot more than our Bigfoot TC would have. But i will say Bigfoot says they are so insulated, yet mine, the 3000 series that is supposedly more insulated and has dual pane windows, has zero insulation in the wall behind at least some part of the cabinet over the sink where the 6 disc changer wiring comes through the wall. I do not know what Bigfoot used and know it could be fiberglass batting that settled. The Born Free we tested and slept in the cabover sleeping area had headliner material throughout and i do not think any part of the cabover had any insulation. Yet I see forum chat on how great the insulation is on a Bron Free. I could see under the headliner on the edges and there was zero insulation, just headliner material over the fiberglass cabover shell. It was loud sleeping in it, ice sliding off roof, cars, etc.
Whats a Chinook like?
I am impressed by Chinook one piece, the flooring used and more. Seems a quality unit.
Hello and welcome to the forum. You can delete your other post about cracks if you want and repost in the general area (easier for you to copy/paste then it is to move a whole thread).
As for insulation and cracks, I think you'll find neither are a known issue with chinooks. I had some spider cracking in the gelcoat, but nothing leaked. I suppose I could have drilled a small hole at the end to prevent further cracking (like old cessnas do), but I never saw the need.
As foe insulation, several owners use the chinooks for extended ski trips. I found the floor got a bit cold, but I was always comfy when sleeping. Hot water heater heats up quick.. making for a hot shower and feeling good.. plus hot food off the stove.. good times.
Overall, I agree wth Manitou that my 2000 Concourse with dual pane windows stays pretty warm in cold weather with the furnace, though it does run a fair bit. I also found I have to put something to angle the hot air coming out of the vent under the dinette towards the couch, otherwise it spends alot of its heat warming up the wood under the dinette seat across from the vent opening. The louvers of that vent do almost nothing to direct air flow.
The insulation, at least in mine, is kind of haphazard. The carpet all around the walls does help some.
There is spray-on foam maybe 1-1.5" thick on the inside fiberglass walls in some places, but not in all. For instance, there is none under the sink where the outside water lines come in, which seems silly. There is foam on the walls behind the shower stall. There is foam on the walls behind the carpeted plywood wall under the window behind the couch (there is a 2" gap or so between that plywood and the fiberglass, fitting a couple outside outlets and the curve of the fiberglass). There is no foam on the tall fiberglass curved panel where the cab meets the coach, where many electrical lines run up the wall. There is no foam around the area the furnace meets the outside wall. I can't see enough behind the wall where the dinette is, but could see that the hot air flattened pipe from the furnace that runs along that wall to the outlet under the closet in back is directly up against the fiberglass - I'm sure for space reasons, but that is why the little air that makes it out that vent is always luke warm at best.
Certainly I have found it best in real cold weather if I'm plugged in at a site with electric and can run a little space heater near the back door blowing forwards. That seems to do the best job of warming the entire coach. Better than the furnace being located under the dinette.
