Quite some time ago I found that one of the screw heads that held on the door cover on the inside had popped off. I had to remove the interior door panel to remove what remained of the screw. Much to my surprise I found that the door cavity was complete devoid of any insulation or any other material what so ever. Much like a hollow core door. At the time I did not have any material to add so it was planned later. See the photo below of the finished project. I had a large amount of the foil faced bubble insulation that is commonly used behind car windshields as a sun reflector. Three layers fit the cavity sections perfectly. The bottom cavity was inaccessible so I filled it with foam insulation being careful not to over fill. The sound deadening affect is very noticeable when traveling and it has a more solid sound when closing. I'm sure the heating/cooling is better as well. An easy project that has much benefit.
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FWC n4hon & ACC n4gnn Fulltiming June 2015
Sadie The "Puggle"
2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40QSP
Wow! I like that! Can't wait to take my door apart and see if it's the same.
Are the black strips (looks like about 1"x2") something you added to prevent the inner panel from rattling or is that original?
The black strips are original. They are pads to keep the inside panel from hitting the steel door. If you will notice I added more foil backed insulation in those areas and taped them down with aluminum tape. It has a good glue and should last a long time.
__________________
FWC n4hon & ACC n4gnn Fulltiming June 2015
Sadie The "Puggle"
2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40QSP
Quite some time ago I found that one of the screw heads that held on the door cover on the inside had popped off. I had to remove the interior door panel to remove what remained of the screw. Much to my surprise I found that the door cavity was complete devoid of any insulation or any other material what so ever. Much like a hollow core door. At the time I did not have any material to add so it was planned later. See the photo below of the finished project. I had a large amount of the foil faced bubble insulation that is commonly used behind car windshields as a sun reflector. Three layers fit the cavity sections perfectly. The bottom cavity was inaccessible so I filled it with foam insulation being careful not to over fill. The sound deadening affect is very noticeable when traveling and it has a more solid sound when closing. I'm sure the heating/cooling is better as well. An easy project that has much benefit.
Great idea. I will be looking at ours, since we seem to have insufficent cooling anyway. Just popped into my mind, do you have any idea at what temp the foam might be combustible? Just the other day (not summer yet) we felt the outside of the door to be hot, so hit it with a temp gun and it said 124 degrees. I suppose it might get a lot hotter on summer day with the sun beating down on it.
The black strips are original. They are pads to keep the inside panel from hitting the steel door. If you will notice I added more foil backed insulation in those areas and taped them down with aluminum tape. It has a good glue and should last a long time.
What a good idea! I have to go into our door ('05 39 Journey) as I am trying to troubleshoot a problem with the electric door lock. Now I will get insulation before I even begin. Funny thing on the black stripe that you mentioned are pads? I saw them and immediately thought they were Velcro placed there to keep the inner skin from rattling. I wonder if it would make sense to place strips of Velcro on the pad or in place of the pad to further prevent squeaks resulting from movement of the inner door skin? It should be easy to see where the corresponding part would be placed behind the door skin as that pad must have left some mark after getting a few miles?
FWIW - I took the inner panel off my door this morning and surprise, surprise! My door is insulated. There are a few small voids, but not enough to worry about. Don't know when they made the change, but I would assume that '04 (possibly '03) and later are insulated.
I am new to taking apart my motorhome. I have a 98 Brave and the door has a leak. The bottom panel needs to be replaced. I am handy, but can not figure out how to get the inside panel off. Can anyone help?
The door has a split and looks like the bottom panel is separate from the top. Also any suggestions on what to replace the bottom panel with?
Thanks for the help