Insulating water heater and back wall

[frydaddy]

I've tried searching but to no avail. Is there a problem with packing insulation around water heater. 24ft 4 wind with heater under the bench seat. I never use Gast just electric. I'm also going to put a 2 inch foil backed Styrofoam board on back wall of bed with foil toward back wall and covering Styrofoam side with material. Does anybody know if this will create a problem. FYI I keep moisture out containers in rv all the time.

[Lt Keefer]

I'll be watching this thread. My Hurricane 29M is 'warm' in the area under the kitchen sink. Water heater and outside shower are in this area. Would like to insulate the whole area.

[Long & Winding road]

I would NOT use styrofoam type insulation directly on or next to the heater or HW tank. I would use insulation that is designed to use around heaters. High temp with aluminum backing and fire resistant. Styrofoam will melt at a lower temp and could put off toxic gases in the process.

[Bob Denman]

I agree... use the proper product for the application.

[frydaddy]

Thanks for that info. Will wrap with some high temp and then stuff some regular insulation around it. You think the Styrofoam back wall is ok to do?

[Lt Keefer]

My water heater has what appears to be a styrofoam cover around the back side. I was thinking about using batts of fiberglass insulation. Thoughts.

[Long & Winding road]

Originally Posted by frydaddy

You think the Styrofoam back wall is ok to do?

I would think so. Are you going to cover it to make it look OEM?

[brucev]

I think I would call the manufacturer of the heater before stuffing insulation around it. They are probably design to have airflow. You could also use a product like Dynamat hoodliner that is designed for use on engine compartments. I think Fat Matt has a comparable product but less expensive.

[frydaddy]

I'm not going to use Styrofoam around water heater. Was putting some bat insulation around it and installing a piece of plywood to box it in then Styrofoam on the outer wall of the plywood as well as the outer wall under the bench seat.

Have started under the bed. Nothings square, found a big hole in the floor area that was never sealed as well. Also discovered a leak in the back wall when I removed a light fixture that has a lot of rust on it. The fresh water fill line and overflow line are full of mold where the lines drooped down. They should have strapped them up to keep them drained. Guess that would be expecting too much.

I've put down some Styrofoam and put hangers above the fresh water to hold Styrofoam pieces in place. Will use some spray foam in areas that it's not feasible to cut and glue Styrofoam pieces. Will put down heat and noise mat over entire area when Styrofoam installation and batting is completed.

In Pensacola so didn't accomplish as much as I wanted due to tropical storm Gordon. Gonna try to post a few pics starting after removal of plywood then progression of installing Styrofoam board.

[frydaddy]

This is what the top will look like after I install more below with the batting. Going to go on the outer wall where fresh water line comes in and along fresh water tank and compartment wall as well. Then stuff as much as I can between back of camper and the back compartment wall under bed. Probably going to throw some batting under shower while I'm at it. The heat and noise mat will be in this weekend or early next week to seal everything up. The Styrofoam on the back wall will be flipped around and covered in material before being glued in place. I decided to leave the wall lights off since we never use them. I'm also going to remove the heater thermostat since we don't use the Gass heater. Have 2 electrics we use when in cold weather. Cuts down on having to buy gas since electric is included in camp fee.will update as work progresses.

[Long & Winding road]

Looks good.

[Bob Denman]

I agree:
Let us know how well it works: good luck with it!