vent hatch question November 21, 2007, 10:11:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86190Has anyone purchased (from the factory) the insulative vinyl cover for the escape hatch in the cab over? It appears that one would need something to keep the heat or cold out with such a large vent. I was just wondering if I ought to buy one while I am down there. Are there any pros or cons? I also hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And have a safe drive if you are out and about.Judy Wms.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: vent hatch question Reply #1 – November 21, 2007, 10:34:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86191Hi Judy We have one and it seems to work very well 'i keep it on all the time until we want to use the hatch hope that helps and Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone on this group Jody...Quote Has anyone purchased (from the factory) the insulative vinyl cover for the Quoteescape hatch in the cab over? It appears that one would need something to Quotekeep the heat or cold out with such a large vent. I was just wondering if I Quoteought to buy one while I am down there. Are there any pros or cons?Quote I also hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And have a safe drive if
Re: vent hatch question Reply #2 – November 21, 2007, 10:40:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86193Hey Judy, Unless you are gonna be in really cold weather I don't think you need a cover. I got tired of putting it on at night and taking it off in the day when it warmed up. But, that's just me. I'm lazy................
Re: vent hatch question Reply #3 – November 22, 2007, 12:29:16 am Yahoo Message Number: 86194Judy, I bough a piece of 1.5" foam at Home Depot and cut it about 1/4" shy of the vent size. Then glued on white fuzzy fabric. It simply pushed up into place and insulates the vent. Also installed a small rope loop handle to pull it out. Did the same for the shower skylight.bumper
Re: vent hatch question Reply #4 – November 22, 2007, 09:35:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 86196Judy: We had one from the factory on our 26.5 RB and thought that it worked fine. Insulated well and cut the light at night.Bob in Florida 30IBJudy Williams windermere@...> wrote: Has anyone purchased (from the factory) the insulative vinyl cover for the escape hatch in the cab over? It appears that one would need something to keep the heat or cold out with such a large vent. I was just wondering if I ought to buy one while I am down there. Are there any pros or cons? I also hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And have a safe drive if you are out and about.Judy Wms.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: vent hatch question Reply #5 – November 22, 2007, 12:47:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86200"Has anyone purchased (from the factory) the insulative vinyl cover for the escape hatch in the cab over?"If you travel in even moderately cold weather, you're going to find condensation forming on the metal frame of that hatch... and not just forming, but DRIPPING! The first time it happened to me, I thought I had a leak, because the bed had a small pool of water on it. Wrong! it turned out it was simply a cold day and I had made a pot of pasta, so the inside humidity was higher than usual, and it condensed like crazy on that hatch surround. Second time it happened, I woke up in a wet bed! Again I thought I had a leak, and again I was wrong. Turned out it was just the moisture of my breath condensing and dripping on me... but there sure was a lot of it! I strongly recommend getting the factory's cover. Bumper's foam plug solution, while cheap and easy, is not a complete fix, because the problem is not the hatch itself, but the metal of the surrounding frame. That aluminum frame conducts heat out of your rig quite efficiently, and that's where the condensation forms. (Your window frames behave the same way, as you can tell by touching them on a cold day.) What you need is something that *completely* covers the metal frame, including the part that overlaps onto the ceiling. The factory cover does the job.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: vent hatch question Reply #6 – November 22, 2007, 07:39:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86205Judy, I also have the vinyl cover from LD. But I also cut a 2" thick piece of foam insulation panel to just fit inside the frame. The vinyl cover snaps
Re: vent hatch question Reply #7 – November 26, 2007, 12:21:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 86317"Has anyone purchased (from the factory) the insulative vinyl cover for the escape hatch in the cab over? "JudyWe have one and use it in very cold weather when condensation is a problem. Here's an interesting thought; why have double pane windows and insulation in the walls and then add a large roof hatch that has absolutely NO insulation? This bothered me so much that I removed the hatch, from it's frame, and glued closed cell foam to the inside of the hatch. This provides insulation in both hot and cold weather and make the bunk area much more comfortable ALL of the time, not just when the vinyl cover is in place. This is something that should have been done by the hatch manufacturer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwade/sets/72157602104741565/>Larry
Re: vent hatch question Reply #8 – November 26, 2007, 11:11:22 am Yahoo Message Number: 86335I have also purchased and installed this vinyl cover. Unlike the other hatch covers which clip into the existing screw holes, you will have to drill holes in the frame around the front hatch. Before I started drilling, I called LD and they assured me that there was nothing in the frame of the hatch that could get harmed by drilling. Just measure carefully so you get the screws with the clip heads (I suspect there's a special name for these things) in the correct places to match up with the clips on the corners of the cover.The good news is that because you'll be installing the screws yourself, you can get the hatch cover to fit really tightly (i.e. stretched out when in place). The other hatch covers, which use existing screw holes tend to sag after a short time and you get gaps between the hatch frame and the cover. This probably reduces the effectiveness of those covers. Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/sports;_ylt=At9_qDKvtAbMuh1G1SQtBI7ntAcJ