Radiant heat on trailManor floor

[mmccauley]

We need to remodel and plan to start with our floors, and plan to put down a plank vinyl type floor. However, I got a great deal on radient heat floor underlayment and thought that would be great to help keep it warm in cold weather camping. Does anyone have any experience or advice before I start my floor project or remodel as a whole? We want to paint the cabinets and walls as well as several other things. So if you have any advise, words of wisdom, short cuts, or anything we should be aware of, I would greatly appreciate hearing about it.
Thank you in advance,
Mary

[HoMiPa]

Originally Posted by mmccauley

However, I got a great deal on radient heat floor underlayment and thought that would be great to help keep it warm in cold weather camping.
Mary

My experience with radiant heat underlayment is that it needs to be under something solid - ceramic tile, or some serious wood flooring or wood planking - not thin plank or vinyl flooring.

In my TM I laid down a thermoquiet underlayment, and used 3/8" thick wood planking. I can barely open the cabinets - they JUST clear the flooring, and although I have raised the fridge as much as I can on the little screw legs in the front, the door still scraps the flooring. I doubt you will be able to put a flooring thick enough to protect the radiant heat, and open cabinet doors - with the thickness of the radiant heat mat in addition to the flooring.

Also, there were multiple places in my floor where the aluminum had crumbled to dust, and required repair - I used JB Weld. Due to the possibility of sharp edges, and the fact that I doubt you want to lay an electric radiant mat on an aluminum floor.... you'll also need an underlayment of some type between the aluminum floor and the heating mat. I just don't think you have the clearance for that, unless you rip the bottom of the cabinet doors - maybe a 1/4" or so. The fridge you'll have to raise some other way.

Just my two cents. :-)

[mmccauley]

Thank you very much. I was concerned about those very issues. I really appropriate you replying so quickly and thoroughly. We bought an old TM and I'm having a lot of challenges with it. If I could get it to go up and down smoothly I think it be worth putting money into. I really Love what you have done with yours. It gives me hope.
Sincerely,
Mary

[HoMiPa]

Originally Posted by mmccauley

If I could get it to go up and down smoothly I think it be worth putting money into.

Do a search on "shell adjustment" or "torsion bar adjustment" - there are several factors that could be involved in your shells not going up and down smoothly - I would research them all and check each one to see if it is an adjustment you might need. I had some issues with my shells not being plumb - one side of the front shell was lower than the other, which caused all sorts of problems. It was the most noticeable thing that was 'out of whack', and was easy enough to fix (although it would have been easier had a 2nd person been involved).

This is the adjustment I did, and it helped a great deal with all sorts of issues I was having - from the bed not sitting properly, to the door halves not aligning, to the front being hard to lift and even harder to latch closed.

http://trailmanorowners.com/forum/sh...ght+adjustment


Oh, and thanks - I love my TM now - always have, but now I REALLY love it!