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Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

July 27, 2014, 02:22:10 pm

The generator itself is insulated nicely in its own enclosure.  But the cabinet bay door had a different type of insulation, foam covered by a rubberized layer.  The foam and rubber have been needing replacement since I bought the coach and were in bad shape. 

The rubber material just fell off easily.  And the old layer of foam insulation came off with with scrapers, De-Solv-It solution, and finally acetone.  This was all done with the door in place.  Not especially easy, but doable. 

I used the "Cool It" blanket fiber felt type material faced with aluminum, along with their heavy duty spray adhesive.

Once the insulation was trimmed to size, it was time to spray the adhesive and get it stuck in place.  I did some tests to see how long I would have, and it seemed like I would have a good two minutes to adjust the material in place before the adhesive took hold.  Well, by the time I got the bottom section of the cabinet and the material sprayed, and started slipping the material in place, it started sticking in the wrong place.  Luckily I was able to pull it apart enough to get it in place.  So be sure to work fast and have a helper, if possible.  It would have been terrible to have to start over, including cleaning adhesive off the cabinet again.

It looks much better now, and won't have deteriorating foam flying around anymore.

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #1 – July 27, 2014, 05:01:05 pm

I like it.  Does the adhesive alone seem like it will hold everything in place without a mechanical fastener?

How many hours do you have on your generator to have the door insulation deteriorate like that, mine looks in great shape at 1200?

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #2 – July 27, 2014, 05:25:38 pm

Thanks.  Yes, it seems like it will hold.  I can tell you it was almost impossible to remove the mat when the adhesive was drying before it was in place.  I almost destroyed it trying to move it. 

Not sure how it got so bad.  The generator had about 1300 hours when I bought it, and has 1340 now, so not much relative use in the last two years.  The first owners only used it for long distance spring and summer vacations, as well as Nascar races, so it may have been on for long periods at a time.  I've only had to use it for topping off the batteries, as well as a few days for AC at the sand dunes.

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #3 – July 31, 2014, 03:42:41 pm

Jennifer, nice looking job.  My coach's build number is a little after yours.  My outside bay door insulation is in very good shape - perhaps they started using something different.

However, my generator compartment insulation was crumbing so badly that I had to remove it.  That is, I removed it off the passenger side wall and the ceiling of the compartment, without removing the generator.  It's odd, but the insulation in the Kubota engine compartment is in much better shape, so I havn't done anything to it.

With the generator in place I don't think I can clean the surface enough to get a good bond for replacement material.  Anyone know of something that would adhere on top of the old glue residue?  It doesn't scrape off.  I assume this insulation is only there for sound, so I'm not planning to replace it.  It sure seems like a serious engineering mistake to have to remove the engine and generator to replace sound insulation.

Mike
2003 u295 #6063

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #4 – July 31, 2014, 04:30:49 pm

Thanks Mike.  Interesting.  I don't have any insulation on the outside of the generator housing, inside the compartment, except what was on the cabinet door. 

And same thing here, the thick foam inside the housing, that practically touches the generator motor, looks brand new. 

The only thing I found that would remove the old glue residue on the door was acetone. 

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #5 – July 31, 2014, 06:57:51 pm

Great idea insulating the back of the generator door.  Thanks for the idea and for the photos.

We use the same insulation, but like the type with reinforced foil on both sides.  After we cut the double foil sided insulation to size, we cover the cut edges with aluminum tape.  We feel that sealing the insulation will keep water from soaking in and extend the life of the insulation.  We also use spray adhesive to fasten the insulation.

We just covered our engine and generator compartment walls & ceiling with the same insulation, attaching with foil tape, spray adhesive, silicone sealant and a few screws under bed.

Our spray adhesive of choice is 3M High Strength 90, bought from Home Depot & Lowes.

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Re: Generator Cabinet Door Insulation

Reply #6 – August 01, 2014, 06:00:37 am

looks great, I just replaced all of mine in the generator compartment and the door with EZ Cool 2 sided aluminum insulation. Glued it in place with contact cement applied with a brush. Not as good a the stuff F/T uses but not nearly as expensive either.

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