The Hidden Profit in RV Draft Repairs
Why Underbody Air Sealing Is One of the Most Overlooked Opportunities in RV Manufacturing & MRO
Walk into any RV service bay during the height of the winter or summer months and you’ll hear a familar complaint:
- “The floors are freezing.”
- “There’s a draft I can’t find.”
- “It just doesn’t feel sealed.”
For many RV manufacturers and MRO shops, these issues are often dismissed or treated as unavoidable. But in reality, the root cause is something far more fixable:
Uncontrolled air leakage.
This article is intended for shops that want to turn this challenge into a profitable service opportunity.
The Real Problem is Air Leakage
Building science consistently shows that air movement is a dominant factor in comfort and energy loss. Research shows that 25-40% of heating and cooling energy can be lost due to air leakage in typical structures. “Air leakage” (as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy), occurs when outside air enters and conditioned air escapes through gaps and openings.
Air leakage has been shown to account for up to one-third, or even more, of total energy loss.
While most building envelope research pertains to residential structures, the physics applies to RVs and is arguable even more impactful.
Consider that RVs experience:
- Constant Vibration
- Extreme temperature swings
- Multiple material transitions
- Numerous penetrations for plumbing, wiring, and mechanical systems.
Each of these create ideal conditions for uncontrolled air pathways.
Where RVs Actually Leak Air
Air leakage (also called infiltration) occurs when pressure differences (caused by wind, temperature, or mechanical systems) push air through gaps and openings.
In RVs, the most common leakage points include:
- Plumbing and electrical penetrations through the floor
- Gaps in underbelly coverings
- Frame to floor transititions
- Storage compartments and slide outs
- Factory cutouts that were never fully sealed
These are system realities of RV construction and repair. These are not necessarily defects.
Why Draft Complaints Are a Business Opportunity
Every draft complaint represents a problem for the customer. For your shop it represents:
A clear, solvable, high-margin service.
Air sealing stands out because:
- Material cost is low
- Labor time is short
- Results are immediate and noticable
- It reduces repeat service visits
From a business perspective:
- High perceived value (their comfort is improved!)
- Low cost to deliver
- Easy to standardize across technicians
Ultimately customers already understand the problem. They feel it every time they step inside their RV.
The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Air Leaks
Some RV shops still struggle to consistently resolve draft issues.
- They Treat It Like an “Insulation” Problem: adding insulation panels does not solve the problem (airflow).
- They Use Materials That Don’t Last: using sealants that will fail under vibration and thermal cycling will not resolve the owner’s issue.
- They Don’t Standardize the Process: without a repeatable system, results can vary. Ideally, your service to your customers is as consistent as possible.
The Shift: Treat Air Sealing Like a System
The most effective shops treat air sealing as a process. This is commonplace for the insulation contractors around the country that use our Tytan Professional foam products daily, but for RV shops, this simple framework can help:
- Inspect: focus on underbody penetrations, seams, and transitions.
- Seal: use a material like our RV & Automotive black foam sealant that expands to fill irregular gaps.
- Verify: check airflow reduction through feel, visual indicators, or even going so far as utilizing mechanical test methods.
- Standardize: train technicians to build it into service workflows.
Why Foam Sealants Are the Preferred Solution
Traditional sealants often require perfect application conditions and struggle with irregular gaps.
Foam sealants, on the other hand:
- Expand to fill voids of varying shapes and sizes
- Create an air barrier, which is critical for performance
- Provide both sealing and insulating benefits
The Department of Energy actually recommends low-expansion spray foam for sealing gaps around penetrations and joints.
For RV applications, where gaps are inconsistent and access is limited, foam becomes one of the most effective solutions available.
Built for the Job: Tytan Professional RV & Automotive (it just fits)
RVs and the materials they are built with experience some tough conditions:
- Movement and vibration
- Temperature fluctuations
Tytan Professional RV & Automotive Black Insulating Foam Sealant is designed specifically for these conditions. It has strong adhesion across building materials. This ensures long term sealing performance. It withstands vibrations and maintains integrity even as the RV flexes and shifts during travel. It has controlled expansion. This helps prevent overfilling and protects sensitive components which are important for the RV’s functionality. Using a Tytan Professional gun applicator, it has precision. This improves consistency, reduces waste, and increases technician efficiency.
Conclusion: Seal the Gaps and Capture the Opportunity
Draft complaints are not going away. If anything, customer expectations around comfort and performance are increasing. The question is whether those complains will remain an issue, or be transformed into a profitable service.
You can take advantage of this opportunity by:
- Add Air Sealing to Every Inspection: identify opportunities in minutes.
- Package the Service: “Draft Reduction” or “Comfort Sealing” are terms that successful shops are using daily.
- Train for Consistency: standard your process to improve the efficiency and confidence of your technicians.
- Demonstrate the Value: consider airflow demonstrations that are available on the market today.
Sources
The Department of Energy: Air Sealing Your Home
Energy Star: New Air Sealing Fact Sheet
Building Science “Air Leaks – How They Waste Energy and Rot Houses”
ASHRAE – Fundamentals, ch. 27, 2005.
The Sealtech Leak Testing Method
