Cardboard for insulation....Low budget fix.

[NWShortyFord]

In an emergency I have found that cardboard, you know, big ones that are thick/corrigated(sp?), yeah cardboard works great in a pinch. If you are still freezing this winter, line your rig with cardboard boxes from wherever you can. I've done it and it has saved me a few times. Just thought someone might benefit...anyone else with low-budget ideas should post their own.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

That may be OK as a TEMPORARY measure, but DON'T try it as a permanent or semi-permanent thing.

Cardboard is flammable, it has no insulation value if it gets wet, and it can support the growth of mold if damp.

Regards
John

 

[SoulRaven]

I'm a pretty firm believer that having proper heating equipment is essential.

Emergencies are one thing, but living in your van you should not subject yourself to such emergencies. A heater would be a wise investment.

 

[NWShortyFord]

Well you can't run a heater safely all night long IMO. Also with a stripped out cargo van in sub freezing temps, the whole thing turns into a freezer within 5 minutes of turning off the heater. Sure it is temporary, but also free. One winter I has no headliner in my van an it created an artic blast from the roof to my face...paneled the roof with three layers of cardboard and I spent the rest of the winter 10 degrees warmer...sure kept the heat form my heat inside while I slept.

Never cought on fire(btw, you ever see RV furniture burn?), never turned into a mold-world(even in Seattle) and it never got wet becasue it was inside. Also kept the roof dry in this NW winter weather by eliminating condensation, no more ice.

 

[highdesertranger]

I would take the cardboard to a recycler take the money you get for it and buy some real insulation. cardboard holds moisture, it is manufactured with toxic chemicals, it off gases. btw it didn't eliminate the condensation, it absorbed it. I would only use cardboard in an emergency situation. then I would be asking myself how I got into this emergency and the fastest way out. sorry for being negative, but it is not wise to use insulation that absorbs moisture. highdesertranger

 

[minimotos95]

Cardboard I hadn't even thought of using it's good to hear it works just in case.
corrugated plastic(I call it "evil arm cutting plastic cardboard" is used by some food companies who toss it once it's damaged) has a lower R value but wouldn't absorb moisture and won't burn as well.

Not to thread jack but what about polyfill? commonly found in pillows but also used as insulation in jackets, sleeping bags and even some vehicles.

 

[NWShortyFord]

Sorry highDESERTranger...but this was in Seattle during one of the wettest Decembers in recorded history...for it to have absorbed the moisture it would have weighed 100 lbs every 2 weeks. I was getting gallons each week off the inside of the roof. I lived in the DESERT before and I know about moisture now. Wanna talk about condensation, wetness and mold then I am your guy. I have been in Seattle for years and I know wet. You obviously heven't experienced the same things I have.

I am speaking from EXPERIENCE not opinion. Period.

Works great in a pinch for car windows too if once again stuck somewhere very cold for a bit.

A obviously this isn't a perfect permanant solution but I garuntee that if you find yourself suffering as I was, you will remember this.

 

[gypsychic]

Personally I like the idea of a thread filled with emergency fixes & helpful saves 2 get through until next check, enough money saved, etc because life is messy & not everything happens on our best schedule. Sometimes we don't have it to do the best job or even the better job, but just need something as a stopgap. Thanks NW Shorty Ford.

In his post OP asked for other ideas. With the caveat that cardboard isn't a great thing for permanent insulating, can we move past the should or shouldn't use cardboard & onto other ideas for making it through for those of us that don't have a large emergency fund built up yet.

 

[NWShortyFord]

Thanks gypsychic, I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[compassrose]

One sheet at a time... (yes we did)

R-Tech 1 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. R-3.85 Insulating Sheathing $11.48
Owens Corning FOAMULAR 150 1 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. R-5 Tongue and Groove Insulation Sheathing $19.37

We moved into the bus with no insulation other than the 1" stock fiberglass insulation in it during the NM winter. We slowly added what was available in our area (R-Tech with a radient barrier) Usually it was bought one or two sheets at a time. If you commit to buying either one thing per paycheck or spending $X per paycheck or even every other paycheck, you will make pretty good progress. For larger purchases, you simply save the $$ from one paycheck and add it to the next one (or two) paychecks.

 

[NWShortyFord]

Im planning a full redo of the interior this spring and I have been told about a ton of different products...one claims an R-12 rating but it's very pricey. I have wood panels in the van now with no insulation and it is time to really make it new again.

I want to make sure whatever I use leaves no room between itself and the body of the van, something that I can maybe adhere to teh sides to avoid any condensation.

 

[highdesertranger]

watch out where you get that cardboard, http://news.yahoo.com/authorities-crack-down-cardboard-theft-california-064100932--finance.html . but what I was alluding to is that it's worth about 100 bucks a ton. a couple of truck loads and you could buy all the real insulation you need. highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

when someone tells me that what I have is worth nothing but they will take it off my hands(because they are such a nice person) I get suspicious. highdesertranger

 

[compassrose]

Way back when we had a cabinet shop and also were installing factory semi-custom cabinets, we saved all the cardboard for a local charity. We broke all the cardboard down anyway and it saved us from hauling it to the dump. We were told that we shortened their time frame considerably. The charity was organized to buy a bit of land next to a local river for a park and help keep the river cleaned up.

I know that Home Depot recycles all the cardboard/paper they generate. They do get paid for it too. So there is some money in it.

 

[NWShortyFord]

Nah, make sure you know what you're doing. Ask the managers, don't be foolish...Where I am they have to pay a lot of money to have the recycling truck come 3 times a week and love it when someone comes along to lighten the load, the more you use the less they spend to get rid of it. Here in Seattle we send our trash out of state...expensive. Drug users(no offense but come on...) in big trucks come and take flatbeds full to sell, I see it every day, asking for the cardboard means less spending by the business that threw it out. Some businesses here in the city rely on these people to cut the bottom line and save money.

In a perfect storm of stupidity you could get in trouble, but you wont if you aren't stealing and you aren't stealing if you know what you're doing and ask around to make sure. Simple.

p.s. I do not live in a cardboard house, it was merely an emergency measure that DID save my butt when I came from SoCal to Seattle in December. I had never known moisture and cold together in the same way. Not many people do since there aren't many places it is that cold and wet, ice and now are way better than 33 degree rain for 20 days in a row. When I lived in the mountains and drove Jeep I did not learn how to keep a Van warm and dry. I did it for free the first year I was here and I am darn proud to say it worked. Period.

 

[brightbluejim]

p.s.  I do not live in a cardboard house, it was merely an emergency measure that DID save my butt when I came from SoCal to Seattle in December.

I think I see the benefits of this, and clearly the naysayers are not speaking from experience. But I have to ask: why do you consider this only a temporary solution? What about it did not work for the long-term?

 

[ccbreder]

I have heard of people being arrested for taking cardboard from the recycling stream. Card board is one of the recyclables with value for the governments.
Many years ago there was a earthquake in Mexico approaching winter. Bucky designed a waxed cardboard "box" that folded from a flat to a geodesic igloo type shelter. It was able to be made by existing box factory machinery and many units could be shipped by truck and quickly set in place.

 

[cdiggy]

I think I see the benefits of this, and clearly the naysayers are not speaking from experience. But I have to ask: why do you consider this only a temporary solution? What about it did not work for the long-term?

I would not want any insulation in my truck that could absorb moisture. Not good for the metal of the truck/van or your health when it starts to fester.

 

[Canine]

Cardboard can be great.10 million homeless highly recommend it over newspaper.

 

[DannyB1954]

Mark Twain, (Samuel Clements), was quoted as saying the coldest winter he ever had was a summer in San Francisco. I used to work the night shift outside on the San Francisco waterfront. I had a portable work shed that I insulated with cardboard. It worked well. I layered it with common white glue, then painted it with several layers of latex paint, (especially the edges). The paint probably helped keep it dry and fairly flame resistant, ( I often used a torch in there to repair the machinery).
Another insulation that I seen used is made from old ground up bluejeans. It is coated with reflective material and has more sound proofing and R value than the coated bubble wrap.
is a good video that illustrates it. go to the 1:30 time space if you are in a hurry.