Environmentally Friendly Insulation?

[Stardust]

Thank you...i bookmarked it.    Cork really is beautiful.  I just read it has fire retardant properties too....so probably safer than other woods used in van interior...funny that it is the bark of the Oak Cork Tree....but it isn't qualified as a wood ????   IDK

 

[Stardust]

I wrote a longer answer yesterday, but it didn't go through.  
Zoro is another company selling cork sheet insulation, but I don't know about its suitability for van walls and ceiling.  
For my van's temporary insulation, I used what I had on hand--wool blankets and mystery fiber moving blankets clipped /magnetted or bungee-corded to walls and ceiling.   Better than nothing and surprisingly better than expected, but the coldest it got outside while I was sleeping in my van was around freezing, so not that impressive. A quick-and-dirty solution for the cold factory-installed wood floor was those rubber flooring mats, 4 per package for around 20 bucks at Home Depot. They are 18 or so inch squares of foam with edges like jigsaw pieces that fit together. I just laid these out over the wooden floor and later added a cargo van liner sandwiched between the two.
For more permanent insulation for walls and ceiling, I plan  to use wool (from sheep) fleece which seems to me to be superior to other insulation mentioned, albeit pricey. See Havelock Wool web site which has a link to their use of it in a van.

 

[4lejandr0]

cellulose insulation

What is this. Can you share pictures?

 

[KarlH]

Balsa is pretty close to cork, and both are not too far from glass wool insulation:

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

I'm no expert, but have read that polyiso loses insulating performance at low temperatures. (Perhaps not too much of an issue in Oregon.)

Expanded polystyrene seems to have the highest R-value per dollar except for some types of batt and roll insulation. It's easy to recycle, and supposedly you can buy used/salvaged panels.

Maybe someone else has experience with glass wool or loose fill in a van.  It should be as ecological as a solar cell, since it's made from the same raw materials.

 

[Jimmyflorida]

I have watched a few video on YouTube of WOOL there a company that makes just for Van's etc I believe there Nevada do a search you should find it

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I'm a big fan of rock wool, though I haven't used it myself. The primary benefit is that it is hydrophobic. It is so hydrophobic that you can hold it under water and it will bounce to the top, completely dry. Yet it breathes, to let water vapor escape rather than trap water behind it, like some other insulations. Many loose insulations will hold, and even attract water, which will rot or rust your build from the inside. Rock wool can be cut into specific shapes with a bread knife, like a piece of soft foam. It is flexible, so you can get it into odd spaces, but will hold it's shape as you bounce around on rough roads, rather than compact down into a worthless heap at the bottom of your wall. Finally, it doesn't squeak like expanded polyurethane or polyiso does when it eventually comes lose and rubs against the inside of your walls.

 

[GoingMobile]

I've been thinking about using HEMP or CORK for insulation....is anyone using these materials ?

I hear hemp has its benefits.

 

[crofter]

According to this site, rock wool is not a safe material to work with and live with.
Link to article
https://www.epicgardening.com/rockwool-harmful/

I used polyiso XPS on the van interior. I have used it in outside projects in the past and found it to be durable, effective, and easy & safe to work with.
-crofter

 

[treesprite]

I've heard that sheep's wool is moisture and mold resistant, and helps to purify the air. Sounds great until consideration is given to factory farming and the animals that will have to suffer for one hand to be comfortable.

Don't forget that the thermal bridges also have to be covered - I don't think it can be done with bottle corks.

 

[Uncle Todo]

I'm just going to end up going with this stuff called EcoRoll, it's some kind of coated fiberglass but w/o the itchiness.
The name gives it an eco friendly sound so...
Probably isn't really but in my Astro van with conversion windows I don't have a lot of area to insulate, it's more jamming it into spots. Wool is pricey and not in stock anywhere. And by anywhere I mean havaloc and some other company, black sheep or something.

 

[desert_sailing]

lol..I got a chuckle from the addition of the ECO prefix and how words are used. my mind didn't jump to ecology... it went straight to economy... like the ginormous rolls of TP... an ecoroll.. economy roll..

 

[Uncle Todo]

Ha, yes, I was just about to edit my post, it's also the most eco'nomic solution w/o having to buy more square footage than I need!