insulating a van with comforters?

[jonyjoe303]

1/2 inch foam rtech is easy to work on, easy to cut and install, and it bends easily to the contour of your van. First I added 2 layers, then over the years added more layers when I was still feeling heat or cold, after 6 layers I don't feel any more heat coming from the roof. The roof was my main concern but then also covered all my rear windows with 1 inch foam, then added more foam over that. Every inch in the back of my van is covered in foam, even my rear door and sliding side door was covered over with foam. Its quick work installing, no need to use a ruler, just cut your foam as straight as you can and apply, cut another section and apply next to it, like a jigsaw puzzle. Later you can decorate it better. I also added some foam to the floor, no hotglue needed, it stays in play. The more insulation you use the better your results, it takes up space but improves your comfort level.

On the doors the foam is removable in case I want to use them. The foam make the van airtight, no outside air gets in during the winter, I have a sliding door that divides the front of driving area of van from the back. That is very important, lot of heat/cold come from the large windshield.

rtech foam I use 4x8 foot


these are some of the temps I recorded in the morning, it shows inside/outside temp no heater in use


Foam also works in the summer but keeps the heat in the van late into the evening. I have to run a swamp cooler at night especially when the humidity is high. These are the temperatures I got in the summer between the front uninsulated and back insulated, all windows/doors closed. I had a swampcooler running providing ventilation. Without insulation the front and back would be about the same.

 

[crofter]

Thanks for posting your temperature readings jonyjoe. Before I insulated the walls I got frosty toes one night, and that helped me decide to insulate. I insulated the ceiling later, and it is much more comfortable with the ceiling done.   -crofter

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah look at those numbers, 94° and 89% relative humidity no thanks that's a sauna. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

yeah look at those numbers,  94° and 89% relative humidity no thanks that's a sauna. 

HHHHHHEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!

IIIIMMMMMM  MMEEEELLLLLTTTTTTIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!

 

[B and C]

If you want a sauna, come to SE Texas during the summer. Nineties to 100+ with 90% humidity. You will definitely sweat it out. There was a time when Houston was the most air conditioned city in the world.

Moving to stay in temps you like is the way to go. North and up in the summer and south and down during the winter for me. Oh, and out west where it isn't so humid!

 

[Stardust]

Doublegregg: scroll down the forum page to "Life on the Road"and check out the 2 subcategories "Heating and Air conditioning" and "insulation". Many threads and ideas that will help you decide how to proceed.
I would agree with other members who advise that using down comforters for van insulation is not what you want to do. For my van's temporary and cheap insulation, I used cardboard (from boxes) under the ceiling held in place by tarps secured with bungee cords and rope. I used magnets and clips to hold blankets and comforters to the walls. The comforters were filled with resined polyester batting, picked up cheap at a thrift store, not the down comforters that are on my bed.
Probably the reason why this makeshift insulation did make a difference is because of the airgaps between it and the van itself. But outside of a narrow temperature range (like coastal Bay area), can't recommend it.

 

[doublegregg]

ty.........i looked at heating forum... i hadn't noticed insulation...but i'm reviewing them, esp insulation.  watched all bob's videos on insulating.... all that, plus this thread have helped a lot. i feel that me asking directly helps... i no, for instance, that i want something really quick and simple - am still wondering about no insulation at all, which someone mentioned earlier in the thread... at the other extreme, is jonyjoe, whose van seems impervious to outside temperature............. thinking closely about his method

 

[doublegregg]

these are some of the temps I recorded in the morning, it shows inside/outside temp no heater in use


Foam also works in the summer but keeps the heat in the van late into the evening. I have to run a swamp cooler at night especially when the humidity is high. These are the temperatures I got in the summer between the front uninsulated and back insulated, all windows/doors closed. I had a swampcooler running providing ventilation. Without insulation the front and back would be about the same.

ty, jonyjoe... i haven't noticed what you've done quite anywhere else.  it's interesting.. can i ask --- where do you go where you need so much insulation? the cold temperatures you show were only about 40F --- bay area weather! the hot - was 148F, which i assume was in the sun or something, but do you have all that insulation and air tightness to combat cold, or heat???  i had thought heat was inescapable, except for AC... not sure how effective a swamp cooler is...  i guess i'm thinking my temperature range will be 20F at the coldest, to 90, at the highest... maybe wishful thinking? i'm planning on moving as the temperature and weather dictates... others have suggested that.

 

[drysailor]

i'm tempted to say i can do this......... bob recommended xps (extruded polystyrene) because it bends..... 1/2" thick... does polyiso bend also? we have a stay in place order here... not sure i can run to home depot .... altho it is open, i assume.  between xps and polyiso -- neither of which i'm familiar with --- which is better in terms of noxious fumes and workability?  doing it in an afternoon sounds wonderful.... um., but there might be mold behind the poly or xps? between it and the cargo van metal.........? and you'd never see it.

Isn't polystyrene kind of a nasty carcinogenic?

 

[doublegregg]

Isn't polystyrene kind of a nasty carcinogenic?

idk...........i'm looking into it..........currently found this, which i just began reading......it's about 'green' but hoping it discusses carcinogens...nope........ nothing. most of the green alternatives do not sound v realistic. and i haven't done van life before to have experience all the condensation problems people write about. i've only experienced it in a car while i'm driving. a/c fixes that...

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=12359

there's this..... idk exactly how the carcinogen in styrofoam, styrene, gets into the body. the green qualities of it are awful.

https://uspirg.org/news/usp/world-h...increased-cancer-risk-chemical-found-plastics

 

[doublegregg]

and this more in depth, scarey article, condeming styrofoams

https://foursevenfive.com/blog/why-foam-fails-reason-1-dangerous-toxic-ingredients/

i figure most people seem to live with and accept its evils.... well, one advantage of being older is -- i've always wondered if seniors can take up literally any negative-health habit they want: smoking, pot, carcinogens, etc, since it will not have time to accumulate over the shorter time we have left on this earth. a senior perk!

 

[Stardust]

Here is a link to Havelock Wool (insulation for buildings and vans) in Reno, NV.
https://Havelock wool.com/van-insulation-products/. The web page compares various types of van insulation on the market, has links to installation videos, FAQs, etc.
Before the covid-19 shelter-in-place orders, you could save yourself the shipping cost by going to them and picking it up, but idk the current situation.

 

[highdesertranger]

here's a clickable link to Havelock wool,

https://havelockwool.com/van-insulation-products/

highdesertranger

 

[doublegregg]

thank you for the wool links ! ---------- i really was not considering wool, and will review the material... i'm not totally against the various styrofoams, and am definitely including them in my thinking. concerns would be carcinogens and maybe even more, fire in a vehicle with few windows.

i'm watching this video, which someone posted in the insulation forum. it explains how heat gain and loss works - so far is really informative to me.