Since i live in Canada and it gets damn cold here, im putting together a plan to add some much needed insulation to my rig. Im planning on using styrofoam R-6 rigid foam boards of 1 1/2 inch thicknesss that will be glued right to the existing panels on the inside of the rig using appropriate construction adhesive. Inside the cuboards, on the side walls, ceiling (2'') and anywhere else im loosing heat. As the panels are generally unatractive anyway, i plan to cover the foam in the spring with something that looks better. Also on the underside of the rig i will use expanding foam to get some added holes/areas covered. My floor area is 160 square feet, so with the rigs furnace and my Mr buddy i think will be adequate for heating. Please chime in anyone who has some knowledge in this area as im always open to new ideas and ways of doing things.
Insulation
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Mortisha
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This is one of my biggest worries... heat! I really hate the cold weather and it even makes my body hurt! Whatever I do I will have to do a great job at insulation. I do not have a mr buddy heater yet and to be honest it kinda worries me. I was watching a video on youtube and this guy was using one but the thermometer said it was only 41 degrees in his van ... OMG I would die! Here is the vid... enjoy!<br /><br /><br />[video]<a href=""><br /></a>
karl
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The foil faced rigid insulation has an r value of 6.8 per inch and is more rigid, can be installed with regular construction adhesive or contact cement.<br />It comes in 4x8 sheets and you can glue cloth or paper to it with titebond water based glue. I have even wallpapered over it.<br /><br />A slick way to cut the stuff is with a straight edge and the back edge of a wide putty knife- just drag the PK like it was a regular kitchen knife, the thinner the blade the easier the cut, no sawdust, and nice clean cuts.<br /><br />My step van is insulated with 1" between the ribs, and 1 1/2" over that-I have no problem keeping warm in Northern Vermont with a small catalytic propane heater as long as I keep the curtain closed between the living space and driver compartment.
gypsydreamer
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<p>Insulation factors are set by capturing air so it dosnt move . Thats all insulation does , traps air so it dosn't move Rigid board will work Best if you stand it off your wall 1/4 inch and seal it so the air traped in this 1/4 inch space wont move. A good medium to use in this 1/4 inch space is double foil faced bubble wrap, next to the skin of your vehical , with A double foil faced foam insulation board to keep radiant energy from the sun out and your warm or cold air radiant energy in. Regular white foam board , the kind that makes little beads when you rub on it , is actually the best over the blue or pink rigid foam board . Why ? because it is made with, and traps more air . if you cant find a double foil faced in regular white , Make it your self by laminating kitchen foil to both sides using super 77 adheasive. <br /> In these small spaces with "thin" insulation, Radiant energy loss or gain is a much bigger problem than actual Air heating or cooling. Use, or make , the double foil insulation and use regular white foam cores . I have seen white foam with double foil backing, but it was 1/2 inch thick at lowes NO PROBLEM ! actually BETTER ! Double or triple it up. foil foam foil foam foil foam foil , for the best you can get at radiant energy gain or loss. If you can keep the radiant energy at bay, heating or cooling the air is easy and quick </p>
i like the idea of the bubble foil wrap against the wall before i lay down the foam. The foil wrap is cheap here about $1 buck per foot for a 54" wide piece. It gets to -35 here in the winter sometimes, so it has to be very well insulated. Im also thinking about wrapping my batteries (starting and deepcycle) in neoprene/bubble wrap to keep them warmer as well. Although in those temps, the rig will get started everyday and run up to operating temperature.I also plan on some insulated skirting all around when im in one place for a while. and an electric heater under my rig inside the skirting when its really cold.
Ok a little bit of an update here on this insulating job. I finished my first layer with double reflective bubble foil wrap glued to the walls and ceiling with acoustical sealant. Wow! what a difference that has made. I also made a cover that fits between the drivers cab and my living area. It was -1 a few nights ago and using only my 1500 watt heater the inside temp was 21.5 or around 74 for my American brethren. This is before i even put on the Styrofoam board. I also noticed it is much cooler on hot days inside the rig. I will keep you updated. I used regular duct tape to tape up all the seams.
I was at, I believe, Home Depot a few weeks ago and I saw 4×8' sheets of 3/4" white styrofoam insulation which had a reflective layer bonded to it. Wasn't any more expensive and would look to be the best of both worlds. I also checked out the manufacturer's website for reflectix insulation and.. it's not all that great. There are a number of caveats involved re. claimed R values. It requires something like a 5/8" airspace between the reflective layer(s) and any surface in order to achieve optimal R values, otherwise the insulation value is equivalent to straight bubble- wrap. Here's a quote from their website: The reflective insulation benefit is derived from the interaction of the highly reflective surface with the air space. If the reflective surface is in contact with another building material, it becomes a conductor (transmitting the energy by conduction). An air space may be specified on one or both sides of the product (always on a reflective side). Enclosed air spaces, when instructed, are required to provide the stated R-value. http://www.reflectixinc.com/basepage.asp?PageIndex=730 ... Willy.
Yeah i here ya about r values, but alls i can tell ya willy is that it made an unbelievable difference in my rig. Im gonna check out that white foam tho.... might be a cool idea. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
AFAIK, that reflectix is great stuff.. if used properly. I've also used it for years, though there's some other stuff that's basically identical, but considerably cheaper; forgot the name though. the styrofoam board with the reflective layer looks to be a better proposition though, with a higher intrinsic R value and a L0T cheaper. It also has that radiant barrier, like reflectix, which would make it a no-brainer and, when it comes to "no brains", Willy's your man! .. Willy.
<br /><br />Lol, thanks willy appreciate it <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> do you know exactly what this styrofoam is called? im gonna go to the H.D this weekend and pic some up. Im about $81 dollars into my efforts so far. I used acoustical sealant to glue it to the inside panels, works really well.Willy said:
peacetara
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I just thought I'd update this, I went to Home Depot to get more of the 3/4" 4' x 8' white styrofoam insulation ($7). They were OUT! So I went to lowe's and they had it in stock, but wanted $12 for it. I Asked about a price match, thinking maybe... they said sure, and gave it to me for $6 a piece! SCORE! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />Anyways, if you happen to have a lowe's around, and they happen to have it in stock, AND you need insulation, you might try the price match thing, and get it for $6 (a dollar cheaper than Home Depot). This is in Northern California area (Redding) for me, but maybe it works everywhere.<br /><br />I looked at the reflectix stuff, it's crazy expensive! seems like it's the same stuff as those front window shades you get super cheap at thrift stores, dollar stores and flea markets, so I'll just wait and buy a few of those and cut them up for the other windows if I don't have enough styrofoam left over to do the windows, but I think I will.<br /><br />Anyways, hopefully it works for all of you after the same sort of insulation, and you can save a few dollars!.
Shop around for that Reflex stuff too Tara. I found some for 1.65 per foot for 54"wide stuff. I got 45 feet of it, and had enough left over for a windshield cover. Its really excellent stuff and i noticed a huge difference with it on my walls and ceiling. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">
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If you have to make your own Reflex with Kitchen Aluminum foil and spray on adheasive.
peacetara
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Well, I have 3/4" thick styrofoam stuff across the 2 walls, the ceiling and the wall between the driving area and the living area. I also got 1/2 the back doors done, and have the side window covered in it.<br /><br />The back windows are only covered with a 'black out' curtain, that doesn't really black anything out. I'm quite toasty warm in this, all the way down to 45 or so outside. So far (in this insulation configuration) I haven't gotten any colder than that outside. but I'm still headed north, and then I'll head EAST into Montana, so I should see below freezing temps (hopefully not much below) in the next few weeks.<br /><br />I'm still thinking I'd rather just use the 3/4" styrofoam than Reflectix, it's WAY cheaper, and has a higher R rating.<br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara
