Questions about insulating

[Seraphim]

Yep. Have to have a frame. But this was all mentioned in the other thread. I thought I was continuing THAT conversation lol.

 

[Wild_E]

Durofoam is the thick, closed cell White foam with shiny one side and plastic the other side. comes in 1 inch and 3/4 inches as well. I would use this any day over regular white insulation.

 

[Seraphim]

<P>I hear the recommendations for styrofoam, and from experienced users. We manage to keep our camper sufficiently warm in below freezing weather, but we sleep with a nip in the interior air while under quilts and blankets etc. We don't attempt to keep the van 'warm'.&nbsp; We also have shore power or a propane furnace. I know the unit is lacking in insulation, but it's not an issue for us, even in the midwest winters.<BR><BR>Were I dependent on a small fuel-powered source, and on on a tight budget, I'd want the unit sealed up as efficiently as possible, though,&nbsp;and I guess I have little faith in styrofoam.</P><BR>I've yet to see an attic plied with styrofoam lol.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

 

[akrvbob]

I've used styrofoam in temps down to -35 below zero F in Alaska and up to 95 degrees in the desert. I'm a huge fan of styrofoam. The pink, extruded stuff is the best, but harder to find. In my cargo triler I have white styrofoam with aluminum foil on one side and plastic on the other. I have 1 inch on the walls and 2 1/2 inches on the roof. Where I am at now my dogs water dish freezes every night but it is in the 50s every morning inside the trailer when I wake up. So the trailer is holding it 30 degrees warmer inside than outside without any heat overnight. The styrofoam is doing its job really well!!<br><br>In the extreme cold of Alaska I used Olympian catalytic heaters. I turned it on in October, and it ran 24/7 until spring (April or May). I only turned it off to change propane bottles. In the lower 48 I almost always use my Coleman 2-burner propane stove for heat. Cooking a meal will usually keep it warm till bedtime. If its colder I will turn it on on the evening and before bed to keep it warm. If it gets down to the teens, I will use my Portable Mr. Buddy heater. The problem with it is it works too well and soon bakes me out. Next time I use it I will leave my roof vents slightly open and see if I can find a better balance.&nbsp; Bob<br><br>

 

[Seraphim]

I'll defer to your experience.

 

[Seraphim]

I'll defer to your experience.

 

[Wild_E]

blkjk,<div>Durofoam is very similar to the middle one there, shiny one side. Has decent thickness, and shiny's down the heat back to you. Very happy with it myself. Here in the Great White North we can not get any blue or pink now that is safe for use without covering. Make sure that the foam is safe without covering or it&nbsp;off-gasses, nasty stuff.</div>

 

[dofman]

Bubble wrap is a good insulator. get the one with small bubbles layer it 6 times and line the inner body with it, its cheap, very easy to cut to size, you can stick it with ducktape and its super light, i done this to an old caravan and the results were fantastic, i am defo going to do it in my van.<br>

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Quick related question-My van had a professional conversion done on it back in 94 when it was new, and the walls and floor are (supposedly) a little bit insulated.&nbsp; I don't want to rely on this.&nbsp; <br><br>Should I remove the existing carpet and upholstery in the walls, or can I just attach some insulation on top of it?&nbsp; The thing that concerns me is moisture, I'm afraid that if I put in insulation with a moisture barrier it would trap any moisture in the upholstery, which would likely mildew.&nbsp; <br><br>

 

[Simran]

Living in windy South Dakota all my life I agree that extruded poly insulation would be the best choice for insulation. My big question about using it on the interior of a van would be noise while under way. Does it make that screeching howling sound while the vehicle is moving?<br>Also my experience with ice fishing shack would tell me that blocking the wind is much more important than insulation. A small space is relatively easy to heat with a small heater as long as the wind is properly at bay.<br><br>

 

[maritimecamper]

This last motorhome I bought, the previous owner had a leak on the outer shell. The moiture became tapped between the outer metal and the vapour barrier. The insulation, wood frame all became moldy, around this wet area. In the spring when the sun shone on the Motorhome you could smell the mold. He freaked out, sold the motorhome for half its value. He thought the entire ceiling had to be ripped out. But no, just the area, 2'×2', had to be changed. I became a firm believer in letting the insulation breath abit, as long as it doesn't absorb moiture .I have never noticed any squeeking sounds...

 

[Simran]

I became a firm believer in letting the insulation breath abit, as long as it doesn't absorb moiture .I have never noticed any squeeking sounds...

<br><br>Is the insulation you speak of here the extruded poly variety?? I mean the pink poly board type?<br>This is something that would really concern me. I drive a lot because of my job.<br>

 

[Karin]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Not having a van yet, I'd have the same question about insulating cargo vans.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">That said, what about the insulation in a passenger van or small RV?&nbsp; How good is it?&nbsp; It's my understanding that, unless you're in a very mild climate, RV insulation isn't that great, except for certain RVs that are sure to be more expensive.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">So what happens if you buy a passenger van or small RV and it doesn't have enough insulation?&nbsp; I seem to remember seeing a post having to do with ripping out the existing insulation in order to properly insulate.</p>

 

[maritimecamper]

The motorhome has 3'' white styrofoam then the plywood, with a plastic, treatment on the visable side of the plywood. When I took the plywood off, everything was soaking wet inside, and stinky. The plastic laminate, on the wood...(made to keep out moisture), had trapped the moisture inside. I peeled off this laminate, and left bare wood. I went back the next weekend. And it was all dry. It seemed the wood had breathed enough to let the trapped moisture out. I hope I explained it ok. No squeeking sounds, but its all pretty solid.

 

[Simran]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Not having a van yet, I'd have the same question about insulating cargo vans.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">That said, what about the insulation in a passenger van or small RV?&nbsp; How good is it?&nbsp; It's my understanding that, unless you're in a very mild climate, RV insulation isn't that great, except for certain RVs that are sure to be more expensive.&nbsp; </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">So what happens if you buy a passenger van or small RV and it doesn't have enough insulation?&nbsp; I seem to remember seeing a post having to do with ripping out the existing insulation in order to properly insulate.</p>

<br><br>IMHO working forward with what is already there would be my priority. I mean to say; if a van already had insulation I would seek out the spots missing insulation and gang up on those.<br>Unless you live in your rig in a very harsh climate; I don't think it would be productive to rip everything out just to re-insulate. One of the reasons I want to start with a cargo van is having more control over design decisions like insulation and other amenities I may prefer over a factory build.<br>Lets face it. I doubt a factory has our best interests at heart; when it comes to the quality of building materials they use. They ARE doing it for profit. They won't all fit into this category but many do. <br>

 

[akrvbob]

Insulating is important to keep the heat out in summer and warmth in in winter, but there are other things that are more important in a van:<br><br><ol><li>Weatherstripping so there are no drafts </li><li>Covering all the windows with reflectix</li><li>Putting up a good barrier between the front driving area and back living area. The barrier should be both insulating and a vapour barrier.</li></ol>Once you have done these three things, then you can worry about insulating. In my opinion styrofaom is best for that. <br><br>I have a page of tips on dealing with the cold here:<br>http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/365_February.html<br>Bob<br><br>

 

[cargovanconversion]

<p>I just opened up <a href="http://cargovanconversion.com/?p=470" target="_blank">my conversion van walls</a> and the insulation was pretty good, where it was applied. But there were a lot of 'forgotten' areas. One advice I got recently, was to apply a moisture barrier on both sides of the insulation.</p><p>As akrvbob said, first start with weatherstripping and window insulation.</p><p>Van.</p>

 

[grandmawalker]

<p>vonu<br /><br />Sounds like you could have sealed your original van better.<br /><br />Some good thoughts here, and this is more of a summary:<br /><br />1.&nbsp; Use a spray can of expanding foam sealer to seal all the openings - from the inside of the van -&nbsp;that would permit moisture to come in from the outside. <br /><br />2.&nbsp; Personally, for the floor, I'd use a couple of layers of carpet padding, with a good tight weave carpet on top. We did so in our first van, and slept on the floor in a sleeping bag lol. Not shag, which accumulates junk, but something like a Berber. Laying down plywood sheeting first would add insulation value.<br /><br />3.&nbsp; Next depends on how professional you want the inside to look. You can use an industrial strength spray adhesive to glue insulation to the metal walls<br />- something like rolls of house insulation would be easiest, I think. If&nbsp;it has foil backing, put the foil to the INSIDE of the van. Then use a wide moisture-resistant&nbsp;tape to tape the foil sided&nbsp;seams together from the inside. If the insulation has no foil backing, &nbsp;cover it with a sheet of plastic after insulation.&nbsp; (The foil backed is much easier.)<br /><br />This doesn't cover building a framework to attach paneling to, for a finished look.<br /><br />Condensation in the insulation occurs when moist air moves through from the outside, and moisture is deposited from the air onto the insulation.&nbsp;The foil or plastic barrier (even when placed the inside)&nbsp;prevents that air movement, so the insulation stays dry. (House building theory 101 lol).</p>The above instructions were aimed at a bare interior van. To add insulation to a previously finsihed interior would be a major PIA (pain in the neck) in my opinion: you'd have to take the interior out then try to reinstall it over the added insulation.<br /><br />

<br />Hi Everyone, This is my first post.&nbsp; You mentioned above about the frame.&nbsp; I just purchased a 2006 Chevy Express XL Cargo van and will be converting it to a simple camper van.&nbsp; I am leaning toward using the reflective insulation.&nbsp; But my biggest concern is how do I fasten the boards to the frame on the sides and top.&nbsp;My plan is to attach&nbsp;1' x 4' boards on the sides and the top and staple carpeting to that.<br /><br />Please give me some ideas.&nbsp; Thanks.

 

[BigBlue]

Ive been to several stores and read tons of information on insulation.&nbsp; from all that i gathered <br /><br />1. Spray foam is toxic and off gasses regularly <br />2. anything with aluminum of any kind on steel with an electrical current induced will cause rust. (your battery is grounded through the chassis)<br />3. the pink stuff is no good for your health (lungs) in a small area and its icthy ! I played in a pile of it once as a kid.<br />4. have a vapor barrier.<br /><br />after reading all there was i was a confused with what to choose hahaha. I found this stuff ultra touch (recycled jean insulation). i didnt find it but i read about someone who used it.&nbsp; Its itch free and formaldehyde free. and does not off gas and releases moisture easily.&nbsp; i was going to wrap it with plastic painting tarps to provide a nice vapor barrier. <br /><br />i still have no idea what im going to use for the windows ... which i have a lot of haha.<br /><br />At Grandmawalker ... i used SPAX heavy duty construction screws to fasten 3 sheets of 1/2 inch plywood to the floors of my van and they seem to be holding nicely its also how i plan to attach my side panels&nbsp; they advertise they hold (wood to wood, wood to masonry, wood to sheet metal) good luck ! <br /><br />

 

[grandmawalker]

Bigblue,<br />your #2 item about aluminum causes an electrial current which can then cause rust was very interesting. &nbsp;Someone earilier talked about how they used several layers of bubble pack. &nbsp;What if l put one layer of bubble pack securely taped - then alayer of 3/4" reflective insulation. &nbsp;this would extend from the exterior wall to the inside edge of vans brace ribs. I will then attach 4 - 1x4" boards to attach my interior wall to. &nbsp;This should leave a small (&lt;1") air space between the 1x4's . &nbsp;Do think this is a working idea?<br /><br />I know you ststed that the spray fooam gives off toxic gasses - I was considering just filling those small areas inside the ribbed framind of the van. &nbsp;Do you think this small amount would be a problem?<br /><br />Thanks