Temperature differential in the winter

[Indyflies]

I'm wondering what kinds of temp differential you all get between inside and outside if you DON'T have a heater of any kind. Bonus points if you have a former passenger van (i.e. windows until Sunday).

I'll start - Chevy Express 15 seater passenger van w/ fiberglass 'dinghy' on top. Insulation everywhere I can, plus EZCool window coverings on all windows, plus layered solid core insulation floating 'wall' that serves as my headboard in one 5' window. ~10 degrees difference between inside and out overnight (so far down to 23 degrees). Hubby is worth an extra 3 degrees

 

[CosmickGold]

Mine is also a Chevy Express passenger van (with windows until Sunday). Mine is the 1998 model 3500 with a dinghy on top that looks just like your dinghy. (Is your dinghy reinforced with inch-wide steel bars like mine? I have hung 60 "S" hooks from those bars to dry all my clothes after washing them in my portable electric clothes washer, which uses 100W less power than the other similar models.) I love those dark tinted windows so I can see who's out there without anyone seeing me inside. And because the windows are so dark, I made everything inside white so the reduced sunlight still makes it bright and cheery inside.

I slept there this weekend when it was 19F outside, and the inside temperature stayed about 41F. But that's not just from my body heat; I also have this mini 12-volt electric blanket I wrapped around my chest, keeping me toasty warm all night. It only draws 1.3A so no problem for the house battery. I have put an insulated wall behind the front seats and the back to keep the rear side warm in cold weather, because it would be too hard to insulate the front of the van. The back where I stay is well insulated with Havelock sheep's wool stuffed everywhere, making my home a truly cozy place!

I almost forgot to mention that of course I have foam insulation over all those "windows" when It's cold.

My van is old, but the motor and transmission were rebuilt only 45,000 miles ago, so I'm in great shape. I love my home!

 

[StacyK]

I have a Ford Transit high roof with windows until Friday. (I had windows added on both sides, and the back doors came with windows.) It has denim insulation (yes, I know the problems with denim), and I made heavy window coverings for each window. As long as there’s a warm body inside, it stays about 10 degrees warmer inside than out.

 

[Indyflies]

Mine is also a Chevy Express passenger van (with windows until Sunday). Mine is the 1998 model 3500 with a dinghy on top that looks just like your dinghy. (Is your dinghy reinforced with inch-wide steel bars like mine? I have hung 60 "S" hooks from those bars to dry all my clothes after washing them in my portable electric clothes washer, which uses 100W less power than the other similar models.) I love those dark tinted windows so I can see who's out there without anyone seeing me inside. And because the windows are so dark, I made everything inside white so the reduced sunlight still makes it bright and cheery inside.

I slept there this weekend when it was 19F outside, and the inside temperature stayed about 41F. But that's not just from my body heat; I also have this mini 12-volt electric blanket I wrapped around my chest, keeping me toasty warm all night. It only draws 1.3A so no problem for the house battery. I have put an insulated wall behind the front seats and the back to keep the rear side warm in cold weather, because it would be too hard to insulate the front of the van. The back where I stay is well insulated with Havelock sheep's wool stuffed everywhere, making my home a truly cozy place!

I almost forgot to mention that of course I have foam insulation over all those "windows" when It's cold.
View attachment 29952
My van is old, but the motor and transmission were rebuilt only 45,000 miles ago, so I'm in great shape. I love my home!

Thank you CosmickGold! What a beauty your van is! Mine doesn't have steel bars in the dinghy, but there are wood "ribs" every couple of feet, so it's very sturdy and made attaching ceiling and wall planking very easy. I agree with you about the dark tinted windows. I love how they help keep things cooler in summer and more private overall. I cover the front windows with insulation (just EZCool and a purchased cover for the front windshield) and have a blackout curtain to shut off the front cab, so that helps too. I also have a heated mattress pad that I'll try when things get a bit colder. In the meantime two hot water bottles and a dog will do

 

[jonyjoe303]

I get about a 20 degree difference in my astrovan. The rear of my van is heavily insulated with rtech foam about 3 inches on the roof..

 

[Honeys Park]

Pansies Mine says 82 inside, -2 out. Good thing I got heat.

 

[Indyflies]

I get about a 20 degree difference in my astrovan. The rear of my van is heavily insulated with rtech foam about 3 inches on the roof..

View attachment 29974

No separate heater? That’s very cozy. Well done. I don’t think we can have too much insulation, eh?

 

[Calaverasgrande]

My med roof SWB Transit seems to do pretty well down to 40F with no heater.
I did all the insulation myself using reflectix, foam board, and another layer of reflectix in some areas because I had to use 1" foam board.
I have automotive felt on top of this in about half the van. Coroplast for the rest of the walls and plywood for floors and the back storage area.
My big heat loss are the windows and doors. Side door is just awful. Even after insulating the whole door, I can feel cold creeping in on my feet.
I stuff a rolled up rug against the base of the door and it helps.
I've toughed it out into the high 20s like this, just bundling up and running the engine heater for 15 minutes before I crash out.

TBH I much prefer parking with hookups and running my space heater.

 

[WayOutWest]

As I have neither insulation nor heater, my van interior is usually approximately the same temperature as outside in the shade. However it's helpful to note that outside temperature will feel hotter if in the sun, colder if in the wind, and since van inside is not in direct sun and not in the wind, it'll be cooler in heat and warmer in cold just on that basis.

 

[afblangley]

I have a 170" passenger Sprinter with factory walls, I don't think there is any insulation behind them. I bought it this summer, so most of my experience is with hot weather, even now (I live in south FL). I've found that if the windows are up, the van becomes warmer than the outside temperature within 15 minutes of turning off the engine. Rolling down the windows will keep the van cooler. When I was in California, the temps dropped into the 50s at night. The van became so cold during the night that I woke several times to turn on the engine.

 

[jonyjoe303]

I havent used a heater in about 3 years, the lowest it gets outside is about 36f, as long as the temperature inside the van is in the upper 50f, I don't have to use a sleeping bag.
Last winter it was windy and that was forcing the cold air in my van. On the outside on all the door edge areas I put duct tape and that help in keeping the air from going inside. It worked extremely well. I can tell if its real cold when I have to use 2 blankets, so far this winter I only had to that maybe 4 or 5 times.

This is a picture of the inside of my van, I even use foam as doors for my cabinets. The sliding side door of my van is covered over with foam, I never use it. In this picture straight ahead is the driver compartment which is behind that foam, The front of the van is the same temperature as the outside temp.