Yellow spray foam comes in cans and can be complex to install yourself. It is a dense material that would take a lot of weight to compress. As a result, they’re not ideal for floor insulation. Sheetmetal is very efficient at conducting the summer’s heat straight in to the van. So it’s a good idea to have removable insulation for your windows - whatever the type of van. Thinsulate is a product developed by 3M and is similar to fiberglass insulation. And in a vehicle, there are a lot of little areas and spots that can rub where moisture can enter. Because of this, it is especially important to take proper precautions during the install and seal everything correctly. The window insulation kits work great to reduce condensation build up, slow thermal transfer, and add privacy. A. The walls have an existing open cell foam with material (similar to a car interior) but do not provide enough insulation. Hi Cab window insulation kits and covers for the Ram Promaster van work great for hot or cold weather. But there is more (and better) information today than there was 2 years ago. keep doing that. Yellow spray foam can be expensive. The final step is insulating the windows. After the floor insulation has been laid down, seal up all of the seams with gorilla tape or equivalent. We built custom shades on each window in our bus conversion that have an extra layer of Reflectix when up. Therefore, proper van insulation becomes a delicate balance between R-value, space, and expenses. Question on filling the tight spaces: do you recommend spray foam even in the body cavities inside the tail light columns? Heat is transferred from the liquid to the cup surfaces (conduction + convection from the circulation). Any hot (or warm) object radiate electromagnetic waves and can heat up other objets at distance (and therefore loose heat themselves). Conduction is heat transfer through a material. The manufacturers don’t provide any data (i.e. I am considering it for my build in Promaster 159. This fabric can be bought in rolls and stitched to the shape of your window. It will be much more difficult to try and hide wires or move things around if you wall everything up first. It’s going to be in stages as we need to think about everything before we get on with it. On the other hand, fiberglass insulation does absorb moisture. You really get to exercise your research and construction skills here. Select the year and model of your van in box 2. But the greatest insulation material around, it’s used on the (International Space Station) & was used on all the Shuttle’s. Heat is “transported” from one part of a fluid (or gas) to another by the bulk movement of the fluid itself. On the other hand, XPS is an excellent insulator, provides a solid and flat fondation for our floor, it’s quite cheap and readily available at your local hardware store. Along with this I was wondering if aesthetically covering the reflective material on the inside of that cabin would minimize the r-value performance of this idea. Reflectix in the windows is about the only good place to put it. Unfortunately, space constraints are a huge issue in the van world. Step 6: Bus or Van Conversion Insulation for Windows. Should it not find it’s own empty places if you pump enough in? Some people put spray foam in the ridges to seal them up. Take for example the following picture. Foam board is lightweight and can be easily attached to the walls. So, to the question “Is it worth shoving insulation inside frames, knowing heat will find a way around (thermal bridges)?”, we think it’s worth it. RV News RVBusiness 2021 Top 10 RVs of the Year, plus 56 additional debuts and must-see units → × Thanks! STEP 2: LAY BATTENS AND FOAM INSULATION. *facepalm* So double check each one before you start sewing! Much better than all the environmentally damaging and toxic materials reviewed here. R-value is determined with test ASTM C518 (“Standard Test Method for Steady-State Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Heat Flow Meter Apparatus”). Infrastop can be taped to the windows and is reflective on both sides. The total heat loss of your van is the sum of all the small pieces and bits… It all adds up! Low-E insulation (formerly EZ-COOL) is sold as a “radiant-barrier”. When used correctly, rates an R-3. Insulating your vehicle is less exciting of a process, but worth the energy in your build. It’s SO easy to work with and there are no chemicals added (as fire retardant or bug prevention). Fiberglass insulation is popular when insulating homes, and many van dwellers use this type of insulation as well. You can make cheap & dirty Reflectix covers to reflect the sun in summer, but if you are skiers like us you will want something that performs better… To minimize heat loss during winter, we made insulated window covers out of ez-cool + thinsulate + fabric. I’m going to use pink Extruded polystyrene (XPS) and want to double check with you that using 3M High Strength 90 adhesive spray won’t melt the foam! So, does it work in real-life? I would try to clean and seal (paint) all of the walls to make them as rust-resistant as possible and then design a system that doesn’t trap moisture in. The windshield is probably the largest window in your vehicle. All old rust spots should be removed and any gaping holes in the walls or floor repaired and sealed. Or just go with straight plywood and skip insulating this area entirely. It’s all about reflectivity, not insulation capacity. The purpose of a vapor barrier is to prevent moist air (from inside the van) of migrating towards cold surfaces. Seems like the plastic and cloth paneling in the van should count for some insulation. Hot air is less dense, so it tend to rise and be replaced by cooler air from above. Condensation from your breath creates enough moisture to cause problems in the right circumstances, but that can be mitigated with good ventilation. We’ve been on the road since then and every day is an opportunity for a new adventure; we’re chasing our dreams and hopefully it inspires others to do the same! Great article on insulating my van. As such I have noticed that I am dealing with a lot of condensation which has led to mold so now I’m trying to deal with that issue to try and get me through the winter rainy season here do you have any suggestions to help reduce the amount condensation I have to deal with in the van, it appears from what i read my best solution is going to be to open the front windows slighlty and place a small fan to circulate the air more as i dont have a roof vent yet at this time, am I correct in that assumption? If the process is done incorrectly, your walls will not be flush. But like I said it’s expensive & hard to work with: https://www.aerogel.com/ It is 《AEROGEL》 This material is difficult to find in stores, so you will probably have to purchase it from the 3M website. R-value takes into account all three heat transfer mechanisms (conduction, radiation, convection). Maybe just install the polyiso now? It is equally effective at radiating the warm heat from inside your van to the outside when it’s cold. We hope this site can help you plan your next road trip. Chemical. This material may be perfect for filling in any nooks or cranny’s in the doors or framing. Once upon a time, someone decided to insulate his van with Reflectix and blogged about it. For him it worked great as he wasn’t living in it and only needed it not to freeze his glues however after 3 months I have noticed that I have serious condensation issues in the van. If you plan to insulate your walls with yellow spray foam this would also be the perfect material to use on the wheel wells. Eat Sleep Van Episode 28MAGNETIC BACK WINDOW COVERS Thanks to my lack of sewing skills, I’ve enlisted my mum to help make some back window covers. If you choose to install fiberglass, it will be extremely important to seal up the walls afterward so you can be assured no moisture or molding will occur inside. It can be difficult and even dangerous trying to live out of a vehicle in cold climates. You’ll be looking at several hundred dollars if you choose this method. We decided to start with the floor since once it is done, you can stand on it and … Yellow spray foam has an excellent R-value of 6.5. Then just press it into place. Great article! XPS has an R-value of R-5. Laying on cold ground will take a lot of heat out of you!. By now, we know Reflectix is a very poor insulator. This means if you stack a material to 2 inches thick, you get double the R-value! It also very needful to know about the installation of DIY van insulation. Anywhere from 1-2½ inches of insulation is a good number to shoot for. Reflective bubble insulation is made from a polythene … A van designed with more of a curve may require a more flexible material. Girlfriend and I stayed in the van this weekend in only -5c and we were real cold. Just like the flooring, foam board can be cut to size using a box cutter. Reflective Bubble Foil Campervan Insulation. Products [19] Sort by: 2019 - 2020 Sprinter Cargo & Crew Van Rear Window HeatShields 2pc set. But don’t get us wrong: the farther you go from the Webasto, the colder the floor gets. Are you really gonna paint the exterior or your van with insulating paint..? We’ll see if we can figure out a way to make that more intuitive. Learn how your comment data is processed. Sprinter Window Insulation Sets. We recommend Extruded polystyrene (XPS) for the floor. or do you simply lay the xps over the the gaps? It has an R-value of R-5. Material choice is going to depend a lot on personal preference. Many, but not all polyiso sheets come with foil on one side to reflect heat like Reflectix. We documented EVERYTHING about the installation of our Thinsulate insulation (walls, ceiling, overhead cabin storage, sliding door) in the following article: We covered all the remaining exposed metal and about 50% of Thinsulate surfaces with EZ-COOL insulation; this is to create thermal breaks and add some radiant barrier. ABOUT US Energy is transferred through the electromagnetic waves, therefore thermal radiation can propage through vacuum (without the presence of matter). This includes removing any seating, or unwanted material from the walls and floor. Unlike fiberglass insulation, these materials are non-toxic; so it is fine to install without protective clothing. If you don’t have good wool socks and a cap, those are the most effective pieces of gear. Once a cardboard template has been made, trace the design onto the XPS or chosen material. I was hoping this would create the aigret needed for the reflective material to work. If this is something you want to do on your own, this article by the ProMaster forum has an extensive description on how to do so. No chemicals added? Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a8d512ba0621225fcb2590532571fccc" );document.getElementById("c2787caf30").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Once the paint had cured and we had applied the sound deadening, we then measured and cut the wooden battens and foam boards to fit and rested them in place, spacing roughly 30cm apart. Thanks. $59.95 (0) Select Options. One small slip-up though, where you said to “see chart below” for insulating values you posted a chart on electrical usage. warped van panels), Material properties (i.e. The problem with adding a vapor-barrier in a vehicle is that it’s difficult to install practically. If I use polyiso panels and fill the rest with yellow spray foam, is it fairly easy to later route wiring/conduit through the wall cavities (I.e. Ridged foam panels and yellow spray foam are both great choices. If you’d like to see a full install of Thinsulate, check out this step-by-step guide on how to do so. ¾ – 1 inch of insulation is a common wall thickness to use. A well insulated van will be warm and cosy in the cold and cool in the heat. A prime example of this is moisture that builds up on the inside of windows when sitting in cold weather. I know most of us don’t go down to 15 degrees, but if you do it may be something to consider. Aspen Areogels. These also provide a screen so that others cannot see in your vehicle and keep out the light if you should so require. Until independent studies show a benefit of insulating paint through standardized test, save your money and your time. Excellent breakdown of all the products available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_3KAs77rxk&ab_channel=Wilson%26Wombat. From the builds we see, the thermic condensation issues are often less critical than having a way to ventilate areas that can gather moisture. Keep in mind, those will not attach well to foam so you will need to add in studs or leave extra space for building off of if this is the case. If you’re going to add soundproofing, do that first! Read our guide on soundproofing your campervan. If you place a reflective surface on the windows facing in, you get the opposite effect. We didn’t completely covered the Thinsulate to let it “breathe” (the EZ-COOL act as a vapor barrier). Fascinated to know what your take is on this havelock wool everyone is talking about lately! I’ve broken 3 handles on my sienna. R-value denotes the capacity of an insulating material to resist heat flow. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences! “We were looking for a healthy way to insulate our van and thank goodness Havelock is around! If you are placing an air gap in your walls, this will give you a double dose of insulation bringing the value up to R-7. Want to know more about winter vanlife? Hot air rising above an intense heat source. Also, some kind of mattress pad to keep you off the cold floor goes a long way. We installed these shades on all of the windows toward the front of our bus. Thanks One important thing to keep in mind is the two best materials to block radiant heat are: gold and aluminum. Indeed, attaching the 80/20 aluminum directly to the van metal creates excellent thermal bridges and as a result, the 80/20 inside your van will be almost as cold as the van metal! Many people choose not to insulate their floor at all. Taking the trim off the inside of your sienna should be really easy (it is on my 2000) so you could insulate with something less permanent. As usual, we documented the whole thing: You can spend a lot of money and time on the best insulation, but remember that glass is an excellent heat conductor (in other words, an horrible insulator). There is a lot of space here for reflection to occur. Just a very expensive thought! Create air gaps on funky surfaces (which is mostly the case in vans) = water traps. If you choose to install with Thinsulate you’ll be paying on the higher end of the scale when it comes to insulation. The next step will be figuring out what material you want to use to cover the walls. This material reflects radiant heat transfer meaning it needs an air gap in order to work as designed. I’m a student ski mountaineer in the canadian rockies. Keep in mind, it needs something to reflect, so if you’re just using body heat it won’t do too much (but it might help slightly). Reflectix is a popular material you hear about when researching van insulation. 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