DIY van insulation - success stories?

[zuren]

I spent this past weekend deer hunting at a buddy's house and decided to sleep in my van for various reasons:

- guys in our group all snore
- they have a newborn that wakes every few hours to feed
- they have dogs that are not the most well behaved
- I didn't want to to deal with the 3 reasons above
- I wanted to test the van's capability for cold weather camping for my family

Outside temps were in the mid-20s (F), I had a good sleeping bag and had an electric space heater running (taking many precautions for safety). It was mostly successful but improvement is needed.

Temperature-wise, I was fine. Interior temp was maintained at 50 degrees F. However, the space heater was running every 1.5 minutes. That's a lot of cycling on/off that I heard and disrupted my sleep the first night. The 2nd night I wore ear plugs and was much better but that won't be an option if my wife and child are with me. This test was pretty extreme but if I can maintain 50-55 degrees in outdoor temps into the low 30s, I would be happy.

My van is the passenger body so I have a lot of single pane auto glass. There is minimal fiberglass insulation in the ceiling; not enough to really consider it to be insulated. An electric space heater is my only heat source right now (unless the engine is running). I do not see a propane furnace being an option right now due to expense and lack of time to install. Catalytic propane space heaters (like a Little Buddy) spook me while sleeping and some of the fumes irritate my nose.

I'm interested in hearing how van owners here successfully insulated and heat their living spaces for cold weather camping. There are a few other threads on this with different approaches people were trying but very little follow-up feedback. I know Reflectix is popular but have been reading that it is better for just the windows than for ceilings and walls. I'll continue to dig but wanted to visit the topic again.

Thanks!

 

[boardrider247]

Take a look at my build thread.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...at-white-fun-hog-(another-white-GM-awd-build)

I have a cargo van and used 1 1/2" foil faced duct wrap with a layer of reflectex on the outside wall and another over the duct wrap on the inside wall.
So far I have been impressed with how well it holds heat and it is much quieter as well.

Unfortunately for you the windows are going to be the hardest part to deal with. I would consider possibly sewing up some quilted material (shipping blankets) with a layer of reflectex on one or both sides.

Good luck let us know how it turns out.

 

[Bbasso]

with all that glass it's an uphill battle unless you're willing to cover it up completely and semi-permanently.
are my current van the entire interior has a single layer of reflectix. I also have half inch foam board on the walls and half inch plywood on the floor with wool carpet. Going to be testing the temperature limitations tomorrow with an outdoor expected temperature of 27 to 30. So far I have been in 40 and up weather with my Mr buddy heater connected to a 20 pound propane tank and I am very comfortable inside. Comfortable as in t-shirt and shorts barefoot. I could run the heater for about an half hour 45 minutes shut it off for several hours.
I've been using the buddy heater for many many years and no issues or problems.
one important factor is be sure to put some sort of curtain system upto the block off the driving area from the rest of the van, for some reason all the vent systems and doors leak cold air in like crazy along with the glass.

 

[86scotty]

one important factor is be sure to put some sort of curtain system upto the block off the driving area from the rest of the van, for some reason all the vent systems and doors leak cold air in like crazy along with the glass.

Yep, very true and seldom thought of.

 

[Bbasso]

Yep, very true and seldom thought of.

Each side of the curtain it could be as much as a 10 to 20 degree difference. Shocking how much ocurtains work!
I think they are called energy saving curtains, available at walmart. Rather inexpensive and a few color to choose from .

 

[zuren]

Thanks for the replies. I figured the windows would be one of the bigger challenges. Here's my initial plan:

- Homemade Reflectix window panels (snap-in or can press into the window cutout)
- Curtain behind front seats (wanted a curtain anyway for privacy)
- Replace door seals (some of them probably are not sealing 100%)
- Insulate body with Reflectix (I have interior trim that I would like to retain and believe clearances to be tight)

 

[Acheateaux]

Is there any use in spray foaming the inside of factory trim in my 15 passenger? My thought was spray foam, then trim out what I need to get it to attach again.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

Is there any use in spray foaming the inside of factory trim in my 15 passenger? My thought was spray foam, then trim out what I need to get it to attach again.

Another way might be to put some sort of release on the van metal then inject the foam behind the trim with long thin tubing or a flexible wand. Trim panel would come off yet be form fitted to the wall.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

1) foam expansion rates vary and can deform sheet metal if you use the wrong stuff. speak with a knowledgeable installer and/or the foam's manufacturer so you get the best stuff for your application.

2) foam is a solid dissolved in a solvent. the chemistry of the solvent varies. you want one that won't dissolve paint or sheet metal or plastic. yes some foam solvents can eat steel; I've used some underground cavity sealing stuff that was shipped in triple-wall plastic and only had a storage life of a few weeks before it would eat through the container and was designed to perforate steel containers and seal them from the earth. think leaky toxic waste 'plan B' type stuff. there are definitely some perfectly suitable makeups as Ford foam-fills A-pillars on trucks for sound attenuation on newer models.

3) a vapor barrier between the foam and everything else is a good idea. it'll prevent the foam from trapping dirt and moisture but it'll also prevent the foam from squeaking. foam can SQUEAK when it wants to if it's not got a buffer. being monolithic and not sticky, I would not expect foam to stay uniformly attached to plastic or steel longterm and when it detaches it'll move independent of what's around it and it'll squeak like mad. I've thought plastic bagging and then wrapping in cheap fleece. fleece doesn't stay wet like felt or carpet and it's lightweight and being made from recycled pop bottles, it's green and mold/rot/basically-everything-but-fire resistant in addition to being insulative on its own.

4) I really want to hear about it if you make this work. It's out of my budget right now but I'm very interested in it.

 

[simple]

You might just try covering the windows first. I cut reflectix panels to match the shape of the windows in my van and stuck them on using Velcro with pressure sensitive adhesive tape (PSA). If you have bare sheet metal, another good way to attach curtains and such is with little high powered magnets.

 

[MadMedic]

For the windows you can use something like bubble wrap or something similar (im sure there's a specific product out there for it) then put a reflective material behind that and then hang something like a heavy/thick set of curtains. That should keep it warmer in there while your trying to sleep.

 

[Acheateaux]

Being as I live in Colorado, I have definitely gone the reflextix on (all my many glorious) windows. Will be doubling up for the winter, just trying to figure out what else?

I've heard rust out horror stories from lay in insulation... but I do have a lot of body panels to fill up...

 

[Acheateaux]

Currently looking for guidance for insulating my fiberglass high top. Thinking of gluing 2 layers of 1/2" foil backed foam board in place with possibly a 1/8 plywood interior.

Thoughts?

 

[Italia64]

If you are registered over at the Sprinter Forum, there are 30+ threads on insulation with some very good discussion about each method, pros/cons etc.
Use this search: http://sprinter-source.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1832110

Certainly a lot of opinions about best method, vapor barriers (or not), etc.
Here's one thread:
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32783
and another:
sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35022

Thinsulate and Enguard (hard to find) seem to be popular choices, as well as several types of spray foam. Budget may be the biggest determining factor.

 

[Bbasso]

Currently looking for guidance for insulating my fiberglass high top. Thinking of gluing 2 layers of 1/2" foil backed foam board in place with possibly a 1/8 plywood interior.

Thoughts?

DAP contact cement and reflectix is what my high top roof has and it's been fine. the joints are covered with silver foil tape.