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hvac:insulation [2022/01/17 04:36] princess_fluffypants [Tips and Tricks] |
hvac:insulation [2022/08/30 16:29] princess_fluffypants [Tips and Tricks] |
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====== Insulation ====== | ====== Insulation ====== | ||
- | Boy oh boy is this a complicated topic. | + | There is no clear solid consensus on what the " |
[[https:// | [[https:// | ||
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4-Way stretch carpet is ideal for this. Because it has some give to it, it's possible to mold it over and around all the sort of crazy compound curves that makes up the van body. Many videos on youtube showing this process, here https:// | 4-Way stretch carpet is ideal for this. Because it has some give to it, it's possible to mold it over and around all the sort of crazy compound curves that makes up the van body. Many videos on youtube showing this process, here https:// | ||
+ | ==== Open-Cell vs Closed-Cell insulation ==== | ||
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+ | https:// | ||
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+ | ===== The effect of " | ||
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+ | Total R-Value is the //total// R-Value of a given construction, | ||
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+ | A basic van insulation build for the walls will have an R-Value of **~5** ((some sheet insulation like 400 thinsulite, some mini-cell foam for the floor and a basic liner to cover up all of the ribs and make sure we don't have any exposed metal)), and a crazier build for ski bums might have an R-Value as high as **8-10** ((Filling every single nook and cranny with 600 Thinsulite, mini-cell foam and poly-sty sheet for the floors, maybe poly-sty for the walls as well covered with plywood or wood slats or even 4-way stretch carpet)). | ||
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+ | Single-pane windows (Such as used in cars) has an **R-Value of 1** ((actually closer to .91)). | ||
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+ | Let's look at some examples of how this dramatic heat loss from windows affects the total insulation of your van using [[https:// | ||
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+ | Let's say we're insulating a van with windows all around, like a former passenger van/shuttle bus. In this case, about 35% of the van's surface area is going to be glass. | ||
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+ | We'll start with a typical kinda basic insulation, like what you'd get from the factory or most people who are doing a full build out of their own and not going too crazy. | ||
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+ | Huh! So in spite of all that insulation work, you got an R-Value of barely over **2**. | ||
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+ | Wait so you DOUBLED the insulation on the walls, and it barely made a dent in your total R-Value! Damn. Well, let's go REALLY nuts! Let's build it like we do a house, and do a full wood frame inside with an inch of poly-sty, wood studs spacing out 3.5" of fiberglass batt, plus a vapor barrier and 1/2" of plywood. That can get us up to an R-Value of 20 for the walls (This would lose you a HUGE amount of space inside, but let's just do it as an experiment): | ||
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+ | **WUT?!** You went bat-shit nuts and lost a ton of interior space, and your van is still leaking heat like a sieve because of the massive loss through those windows. | ||
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+ | BUT. Let's assume we do a bit of insulation on the windows. Nothing crazy, just add some window covers DIYed out of scrap material. Some thick cardboard, wrapped in some $5 fleece blankets that you got from wal-mart and tightly fit into the window openings to covering them completely is a great start. This will get the window R-value up to around 3 if you leave a bit of an air gap. Let's see how that changes our calculations, | ||
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+ | //WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT!// Just by covering the windows, poorly, and insulating the rest of the van to a kinda-mediocre level, you've got NEARLY TWICE the total system insulation as if you did a completely nutso, bonkers, over-the-top insulation job but haven' | ||
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+ | **TL;DR - COVER YOUR DANG WINDOWS IF YOU'RE TRYING TO STAY WARM** | ||
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+ | Speaking of... | ||
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===== Windows ===== | ===== Windows ===== | ||
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Many companies make window coverings for vans, some are available with Reflective coating to help keep the sun out. Others are thickly insulated to help keep heat in. Prices and quality range from very minimal, to very expensive. | Many companies make window coverings for vans, some are available with Reflective coating to help keep the sun out. Others are thickly insulated to help keep heat in. Prices and quality range from very minimal, to very expensive. | ||
- | Some sources: | + | Van Essentials has a pretty good [[https:// |
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+ | Some other sources: | ||
* https:// | * https:// | ||
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If you don't have panels, the heat from the sun can easily make the interior sheet metal burning hot to the touch. Covering it with some insulation (and [[hvac: | If you don't have panels, the heat from the sun can easily make the interior sheet metal burning hot to the touch. Covering it with some insulation (and [[hvac: | ||
- | ===== further | + | ===== Further |
See [[https:// | See [[https:// | ||
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+ | See [[https:// |