RV and vandwellers wiki

User Tools

Site Tools

Trace:
hvac:insulation

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision 		Previous revision
Next revision Both sides next revision
hvac:insulation [2022/01/21 23:12]
princess_fluffypants [The effect of "Total" R-Value] 		hvac:insulation [2022/08/30 16:29]
princess_fluffypants [Tips and Tricks]
Line 1: Line 1:
 ====== Insulation ====== ====== Insulation ======
  
-Boy oh boy is this a complicated topic. There is no clear solid consensus on what the "best" way to insulate a van is, but there sure are a //lot// of opinions with very little in the way of empirical data.  At best, you're making an educated guess and almost everyone insulates their van differently.+There is no clear solid consensus on what the "best" way to insulate a van is, but there sure are a //lot// of opinions with very little in the way of empirical data.  At best, you're making an educated guess and almost everyone insulates their van differently.
  
 [[https://faroutride.com/insulation/|FarOutRide's guide]] is a good place to start. [[https://faroutride.com/insulation/|FarOutRide's guide]] is a good place to start.
Line 20: Line 20:
  
 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TON7xuJkQs8 or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob9TmLn8D8o  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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TON7xuJkQs8 or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob9TmLn8D8o 
 +
 +==== Open-Cell vs Closed-Cell insulation ====
 +
 +https://www.secondskinaudio.com/heat-insulation/open-cell-foam-vs-closed-cell-foam/
  
 ---- ----
Line 29: Line 33:
 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)). 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)).
  
-Single-pane windows (Such as used in cars) has an R-Value of 1 ((actually closer to .91)). **This is why you really need to insulate your windows!!!**+Single-pane windows (Such as used in cars) has an **R-Value of 1** ((actually closer to .91)). 
  
 Let's look at some examples of how this dramatic heat loss from windows affects the total insulation of your van using [[https://www.cascadiawindows.com/tools/r-value-u-value-calculator|this total R-Value calculator]]. Let's look at some examples of how this dramatic heat loss from windows affects the total insulation of your van using [[https://www.cascadiawindows.com/tools/r-value-u-value-calculator|this total R-Value calculator]].
Line 49: Line 53:
 **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. **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.
  
-BUT. Let's assume we do a bit of insulation on the windows. Nothing crazy, just add some window covers with some basic window covers. Even some thick cardboard, wrapped in some $5 fleece blankets that you got from wal-mart and tightly fit into the window openings, covering them completely. 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, even with our basic lazy van insulation:+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, even with our basic lazy van insulation:
  
 {{ :hvac:therm_4.jpg?direct&600 |}} {{ :hvac:therm_4.jpg?direct&600 |}}
Line 63: Line 67:
 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.  [[https://faroutride.com/insulated-window-covers/|Plenty of people DIY these as well]]. 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.  [[https://faroutride.com/insulated-window-covers/|Plenty of people DIY these as well]].
  
-Some sources:+Van Essentials has a pretty good [[https://www.vanessential.com/learn|comparison chart]] of costs (biased as it may be). 
 + 
 +Some other sources:
  
   * https://vanmadegear.com/   * https://vanmadegear.com/
Line 91: Line 97:
 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:ventilation|ventilating]] the van well) will help keep things more tolerable. 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:ventilation|ventilating]] the van well) will help keep things more tolerable.
  
-===== further reading =====+===== Further reading =====
  
 See [[https://www.promasterforum.com/threads/testing-the-value-of-floor-insulation-vs-ceiling-insulation.93574/|this write-up]] of testing floor vs ceiling insulation. See [[https://www.promasterforum.com/threads/testing-the-value-of-floor-insulation-vs-ceiling-insulation.93574/|this write-up]] of testing floor vs ceiling insulation.
 +
 +See [[https://www.buildagreenrv.com/insulation-testing-for-van-conversions/|this test]] of different insulation types compared side-by-side in pseudo-laboratory conditions.
hvac/insulation.txt · Last modified: 2023/08/22 21:36 by princess_fluffypants

Page Tools

Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International

affilliate disclosure

CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki