Retro-fitting insulation

[TobyQuest]

I got a bit of a suprise when it turned out my MH has zero, yes zero insulation!

Theres just the felt type ceiling and walls and behind that just the fibreglass body itself.
There's many you tube videos on fitting insulation but these are all to empty and metal vans eg sprinters etc.

Anyone here have experience or recommendations on where to begin with insulating my van , making it as painless as possible. I realise its a tough job and some places eg behind the shower, and the rear wall are just not reachable.

So knowing that it wont be perfect, Im looking for the best value places to start and make it a bit warmer.

 

[CazPaul]

You will never get it insulated properly without stripping it out totally, it's meant to be done at the start of the build.

What van is it so people can avoid it in future or complain about it, is it a recognised brand or a DIY build?

 

[g3cwi]

If it’s cold you will need to wear the insulation yourself

 

[34127]

Don't be tempted to squirt expanding foam into any gaps between internal boards and outer wall of vehicle. I have read several accounts where DIY convertors have done this and then watched in horror as the foam expended and bulges started to appear on the exterior panels of the van.

 

[TobyQuest]

If it’s cold you will need to wear the insulation yourself

Not as comfortable though is it. If I was in my house, better fix the broken window in winter than wear 3 jumpers.

I've seen expanding foam used /recommended massively in you tube videos for van builds, but mainly it's Squirted in the small holes and inside the beams which are very strong.

Im thinking to take the ceiling down first as that's the easiest and put polyester wool 5cm or 10cm and squash it to about 3cm and potentially this aluminium bubble wrap or aluminum heat resistant insulation and see if that makes a difference....basically finding the coldest areas and insulating them as I go

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[Stonemags76]

Someone did a Globecar on here? Was it you Blue Knight ?

 

[Speve]

You will never get it insulated properly without stripping it out totally, it's meant to be done at the start of the build.

What van is it so people can avoid it in future or complain about it, is it a recognised brand or a DIY build?

I think he imported a Nissan from Japan a cab star I think? it’s gonna be ver difficult to do without stripping it out and then you will lose some space due to insulation, it looks quite compact as it is?
Think I would get shot of it and start again

 

[Landy Andy]

There are many versions of expanding foam. Some are expand very small amount.

I’ve used this product a few times

Soudal Genius Insulation Foam Hand-Held 750ml - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Insulation foam with 60dB acoustic rating and Genius Gun applicator with accurate trigger control. Provides excellent thermal and acoustic insulation around door and window frames, pipe penetrations, insulation, roofing materials and general construction. Excellent...

www.screwfix.com

 

[Two on Tour]

The PVC we had was shy on insulation, so knowing expanding foam was a big no no, I went for something a little off the wall.

I drilled a few holes in hide away places behind sofa cushions, the back of cupboards and the like, the same size as the plastic bung you use for covering hole in bolt together flat pack furniture.
I bought a couple of bag of fire proof small polystyrene balls, the type that you fill bean bags with, then got out our garden leaf blower, taped a length of vacuum cleaner hose to the blower outlet that had an end that squeezed into the holes I had drilled, tape a length of hose on the blower inlet and stuff it in the bag of polystyrene balls and switched the garden leaf blower on, and bingo the empty cavities filled up with insulation.
Pushed in a plastic cap to close of the hole, job done. We have some escape here and there, but I just push a bit of fibreglass loft insulation in the areas the balls were escaping to block them off.

It's pretty much a crude version of the way they do cavity wall insulation on houses.

 

[TobyQuest]

@ Two on Tour: very creative. Haha i suppose if it works it works. Id just be worried about the white balls constantly pissing out everywhere for years to come, like van dandruff hehe.

@ Speve: get shot of it?! haha not in a million years. Its one of the best around. Best use of space, one of the very few you can find with 4wd, manual, fits in a regular parking space and sleeps 4 with a hot shower and less than 2.7m. Only thing comparable is a sprinter James cook and thats doesnt have 4wd.

Main thing I suppose is to insulate around the sleeping area, because thats when your body temp drops the lowest. Also I plan to get a 12v electric blanket.

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[gus-lopez]

I'd use lana , sheeps wool, insulation. 2m x 60cm slabs . Nothing like fibreglass in that it comes apart easily so is ideal to stuff in to restricted spaces or easily used as sheet as long as it is supported until you refit the panelling.

 

[TobyQuest]

The sheeps wool is meant to be really good but the price difference between that and alternatives is so high I think theres much better value in a polyester wool thats less than half the price but probably almost as good at insulating.

Presumably the order of insulation is to put spray adhesive on the fibreglass, then the wool so theres a good air gap between the fibre glass and then the aluminium heat reflective barrier, so there's a radiant barrier?

I see some people also put a 3rd layer in vans of attaching a rubbery stick sort of black sound deadening to the body also, but then too much insulation and i'll also have a weight problem that will make it overloaded, slower and worse on fuel.

 

[Otter Spotter]

The rubber sound deadening material should go on the outer panel, before you insulate, if you cover all outer surfaces with the s/d material then it can work as a vapour barrier, it will be difficult to insulate without stripping habitation out first.

 

[TobyQuest]

Im not sure that I need a vapoir barrier because the fibreglass body doesnt have any moisture issues as it is, I thought thats more of an issue for metal vans. But Im definitely not going to strip out all the haitation although I get your point, that it would be the best way to do it in terms of insulation.

Juse after its come out out, it would never be the same again, there would be rattles, things wouldnt fit right, it would take ages and be a right pain in the donkey

 

[Terry]

I would go for expanding foam but delivered by a gun. You can drill 5/6mm holes that are hidden behind things in the van or if it's like one I did it had veltrim carpet all over the place. Simply cut a inch long slice and pull carpet apart drill hole ,inject, stick carpet back down.
Keep the can of foam in a bucket of hot water in-between injections and do not keep holding trigger on ....pressing trigger in second bursts will give you plenty of control The hot foam expands a lot more than cold can It's a case of trying it out in a empty box you soon get the idea.If you put to much in it will definitely expand to much and bulge the van sides out doing more damage than good

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[Ian Bosman]

Im not sure that I need a vapoir barrier because the fibreglass body doesnt have any moisture issues as it is, I thought thats more of an issue for metal vans. But Im definitely not going to strip out all the haitation although I get your point, that it would be the best way to do it in terms of insulation.

Juse after its come out out, it would never be the same again, there would be rattles, things wouldnt fit right, it would take ages and be a right pain in the donkey

A thought about stripping out. What limited videos i have seen all point to the build being with Coachbuilt, A class, etc that they are built from the inside out, ie the interior fittings are in first and the body work built around. This is why when you look at the interiors you wonder how did they get that in? For example on mine the two water tanks are so well fitted they are, on inspection, impossible to remove. PVC's of course use a ready built van from the makers and then put the fittings inside. I know that the alcove where my main bed is very well insulated and additionally they have used cloth to cover the surfaces at the sides and ceiling.

 

[Lenny HB]

Im thinking to take the ceiling down first as that's the easiest and put polyester wool 5cm or 10cm and squash it to about 3cm

It's important not to squash it will lose a lot of its insulation properties best to par it down to the width of the gap.

 

[Littlewheels]

The PVC we had was shy on insulation, so knowing expanding foam was a big no no, I went for something a little off the wall.

I drilled a few holes in hide away places behind sofa cushions, the back of cupboards and the like, the same size as the plastic bung you use for covering hole in bolt together flat pack furniture.
I bought a couple of bag of fire proof small polystyrene balls, the type that you fill bean bags with, then got out our garden leaf blower, taped a length of vacuum cleaner hose to the blower outlet that had an end that squeezed into the holes I had drilled, tape a length of hose on the blower inlet and stuff it in the bag of polystyrene balls and switched the garden leaf blower on, and bingo the empty cavities filled up with insulation.
Pushed in a plastic cap to close of the hole, job done. We have some escape here and there, but I just push a bit of fibreglass loft insulation in the areas the balls were escaping to block them off.

It's pretty much a crude version of the way they do cavity wall insulation on houses.

Blooming ingenius

 

[Jamesh]

Thinking further outside the box....

Contact a cavity wall insulation installers who could easily blow cavity wall insulation into all you cavities between the outer skin and the inner furniture board.

Just a thought.

Cheers James

 

[the1andonly]

I used a 50 50% sheeps wool fibreglass mix in the Bongo. Strangely enough it has the advantage of both with the disadvantages of neither. Good thermal properties structural integrity when damp yet breathable so no long term condensation difficulties. Not the cheapest but the best.
Its not just inside to outside path insulation but to inprove volumetric efficiecy by stoping panel to panel air movement, so a perfect fill is not required.