my new one ton is almost here (finally!) and i want to be ready when it gets here. i am thinking about using the foil bubble stuff (that can be had at hardware store) for insulation with tyvek next to help prevent moisture under it, next paneling with a short loop carpet on it. any one ever do this? don't want fiberglass 'cuz of the dust from movement, the foil seems fairly inexpensive, but moisture entrapment does worry me. thought about line-x or similar, but it sounds like that stuff off gasses nasties for quite awhile(weeks). noise abatement is also a goal, but dynamat or similar seems expensive for the area needed to be covered. sorry to run on, just trying to cover the bases. the front is done by factory, so it's just the rear, oh it is a cargo van with slider. thanks in advance!

 

I just used left over house type fiberglass and left over "here you can have it" 1/2" plywood for mine. I used too many screws, and I put some tiedown rings in the walls and it's been fine.

I also used cake pans screwed to the back of the panel with a hole in front for several cubbys in the walls. People will laugh at you, but just pull a 9MM out of one of the cubbys and the laughing will stop, or take it like a man, your choice.

 

yeah, if this wasn't also going to be our camper, i would do that. need a little more refinement to keep the missus happy(which is always worth the effort):{)

 

There's nothing wrong with fiberglass insulation if you're paneling over it. It doesn't let out dust. Sportsmobile uses primarily fiberglass and does great work.

I suspect that once fiberglass bats are installed, there is still a lot of heat infiltration through the metal ribs. I kinda think putting a layer of foam between the rib and the panel would be good, though a lot of trouble. And windows are still going to be a huge open place for heat entry. That's assuming of course you're trying to keep it cool, I'm in Texas so that's my main issue.

 

fiberglass insulation works great in a van installed mine in 1980 and its still working good. get the paper backed kind because it has a built in vapor barrier on the back side of the paper. put the paper side to the inside of the van and fold out the paper edges to overlap each other. you can rip some of the fiberglass off to thin it out in the thinner parts of your walls you do not want to compress insulation too much or it looses insulation value. tyvek is not a vapor barrier it will let moisture pass through it. it is a air infiltration barrier meant for use on the outside of a house under the siding. the bubble insulation may melt in the sun touching the hot van body in a closed up wall cavity. i used fiberglass on the walls and ceiling and styrofoam in the insulated floor from the front seats back.

 

haroldservice,

Have you considered foam insulation like polyisocyanurate (sp?) foam. You would have to go to a commercial insulation contractor to get it sprayed and then use the frame members of the van as guides to cut back the overspray to a uniform thickness equal to the thickness of the vans frame so that your paneling would flush up.

It would be more tedious, but you could also cut foam panels to fit in the spaces between the frame members and then add a 1/2" layer over the frames under the paneling. The blue foam like they use in commercial refrigeration is great stuff to work with and runs around $20.00 for a 2" thick sheet 4' X 8' It can be glues in place with construction adhesive or epoxy. You can also use it for a core to make composite wood / epoxy / foam panels to use as walls or bulkheads if your plans run in that direction.

Gene

 

thanks, i'll look into that, i have a buddy in the business. i am really hesitant about fiberglass, been in too many attics i guess

 

haroldservice,

Owens Corning has the fiberglass that is wraped in a poly bag type of cover that would help with any lose fiber problems, but there would still be arear's that require cutting.

There is also available an insulation that is made from cotton in the form of scrape from denim manufacturing. I haven't seen it in bat form, but you may find some like that if you hunt around or you might put up a poly vapor barrier and then feed the loose insulation in from the top behind it before installing the panels.

Just thinking out loud.

Gene

 

I had a 1978 E250 with paneling and the lose type of fiberglass insulation glued to one side of thin tin backing, I can assure you that I am much warmer now in the winter and cooler in the summer in my current van that has the insulation that is compressed between two layers of foil type material. MAJOR DIFFERENCE. and it is easy to cut with a set of heavy duty siccors.

 

desert-rat, is this the bubble pack looking stuff? good to hear from someone using it if it is, someone elses experiences really flatten out the learning curve(another reason this site is so great).

 

The last time I insulated a van, it was my '68 Chevy, used paper backed fiberglass everywhere under paneling, and even put it under the floor and squashed it down flat. Two people in there at very cold temps and it stayed toasty.

I used the Reflectix (bubble wrap stuff) in the ceiling of my shop, over the fiberglass instead of using drywall. The only thing I would consider in a van is that the R value is lower for the Reflectix, so on the walls, I would put something behind it like pink foam or something else to increase the R value. As I remember, the R value for this type of insulation is higher in a horizontal installation than in a vertical one. I had the AC man use this stuff to wrap my ducts, as the fiberglass here in the south just gets wet and then doesn't work, he had never heard of it but his installers liked it so much, as it was faster and not so nasty to work with, that he now uses it exclusively. I think it is great stuff. Tree

PS, you could always wrap the fiberglass in plastic, and if I am not mistaken, you can buy it like this now, so it will be sealed. The pink foam may off gas in the heat (don't know), so you might want to look up "environmentally friendly insulation", I have heard of the denim stuff as well.

 

Tree,

I'm not familiar with the Reflctic "bubble wrap" type insulation that you are refering to. Could you tell me more about it, what applications it is normally used for, where you buy it, how it's held in place in it's normal application, how thick it is etc?

Thanks,

Gene

 

it is sold at hardware stores around here, looks like bubble wrap with foil on both sides. i don't know what the r-value is. it is about 1/2 inch thick.

 

It is less than 1/2 inch thick or it seems they have double thickness as well, has aluminum on both sides and can be used just about anywhere. The aluminum reflects heat. It is very clean and makes a neat job, using aluminum tape to cover joints. It comes in rolls, and can be had at homedepot.com.

It does come in larger size rolls than they sell it, maybe at an HVAC supply house. I bought two 400ft. by 4ft. rolls and it was much cheaper than the 25 foot rolls sold by Home depot.

 

The R value depends on the application, as a lot of the performance has to do with reflection of heat, ie: heat outside is reflected away, if used directly on the outside wall, and inside heat is reflected back inside. Used with an air space or another insulation it is pretty high performance. The same product used as duct insulation is rate about R-6, but used in crawl space application is rated R-16. In an attic, when used directly on the sheathing, it has no Rvalue, but reflects the heat away from the attic.

It is sort of confusing, but there is a lot of information on their website. The nature of the product allows it to be sealed very well.


Here is the reflectix company website with more info:
www.reflectixinc.com

Seems like they have links blocked here, as when I try to use a link it always goes to the Library of congress, so try searching for the above or paste it in the browser. tt