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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2009 22:12:25 GMT 10
Hi all, Recently started to pull out some of the interior of the Viscount and lo and behold- no insulation in the walls! No wonder we were sweating it out, I thought I had that swine of a flu for a while there.  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew the best type of insulation for the van. Being a roof plumber I am very familiar with anticon(fibreglass with foil backing) and I know this would probably do a good job but wondered if there was something better? Nick |
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Post by kiwijim on May 9, 2009 23:19:25 GMT 10
G'Day Nick, "Missing Insulation" nothing unusual about that Mate,  You would be surprised how many new caravans there around today that have a sticker on the side stating......"fully insulated" but they are far from that. In my game of caravan repairs , we see many fancy looking new vans being marketed with this sticker attached, ;D  ;D recently we had a 12 month old van in for a complete side replacement, the upright side frames were around 600mm apart, the so-called insulation consisted of a piece of polystyrene measuring no bigger then 100mm square stuck in the middle of the frame work........placed there to stop the aluminum flapping. It's just as well owners of these new vans can't pull the out-side sheeting off to see what is inside.......there wouldn't be a caravan sold !!!  Now to answer your queston......... we have used roof insulation bats, 25mm thick sheets of polystyrene, also the blue sided foil as used in roofs. I have found that polystyrene is the easiest to work with providing you are working on a completely exposed wall, it can be cut and shaped very easily using a sharp Stanley knife, you will probably find that there will be wires for lights and power running all over the walls and never in a straight line, so be prepared for plenty of cutting of any insulation. We use Builders Construction Adhesive in tubes to hold the polystyrene in place.....works very well. Have fun...it will be worth the effort in the end. kiwijim  |
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Post by atouchofglass on May 10, 2009 7:09:01 GMT 10
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Post by millard1399 on May 10, 2009 19:10:40 GMT 10
Hi Nick, I'm not sure there is a "best type of insulation" for a van. A lot of the decision-making process can depend on where the van is likely to be used (meaning what type of climate the van will spend most of its life in). Looking at a typical caravan design, there is a limit to what thickness of insulation can be put into any wall cavities. My Millard poptop has a timber frame with the timber being 23mm thick. So the maximum thickness of insulation I can use in the wall cavity is 23mm. So I ask myself, what product could I buy that had that thickness or less, and would give a reasonable insulating performance? I used air-cell insulbreak 65, but ONLY because it was left over from the Colorbond shed kit I had built in my backyard. It is 6.5mm thick and has an R-value of 1.9 If I didn't have the leftover air-cell stuff, and actually had to buy something, I would have probably gone for something like the roof sarking for tiled roofs. It's thin, aluminium 'alfoil' bonded to paper backing, and has an R-value of 1.5 . I could have fixed this to the outside of the framework and then put the external cladding back on top of it. I'm in a temperate climate 100kms south of Sydney, so the 1.5 R-value might give me some comfort, but down in Tassie or up in Far North Qld it might not be the right stuff. One of the other things I've been considering for the Millard down the restoration track, is to get the side windows tinted with the 70% tint. The front and rear windows can have the aluminium sunshade fitted so probably don't need tinting. I had my Mazda 4WD tinted with 35% on the driver/passenger compartment windows and 70% around the storage windows at the rear, and it certainly helps to keep the heat out. Maybe the combination of window tinting and wall insulation might be enough to cover most climates the van will venture into. Probably the short answer to your question is: "the best insulation for a caravan is the insulation that cost you nothing!"   cheers, Al. |
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2009 23:13:43 GMT 10
Hi Al,
I put the 70% film on the windows of my Olympic some time back when I had the windows out for resealing and it was one of the best things I have done on the van.
The tinting does help in keeping the heat out and in the cool weather it also helps in keeping the inside warmer.
There is another great advantage in that during the day, when it is brighter outside, passers by cant see into your van but you can still see out clearly.
Thats why I suggest you do the front and back windows as well.
Well worth it. ;D ;D ;D
Cheers, techron
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Post by atouchofglass on Feb 17, 2011 18:51:40 GMT 10
Hey Everyone Thought I'd sticky this one as it is pretty generic..... Everyone needs insulation. Have added a thread I posted a long time ago as well Here below. Quote Hi All Thought I'd add this thread to the forum seeing there is a need to insulate all vans as well as possible The purpose being a quick reference guide to insulation materials instead of having to hunt them down over all the threads posted. Millard1399 has insulated his van using a material called InsulbreakSee his thread "1977 Millard poptop " in the photo album section A very good insulation material used in the roofing industry Direct quote: This insulation was left over from when my steel shed was built last year. I had to cut the insulation into pieces to fit inside the framework because the aluminium cladding sits directly on top of the frame. The insulation is from Air-cell and is one of their products, "Insulbreak 65". It has an insulation rating of approx 1.8, so it's not far below the standard fibreglass batts. Hopefully it'll at least take the edge off a chilly night...Brrrrr Unquote Working in airconditioning my work has brought me in contact with "Thermobreak" Also a very good insulation material There appears to be an added advantage of it being a fire retardant and possibly an advantage in having an adhesive side... There is a disadvantage in the price approx $25 per square metre Comes in 9, 12, 15, 19 and 25mm thicknesses Not saying that one is better than the other just putting them up as possibilities for insulating your vans Also many use polystyrene foam as a cheap and effective insulation Perhaps googling them may be useful to establish what the product for you is .... Any other insulating materials out there that others would like to add to this list? Cheers Atog Read more: ditzygypsy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=techno&action=display&thread=239#ixzz1ECjDhD5PEnd quote. |
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Post by millard1399 on Feb 17, 2011 19:15:24 GMT 10
Here's some actual temperature measurements showing the benefit of insulation in my van.
I live about 100kms south of Sydney, and about 1km from the ocean. We recently had a scorcher of a day, with the 11am temp being measured at 43 degrees on my front lawn. The Millard poptop had been fully closed up and sitting in that temp, so I put the industrial thermometer in the van to see what the temp was inside. 38 degrees.
So, all the insulation I put around the van knocked 5 degrees off the outside temp.
cheers,
Al.
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Post by drylander on Feb 17, 2011 20:51:11 GMT 10
when recladding our van I used 25mm polystyrene foam for the walls and it has made a huge difference. 1 reason I used polystyrene foam was it was free in pallet size (used as isolator between batteries). There was a lot of cutting to make it fit and to go around the wiring but worth it in the end.
Pete
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2011 21:00:04 GMT 10
When I rebuilt my vintage Franklin Caravelle I used polypropylene R 2.5 batts (the green ones) stripped down in thickness to fit the wall cavity, then I used Sisalation foil as a moisture barrier to prevent roof to wall leakage ever damaging the framework again. Insulation and foil going onto van.  Sisalation flashing tucked under roof, with insulation and wall sisalation in place this flashing then folds downward so any leakage that may start along the roof joins will not get into wall framing.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2011 21:10:16 GMT 10
Well, we can see by the response that insulation is still a "hot" ;D subject, and not surprisingly so.
We ended up insulating our Viscount with "Anticon"
Seems to work ok and we actually all of it for free from friends and building sites.(with permission).
Cheers
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2012 22:11:37 GMT 10
another option might be this stuff : www.consolidatedrefractories.com.au/ceramic.htmI've built quick and nasty furnaces with the stuff, two layers thick the inside can be glowing red and you can touch the outer layer no problems. It must be a pretty good insulator. It's not stupid pricey, probably cheaper than some of the retail priced foam stuff. Its thin ~ 25mm and fire proof. A bit heavy and would retain water. just a thought  |
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Post by Des on Feb 22, 2014 7:10:04 GMT 10
Anyone done any insulation in roof of a new van via light fittings etc? Can I use cans of spray foam?
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;D
