We’re Isabelle and Antoine In 2017 we sold our house (and everything in it), quit our engineering careers and moved into our self built campervan. Covering any holes in the subfloor will be of greater importance than laying insulation. A van dash getting hot when exposed to the sun. A premium product as a solution to this problem is an ‘external insulation cab’ as seen in the photo, which can be purchased for around £500 ): Installing Thinsulate insulation to a DIY conversion is a piece of cake: there’s no mess, no risk of messing things up, it’s not permanent and it’s easy to work with. You will get a lot of return on investment by insulating the walls of a campervan build. On ours we just laid foam over the ridges. Use both together if you want maximum protection. These are some of our favorites: Kate is the lead content creator for ParkedInParadise.com and has spent over two years living in a camper van conversion. We decided to start with the floor since once it is done, you can stand on it and … R-value is measured per inch. The whole vehicle flexes around, you will be driving through the rain where your wheels can spray water from the underside. It can be difficult and even dangerous trying to live out of a vehicle in cold climates. Heat is “transported” from one part of a fluid (or gas) to another by the bulk movement of the fluid itself. Condensation from your breath creates enough moisture to cause problems in the right circumstances, but that can be mitigated with good ventilation. we will receive a commission fee. So, does it work in real-life? The shiny surface is the important part of Reflectix. I would like to send you guys a sample of our pure wool insulation for vans. Insulating your vehicle is less exciting of a process, but worth the energy in your build. That thread is a long form build process. We may reach out to a professional to ensure it is installed correctly. Would using a few panels of Reflectix between the frame and the canvas of the topper help keep the heat out? This keeps the inside temperature more constant. This product is compatible with all Sprinter Vans. Read our post on avoiding condensation and moisture buildup in your van. We hope this site can help you plan your next road trip. The purpose of insulation is to slow the transfer of heat in and out of the vehicle. Cardboard templates are a great way to estimate sizing. Going from theory to real-life implies making compromises; there is no perfect solution! And in a vehicle, there are a lot of little areas and spots that can rub where moisture can enter. Hot air is less dense, so it tend to rise and be replaced by cooler air from above. In other words, it’s a path for heat to “cheat” your insulation and find a way around it. It is normally noted (for example) “6.5 per inch“; it means applying one inch thickness of the material will provide 6.5 R-value; applying two inches will provide 13.0 R-value; and so on. Chemical. This involved just measuring the width of the windows since the height of the insulation is only a few more inches than the window itself at 24 inches. The side door? *International Shipping (Outside USA): Order the Thinsulate from eBay rather than Amazon. Seems like the plastic and cloth paneling in the van should count for some insulation. Step 2: Cut out the shade pieces. Just bought a 2000 toyota sienna to camp in at base of ski lines. Ease of installation for the average DIYer, Risk of messing things up (i.e. Possibly, the easiest way to deal with such a large area is to purchase a reflective sunshade. Also, moisture in the RV can condense on colder window surfaces. This RV window insulation mod will help you stay warm. Polyiso is an excellent material choice for insulation. I would think it would be self leveling and self seeking. Reflective bubble insulation is made from a polythene … Because hot air rises, convective heat loss is going to be one of the biggest problems to mitigate against. Because of this, it is especially important to take proper precautions during the install and seal everything correctly. A white shiny surface is poor at absorbing and radiating heat. The price you pay remains the same, affiliate link or not. So even a perfectly insulated floor won’t be nice and warm all over, unless it’s heated somehow. Is this way will reduced the thermic condensation between the cold and hot layer then reduce the water effect? XPS is slightly cheaper than polyiso and is also much easier to find. don’t you think? As a result, they’re not ideal for floor insulation. Hello! Keep in mind, it needs something to reflect, so if you’re just using body heat it won’t do too much (but it might help slightly). If you plan to insulate your walls with yellow spray foam this would also be the perfect material to use on the wheel wells. Vans have to serve more purposes than houses, so trying to add barriers can catch up with you. Therefore, proper van insulation becomes a delicate balance between R-value, space, and expenses. Should it not find it’s own empty places if you pump enough in? Mailing List. Once a cardboard template has been made, trace the design onto the XPS or chosen material. Will block mechanism if no precautions are taken (e.g. Windows are a major source of radiant heat transfer. Material choice is going to depend a lot on personal preference. Because of this, it makes the perfect material to build on top of. Take for example the following picture. If you’d like to see a full install of Thinsulate, check out this step-by-step guide on how to do so. Reflectix is a popular material you hear about when researching van insulation. Should I wait for warmer days. For this reason expanded polystyrene is not recommended for insulating your van. From the builds we see, the thermic condensation issues are often less critical than having a way to ventilate areas that can gather moisture. We chose XPS Rigid Board C-200 to insulate our floor. Step 6: Bus or Van Conversion Insulation for Windows. The fiberglass material can be a skin and lung irritant during the installation process and beyond. It is rewarding and you’ll be happy you took the time to do so when winter rolls around. maximum temperature, resistance to pressure), 1/2″ thick XPS (to fill the corrugations), Cut Thinsulate to size (using tailor scissors), Apply 3M 90 spray adhesive to the van wall and on the white face of the Thinsulate, Wait 30-60 seconds for the adhesive to become tacky. The cab window insulation kits have the the highest R value in the industry, yet are light weight and easy to store. The “how to” for the walls starts at post #8. Are you really gonna paint the exterior or your van with insulating paint..? R-Value: 5.6 per inch at 75F, 5.0 per inch at 15F. Here is how we made them: You can read our second thoughts in each respective installation article listed above. With this in mind, the alternative to trying to seal off with a moisture barrier to insulate with materials that don’t retain water and make sure you have good airflow to make sure there are no stagnant spots for sitting water. We are Kate, Ian and Harper. Here’s one insulation method that never seems to get discussed, but is used in the space station and passenger planes. What are your thoughts on wool insulation? Hey Jerry, thanks for the heads up! It is a dense material that would take a lot of weight to compress. By now, we know Reflectix is a very poor insulator. *facepalm* So double check each one before you start sewing! It is also a vapor barrier so you won’t have to worry about it holding in moisture. The final step is insulating the windows. Although the material itself does not absorb moisture, it is not a water-barrier; meaning moisture can still get inside of it. It is water resistant, and slightly flexible so it can bend around curves. If you can afford it however, this is the one of the best ways to go. Oh and one more thing: the spray foam cans say “apply in 55F or higher”. I will have to find the English equivalent to the odd item. Conduction is heat transfer through a material. Start With the Floor. Many people choose not to insulate their floor at all. Reflective Bubble Foil Campervan Insulation. I have been retrofitting a 2014 trillium trailer to be our winter ski camper. For this method of van window insulation we’re going to use a product called Reflectix. It’s a good option to make your own window covers (to reflect the sun), but we prefer EZ-COOL as it is more resistant to tear and doesn’t have that annoying foil noise. However, with proper van insulation and heat management you can be comfortable in sub-freezing temperatures. Somewhat related. Low-E insulation (formerly EZ-COOL) is sold as a “radiant-barrier”. Window insulation products create a barrier to help prevent heat loss in cold weather. The window mats, much like the rest of your insulation, can regulate in two directions - not only do they trap heat inside the van for warmth, they also reflect sunlight stopping the air inside your van from heating up excessively and thereby keeping the vehicle pleasantly cool. If you had a heater (which would be hard in in a Sienna) then it would definitely help a bit. Van insulation... welcome to the most controversial topic since the creation of #Vanlife! R-value is determined with test ASTM C518 (“Standard Test Method for Steady-State Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Heat Flow Meter Apparatus”). I’m a bit surprised there is no discussion regarding wool, it’s an awesome insulator. must be fully expanded. Other van dwellers have used bubble-foil materials such as Reflectix or InfraStop. Aspen Areogels. Also note that it is a much more permanent solution. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences! Many people choose to have yellow spray foam professionally installed. We didn’t completely covered the Thinsulate to let it “breathe” (the EZ-COOL act as a vapor barrier). Living in a vehicle is a unique situation. This insulation material mounts directly to … Sheetmetal is very efficient at conducting the summer’s heat straight in to the van. WeatherTech Sunshades for 2001 - 2006 Mercedes Sprinter ... 2007 - 2018 Sprinter Cargo & Crew Van Window HeatShields. I’m pretty sold on doing polyiso on the walls of my van, XPS on the floor, and reflectix for the wheel wells. Also, some kind of mattress pad to keep you off the cold floor goes a long way. warped van panels), Material properties (i.e. If you are placing an air gap in your walls, this will give you a double dose of insulation bringing the value up to R-7. After 2 winters of full-time vanlife at temperatures as low as -22F (-30C) and up to 95F (35C), we recommend to insulate your van with: We personally used Thinsulate in our van. Indeed, attaching the 80/20 aluminum directly to the van metal creates excellent thermal bridges and as a result, the 80/20 inside your van will be almost as cold as the van metal! I’m a student ski mountaineer in the canadian rockies. Or just go with straight plywood and skip insulating this area entirely. Beautiful read, very useful. It has an R-value of R-5. It has an R-value of up to R-6. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click a product link and buy anything from the merchant (Amazon, eBay, etc.) It’s all about reflectivity, not insulation capacity. Combine this information with our post on how to heat your van, and you’ll be well on your way to a warm and cozy winter. Its still beneficial to seal off as much moisture coming in from the outside as possible, but it’s best to go in with the mindset that the interior will be exposed to moisture in some form or another. Cab window insulation kits and covers for the Ram Promaster van work great for hot or cold weather. Because i wonder even if i use a water resistant product like the Polysio it will produce a thermic contrast who will produce water since its right on the metal, then what happen with that water? Just like the flooring, foam board can be cut to size using a box cutter. Recommended to you based on your activity and what's popular • Feedback Sprinter Van Custom Fit Insulation Kits This product can double both the heating and cooling efficiency of your vehicle no matter what the climate you operate in. keep doing that. Having an RV that's well insulated will make for an enjoyable cold weather camping experience. Is. The marine grade material cab covers work great for hot weather areas and are very durable with full privacy. What We’ll Cover Almost ready to kickoff my project! Home / Shop / Van Build Parts / Insulation Default sorting Sort by popularity Sort by average rating Sort by latest Sort by price: low to high Sort by price: high to low Showing the single result Foam board is lightweight and can be easily attached to the walls. If you want to keep your van as warm as possible throughout the winter, you will want to address all three types of heat transfer: radiation, conduction and convection. To combat this window insulation mats are available in many sizes and styles. R-value decrease substantially at cold temperature. Insulation keeps heat in your vehicle and is complimented by our tips on how to heat your van in winter. We have passenger window and cargo area window sets ready to go too. So, to the question “Is it worth shoving insulation inside frames, knowing heat will find a way around (thermal bridges)?”, we think it’s worth it. Seal everything up with spray foam or tape so moisture will not get inside. Hot air rising above an intense heat source. However, if you want to make sure the walls are really sealed for moisture, you’ll want to use a spray foam to adhere the boards to the wall. Whats up with all the Reflectix disputes? However because of the open cells, moisture can build up within the spaces. With its high value, this is another great (and less expensive) choice for insulation. Since we moved full-time in our van (2017), we had anything between -22F (-30C) and +95F (+35C) and we’re in a good position to say it’s a tried-and-true van insulation material. The best vanlife insulation is not just about R-Value, it’s also about: With that in mind, here is how we insulated our campervan: To be efficient, any compressible insulation material (thinsulate, wool, etc.) The goal of adding insulation is to combat heat loss. the facts have been discussed is really important. Yellow spray foam has an excellent R-value of 6.5. No, we don’t think radiant heated floor is necessary (but could be a nice luxury); a pair of slippers is just fine and much more energy efficient! Make sure to plan all of the wiring and accessories out before you attempt to tackle the roof. However if, for any reason, moist air makes its way past the vapor barrier, it would be very hard to dry that moist air because it would be sandwiched between two vapor barrier layers (remember that metal is a vapor barrier too). Fiberglass has an R-value between 3-4 depending on the type installed. Thinsulate works as both a thermal barrier to block conductive heat and sound barrier. The more dense a material, the closer the atoms are from each others and the more they transfer energy to their adjacent atoms (by physically colliding to each others). If this happens, there’s nothing you can do. As such I have noticed that I am dealing with a lot of condensation which has led to mold so now I’m trying to deal with that issue to try and get me through the winter rainy season here do you have any suggestions to help reduce the amount condensation I have to deal with in the van, it appears from what i read my best solution is going to be to open the front windows slighlty and place a small fan to circulate the air more as i dont have a roof vent yet at this time, am I correct in that assumption? Any other insight from this group? No chemicals added? I’m going to use polyiso for the insulation for my van. John. On windows, Reflectix is a light and easy material to work with. That’s important, especially if you’re using 80/20 aluminum extrusions for your build (structure, cabinets, etc). You can make cheap & dirty Reflectix covers to reflect the sun in summer, but if you are skiers like us you will want something that performs better… To minimize heat loss during winter, we made insulated window covers out of ez-cool + thinsulate + fabric. Not really an issue for you. Polyiso is rated at an R-6. A van designed with more of a curve may require a more flexible material. These all options are very messy and often produce a lesser outcome. I recently have started living in a van (3ish months now) it’s a 2003 dodge ram 2500 van (extended) it was previously used by my grandfather for carpet and lino installs and because of the glue’s that he used he had already carpeted it and insulated and put wood paneling on the walls and roof…. According to this American Scientific Article, EPA does not recommend insulating paint: “We haven’t seen any independent studies that can verify their insulating qualities“. Great to hear! Thanks for the heads up! Please get in touch! Fiberglass does lose some of its insulation value when compressed so be careful to not pack it too tightly. Do your best to stuff these areas with any scrap foam you have laying around. Excellent breakdown of all the products available. Want to know more about winter vanlife? Great article on insulating my van. Can distort the van panels if applied in thick layers. We will be converting our new V.W crafter over the next few months and will keep you informed of how we are getting on. This means you will want the thickest insulation on your ceiling (assuming you are willing to give up a little headspace). It doesn’t have much R-Value, but it’s convenient to use as thermal break and for insulated window covers. Yellow spray foam can be one of the best ways to insulate your van if you have the patience and money. After the floor insulation has been laid down, seal up all of the seams with gorilla tape or equivalent. “We were looking for a healthy way to insulate our van and thank goodness Havelock is around! If you want to go this route, cargovanconversion.com has a great step-by-step video. All old rust spots should be removed and any gaping holes in the walls or floor repaired and sealed. Yellow spray foam can be expensive. We recommend Extruded polystyrene (XPS) for the floor. Therefore: Less dense materials are better insulator for conduction. placebo affect)? The collision of atoms between each others transfer heat. To mitigate the thermal bridges, a thermal break is added. The basic tools required to insulate include; double-sided tape, bubble wrap, hairdryer, window insulator film, reflectix, scissors and measuring tape. I bought it from him built a bed into it and have been living in it already, I realize noe that I should have paid more attention and possibly should have pulled more down and redone it. I produce alpaca fiber and plan to use it raw, ( not processed into batts) to insulate my barn. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. Energy is transferred through the electromagnetic waves, therefore thermal radiation can propage through vacuum (without the presence of matter). I know most of us don’t go down to 15 degrees, but if you do it may be something to consider. Your email address will not be published. GO. So regarding Poly-sio, which seems like the more environmental insulation compared to XPS, I have read that although it has good insulation properties, when the temp drops below 50 something degrees, the R-value can greatly decrease. I’m guessing this isn’t a fire hazard or creates other issues, but wanted to check with the expert first. If I use polyiso panels and fill the rest with yellow spray foam, is it fairly easy to later route wiring/conduit through the wall cavities (I.e. Proper insulation is a delicate balance between R-value, price and space constraints. Including everything in the insulation. None of those methods are going to have a great R-value but they will most certainly be better than bare metal. Once upon a time, someone decided to insulate his van with Reflectix and blogged about it. Overtime, the fiberglass insulation may become droopy or distorted due to vibrations of the vehicle. I will definitely be keeping this article for when I tackle my van conversion next year, I hope!. We talk more about Reflectix in our post about insulating for hot weather. This will allow you to accurately cut the necessary shape and it should fit almost perfectly. We and our van, love it. Once installed, it’s an extensive and messy process to scrape it all off if you need to address problems behind it. Insulating the Ceiling • How to insulate Windows. With an air gap, Reflectix has an R-value of about R-3. Essentially I would be making a large padded “cooler bag” for my cabin. Taking the trim off the inside of your sienna should be really easy (it is on my 2000) so you could insulate with something less permanent. Like these so much that I ordered covers for the side windows of my crew Van. I’m concerned that polyiso may be too rigid to work with. Subscribe. 2015 - 2020 Ford Transit 148" Low, Medium & High Roof Cargo Van Window HeatShield Sets *see description for correct fit. 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