insulate my van

Whats best, cheap and effective?

Was thinking of laminate floor insulation for the floor and something sealed for the walls.

Got about 50-70mm in the wall space before I replace the ply.

Cheers

seen old carpet/underlay used
also seen bubble wrap used but it did,'t last

If you are doing it for warmth dont forget some under the floor- i know from experience tht this reduces the temperature in the back the most!

that yellow foam stuff with silver foil backing.

or wood with straw for insulation

thats what the laminate floor stuff was for, will have a look in b&q i think

did a works van in it.
stuck it on with mastic.

Depends what you consider cheap.

Even a cheapish method of foil backed bubble wrap will start adding up when you price in the high temp glue required. Personally I don't this is very effective as its designed to have a void on both sides. People also use camping mat glued to the panels.

Best avoid fibreglass or rockwool as it soaks up moisture, can drop to the bottom of each panel and then feed the rust bugs.

If you can budget £420, spray insulation is the dogs danglies. Its what they spray inside shipping containers and warehouse roofs with. Mask off all metalwork and ribs you want to keep clean, sheet over the cab opening and floor, and thats the hardest bit over with. You need to be careful to keep away from lock mechanisms (bit of fibreglass round them to stop any cold spots) and keep checking that the mix stays correct otherwise the foam won't set, or won't expand. I used it on my van, the £420 kit did the walls and ceiling of a mwb hi-top Iveco, same as a LWB Transit. http://www.spray-insulation.co.uk/

P.S. Don't even think about cans of squirty foam – it'll cost a fortune, its highly flammable, (unless you get the fire rated stuff) is open cell so absorbs moisture, and is impossibly messy to try and cover a flat surface.

I used the Kingspan/Celotex insulation board that Ton speaks of for the floor, downside is you need to batten out the floor at 600mm centres, and will need 12mm ply minimum to go back over the top.

Finally, I know some of the camper van converters just line the back of the ply with some sort of blanket insulation, then screw it back onto the van. Cheap and quick, avoids the problem of damp insulation sitting against the metal panels, but probably not as effective.

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I posted this on the T4 forum, but you need to subscribe to view it there so here it is for all to see. Much warmer after, but still wish I'd put more under the floor:

After much reading, pondering and confusion I finally settled on a plan of attack and this is what happened…..

The plan was to accept the fact that condensation was going to happen regardless and chose materials that would not absorb it. OK, so I may end up with puddles in places, but I'd rather that than fret about how much had been absorbed by what where. I drive around with the windows open pretty much all year round as it is. I read various threads on talk audio about soundproofing and worried about the weight of the flashing tape (shouldn't have) and had intended to get some acoustic felt for the floor but that never materialised. I'm still dead chuffed with the results though.

Flashing tape two layers thick on the wheel arches, and the rest of the roll spread around:

3mm acoustic foam underlay on top of that:

Followed by Celotex (25mm on the top, 50mm on the bottom):

Then the tin foil bubble wrap:

Two layers of acoustic foam went on the floor:

Followed by more bubble wrap:

I also put two layers of the acoustic foam topped by a layer of the bubble wrap in the roof. I had planned to use the celotex but the 25mm stuff has just a tad too thick so I couldn't get the panels in neatly.

Then, seeing as I blew the money I had to ply the inside on a new stereo (well I ask you, what is more important?) the old AA panels had to go back in:

I can't believe how much difference it has made to the level of noise in the cab. We can now have a chat at 70mph at normal levels, and that's saying something for me as I suffer from tinitus and struggle isolating sounds as it is! Is it warmer? I don't know I've still got to order the bed.

Quantities used:

1 sheet 50mm celotex, 1/3 left (Wickes)
1 sheet 25mm celotex, 1/3 left (Wickes)
2 rolls (60mm x 8m) Tin foil bubble wrap (Wickes)
2 packs (10m2) Acoustic Underlay, poo loads left (Screwfix)
1 Roll Silver Duck Tape (Screwfix)
1 Roll Double sided carpet tape (Screwfix)
1 Roll (225x10m) Flashing tape (Screwfix)

As you can see I've not done the barn doors (or the SLD) yet, I've still got parts of the AA chevrons to remove, so need to pop the door handles off. I'll probably get another roll of flashing tape for these. If I'd have known how easily it went on, and the fact its nowhere near as heavy as I though it was going to be I'd have used more in the first place.

As soon as I get the wheels back from the powdercoater I'll post some pics of the outside.

Damion, don't think you'll get any condensation problems in there, the foil bubblewrap is taped all round so will act as a vapour barrier, and the fact you taped the walls before adding the insulation board will help as well 🙂

Thanks spooky, yeah, its been in nearly a year now and not had any problems with with condensation dripping on my head like in the old van.

Damion, I've done the same with my ex-AA T4, but I've also carpet lined the inside, and covered the existing floor in hard wearing amdro flooring.

Much warmer/quieter, but I think I need to put flashing tape round the front wheel arches.

PSA – Wickes online is cheapest by a long way for silver bubble wrap.

I've stuck camping mats in my Landy, they we're £2 each from local 'everything cheap shop' they have a silver foil on one side. Stuck 'em on with Carpet tape, whole 110 Landy insulated for less than £20

Thermafleece and hemp matting.

looks good Damion I think you have a clear winner and a reminder to take pics as I go!! Will post some results

just found the spray foam site not sure if I'm quite up for the gimp suit

damion how much weight did that add?

That looks really good Damion. And the step by step pics are a good way of showing what you have done.
I have used the rockwool method and having been in the back of my van recently, there was ice droplets on my roof so I don't know how much moisture has crept into the insulation!

IMO If you plan on sleeping in your van, don't use foam. As it cures (over a long time) its gives off VOC's that can make you feel like crap in the am. Just my experience. You may be able to get stuff that is not solvent based so have a good hunt around first.

Excellent thread and pics guys. Going to do the same to my VW.
Homebase doing the thermawrap foil bubblewrap stuff 2 for 1 at the moment, B&W were recently aswell.
Is there an easy to find place to get that celotez stuff from – screwfix?

What about installing a Leisure battery and some
electrical sockets for those remote places.
Anyone have advice on this too
Can you stop condensation?
Great thread

[/quote]its gives off VOC's

thats half the fun!!

A quick google will give answers on batteries, Found a couple of good transit ones, kit is available from any online Caravan shop (might have to engage stealth browsing for that)