Insulation

  There are as many ways to insulate a van as there are toothpaste choices in a supermarket. From the type of material (fiberglass, spray or rigid foam, sheep wool, Rockwool, squirrel fur...) to the type of boundary layer (none, vapor barrier, aluminum foil, bubble film, smart membrane...) to the myriad of fastening options (glue, foam, compression, grooves, stick-on pins, wishful thinking...) 🤔
 
  Greg Virgoe's 'Van conversion insulation workshop' video is a good introducion to this hotly debated topic 😤
 
  Many people also leverage techniques from building science. But be aware that the specificities of a van, like vibrations or totally hermetic outside metal walls, change a lot of considerations (vapor & condensation management, fastening, weight...).
 
  Since my objectives were:
  • Ease of installation & removal to facilitate acces and modifications
  • No or minimal airborne fibers or outgassing of pollutants
  • No magic marketing voodoo, no itching, no harming of animals 😅
it meant that a vapor barrier, spray foam, LizardSkin, fiberglass and squirrel fur were out.

  The insulation stack in this van consists of 3 layers, for the most part:
  • 3M Thinsulate SM600 in the wall & ceiling cavities, 1 to 2 layers
  • 1/4" plywood panels that form the finished walls
  • 3/16" gap between the panels and the van walls, via spacers at each bolt hole. To reduce thermal conduction with the metal walls. Some of the gaps might later get filled with C70 Thinsulate 2.2oz to lower thermal convection
  Note that one of the key techniques used here to reduce thermal losses is an airtight ceiling and no ceiling fans, for reasons detailed in the 'Shower & Toilet Fans' post.
 
  The installation is pretty straightforward, not much to show here. It will span months while electrical conduits, boxes, pipes, plywood paneling, etc, get installed.
 
  In the bottom wall cavities the batts end 4" short of the floor to facilitate proper condensation drainage to the weep holes.
 
  All pillars were also stuffed with batts. Which required fishing a wire through first, then attaching strips of Thinsulate to it and pulling them through as this photo poorly demonstrates:
1
 
  Interestingly, the NVX foam tiles seem to present non negligeable insulation properties. In narrow spaces where not much Thinsulate can be laid down, it might be a good complementary layer to further reduce thermal losses to the bare metal walls. Mental note for next time... 🤔

____________________________________ 

 
 
<<< previous post: Shower & Toilet Fans
 

Comments

Post a Comment