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Wed Oct 15, 2014 3:56 pm

Clara,

You are correct. When you have a bare, hot, metal surface, and you put insulation against it (bubble wrap, old carpet, cardboard), you are not going to feel the heat as much. The first increment of insulation is the most important. Foil bubble wrap is about R1. So is an enclosed air space (more or less), such as the space between the interior panel and the body. If you want to increase the comfort of a bus in cold or heat, add insulation. The higher the R-value, the less the heat loss. Bubble wrap has the lowest R-value of any product you can buy. That may still be enough for your needs.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:00 pm

Don66bus wrote: Clara,

You are correct. When you have a bare, hot, metal surface, and you put insulation against it (bubble wrap, old carpet, cardboard), you are not going to feel the heat as much. The first increment of insulation is the most important. Foil bubble wrap is about R1. So is an enclosed air space (more or less), such as the space between the interior panel and the body. If you want to increase the comfort of a bus in cold or heat, add insulation. The higher the R-value, the less the heat loss. Bubble wrap has the lowest R-value of any product you can buy. That may still be enough for your needs.

Yeah thats my worry as I camp in the bus. Im still going to see how this styrospan works out, its a true R5.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:06 pm

Don66bus wrote: Clara,

You are correct. When you have a bare, hot, metal surface, and you put insulation against it (bubble wrap, old carpet, cardboard), you are not going to feel the heat as much. The first increment of insulation is the most important. Foil bubble wrap is about R1. So is an enclosed air space (more or less), such as the space between the interior panel and the body. If you want to increase the comfort of a bus in cold or heat, add insulation. The higher the R-value, the less the heat loss. Bubble wrap has the lowest R-value of any product you can buy. That may still be enough for your needs.
Don,

Not feeling the heat (or cold) as much is pretty much the point of insulating. :)
If the shiny bubble wrap is R1, it is a huge difference. Maybe it works differently in a VW bus than under concrete. ???
You are correct, the first layer was the most noticeable difference. I then added a second layer and then the ceiling panels. These layers were not sandwiched tightly against each other, or even glued to the roof. There was some air space in between each layer.
I guess I could take pics of a thermometer to compare temps, but haven't bothered.

This is one method; it worked well for me so I've used it again. I'm sure there are others that work well also.

I have camped in cold, even freezing weather. Often in a damp climate.
I would not recommend carpet or cardboard for insulating your bus, as they hold moisture.

Sat Oct 18, 2014 8:29 pm

So I insulated the bus today. Did something new, styrospan 1" with a true r5 plus the air should be a little more.

It has a tounge and groove which worked in my favour.

Sat Oct 18, 2014 10:48 pm

Home Depot does not stock the bubble wrap as in the past but you can however order it from them online.

Sun Oct 19, 2014 7:56 am

from VW technical bulletin:

Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:41 am

Clara wrote: from VW technical bulletin:

Wow that's crazy :) what's expansit, looks similar to what I put in. Any stories about it?

Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:55 am

Roger H wrote: Home Depot does not stock the bubble wrap as in the past but you can however order it from them online.
Any HVAC supply sells it for insulating metal duct work.

Sun Oct 19, 2014 12:15 pm

[quote="matt94gt"] Clara wrote: from VW technical bulletin:

Wow that's crazy :) what's expansit, looks similar to what I put in. Any stories about it?
It looks like a hard foam that can be cut with a hacksaw blade. That technical bulletin is from from 1959. Here is the previous page, which says the 'Expansit' insulating boards are 30mm thick.

It also says you can protect your cargo floor against corrosion with 'bituminous paint', which sounds a lot like roofing tar.

Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:13 pm

[quote="Clara"] matt94gt wrote: Clara wrote: from VW technical bulletin:

Wow that's crazy :) what's expansit, looks similar to what I put in. Any stories about it?
It looks like a hard foam that can be cut with a hacksaw blade. That technical bulletin is from from 1959. Here is the previous page, which says the 'Expansit' insulating boards are 30mm thick.

It also says you can protect your cargo floor against corrosion with 'bituminous paint', which sounds a lot like roofing tar.

Cool thanks for posting this, I also am putting 3M undercoating on the floors, so its pretty much as if I followed those instructions without knowing. :P

Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:15 pm

Matt94gt... How'd it go? Squeaky? Now that its spring, have you camped? Thanks for sharing!