| Author | Message | ||
| Peter River (Whitebus)
Registered Member Username: Whitebus Post Number: 157 Registered: 4-2009 Posted From: 204.62.64.30  Rating: N/A |
Here's a thought. in order to be WELL insulated, at least 4" of insulation right? Instead of insulation, how about a cabinet space, that can be filled with clothing, towels, and other stuff that can double as insulation material? so instead of having dead spaces, my walls can be full of tilt out cabinet doors with plenty of storage for god knows what. about 6" deep. and if that doesn't work, then I can just stuff the pink stuff into those cabinets. thoughts? | ||
| Ralph Peters (Ralph7)
Registered Member Username: Ralph7 Post Number: 60 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 206.251.5.175 Rating: N/A |
I removed the original roof an side interior pannels, did not remove the original insulation, and added 1in. styro. and on windows the same. Now with 1500 watt electric heator the bus keeps 20-25 degrees above outside temp. Also the 13,500 AC unit keeps it cool. Oh used 1/2 in plywood on walls and frp on roof. | ||
| Ralph Peters (Ralph7)
Registered Member Username: Ralph7 Post Number: 61 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 206.251.5.175 Rating: N/A |
I removed the original roof an side interior pannels, did not remove the original insulation, and added 1in. styro. and on windows the same. Now with 1500 watt electric heator the bus keeps 20-25 degrees above outside temp. Also the 13,500 AC unit keeps it cool. Oh used 1/2 in plywood on walls and frp on roof. | ||
| hojji firemaker (Hojjifiremaker)
Registered Member Username: Hojjifiremaker Post Number: 46 Registered: 4-2008 Posted From: 67.142.162.33  Rating: N/A |
I didn't insulate at all. The interior of our bus is absolutely beautiful and spacious... I have a propane heater, but I usually use the wood stove. It heats the bus up to 110 degrees if I want... My last bus had a full sauna in the rear. Anything is possible. Insulation will definitely make your heating and cooling more efficient, but is not necessary. | ||
| doug yes (Dougg)
Registered Member Username: Dougg Post Number: 105 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 67.142.161.32 Rating: N/A |
If you are going to remove the original insulation you will have condensation to deal with if it's not reinsulated. | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 1721 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 76.71.103.244  Rating: N/A |
The key word when it comes to the insulation topic is efficiency. Or, in other words, what you want it to cost to keep it warm or cold inside, versus what it will cost you to improve the insulation, put up against your intended use and duty cycle of the coach. Weekend warriors don't have to care nearly as much as full timers do with heating/cooling costs. Cabinets that allow air circulation, in and out, or around inside, will not insulate very well. Insulation is about filling space with a material that will make dead air, and prevent convection currents. I doubt linens will perform very well in that regard. In order to better make a decision, consider that the stock insulation does a fair job by itself. My MC8 will stay 70 degrees inside in the sunshine at 95 degrees outside with two roof airs and all the stock double pane windows installed. No awnings or shading. Or, perhaps I should say, as long as I get them running from the morning, the roof airs can keep up long enough for the sun to get lower in the sky. How much excess capacity in order to pull down the temp in a hot coach would be debatable. With more insulation, some windows removed, the air conditioners would more than likely cycle somewhat, and not run flat out, using less energy. Same on the heating side, it simply takes more energy to keep it warm than it would if I thickened up the insulation and blocked off some windows. The big Webasto plumbed into the stock coach heaters and a bypass switch on the coach blowers, and even pulling in fresh air, will keep it toasty into arctic conditions, but I can burn up to a gallon an hour of diesel flat out. Other solutions will be used when I get around to it, but it works just fine for right now. So, it all depends what you want to do with the coach, and what you want your ongoing operational needs to be. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 607 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.53.155.14  Rating: N/A |
I ran across a situation when building my new garage. 30x40 with 16 ft ceilings, 14 ft roll up door,12 ft wide. I wanted to have the company insulate it and it would cost an extra 2 grand for the materials let alone the labor. I settled on just the ceiling and they put it in with bubble wrap that is about a 1/4 in thick. I checked around and found Lowes could order what size I needed,which was 10 ft wide. It came in a roll 125ft long and I cut it and used a/c foil tape to fasten it to the beams and then put wafer board up 8 ft. before I was able to put the stuff up my garage would hit over 100 on a day it was only 80 outside. after putting it all together I found it would at 95, would keep it about 90. I am putting it also under the paneling in the coach and byw it has a r rating of r16. I am wweeeeelllll pleased with it. Gomer | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 938 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.246.8 Rating: N/A |
Hoji...can't xactly agree with you there....condensation will become an even bigger factor IMHO with no insulation (assuming open space between layers...skin and interior layer). Where ever steel is involved.... rust is in the equation, even if delayed due to primed, painted or otherwise coated surfaces. Interior heat warms the metal...outside temps cold = moisture in between closed layers where no/minimum air circulates...Cold inside and hot metal outside...same thing. A law of something...Physics??? Others on this board more qualified to 'splain that than I am.  Most folks, I am quite sure, would rather not have to deal with rust.....anymore than they have already dealt with it....  AS FF says "do it your way"... RCB What BW says is right on the money. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 939 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.246.8 Rating: N/A |
Gomer...your post came in while I was typing, I s'pose...good point! I stripped all..to the metal, then 1 inch styrofoam, foil backed on one side (all that was available at the time), Foil Bubble insulation, then 1/2 inch plywood, finished with 1/16 paneling. Bottom line...OK....but it all has to do with the amount of GLASS!...as others have said so many times (see archives). In southern New Mexico...the third world BTW, in full sun, midsummer, any year, it will reach 106 inside. (this year I put up a 45' x 18' "bus port"...no metal top...Greenhouse fabric...GREAT improvement!!!!!...would recommend to anyone) Glass roughly 50% each side, front and large rear (rear has auto bubble type foil guard),2 @ 6 inch skylights (we love 'em, 'specially on moonlit nights...they'er inspection ports available thru Defender...Marine Co). Basement A/C will cool it down pretty good from that temp, but one definitely knows it is warm. Takes a while to be significant cooling. Also we use black screens on the windows...inside...if it were not for that, who knows what the temps would be. All,I think...purchased at Lowes.....however, I note things are a bit different today for what is available. FWIW... and HTH. RCB | ||
| hojji firemaker (Hojjifiremaker)
Registered Member Username: Hojjifiremaker Post Number: 48 Registered: 4-2008 Posted From: 67.142.162.36 Rating: N/A |
R.C., You may very well be correct. We live in our bus full time, cook, wash dishes, steam can food, have a wood stove, have a double headed shower, a 85 gallon bath tub, 2 sinks, full capacity washer and dryer, a swamp cooler, and a toilet... there is a lot of water/heat going on in here... We use the emergency exit vents all the time, as well as some roof vents I have installed. even in the snow with the wood stove blazing or the propane heater on, we do not have a condensation issue. In my last bus, we did. It had a 10 person sauna in the rear, and when we opened the door into the main body of the bus, the steam would come out in a huge mist, and then driplets would form on the roof... I am not saying it is good for it, but It hasn't been a problem.... (I was raised in a bus as a kid, and this is my 5th year living in my own... ) ...........yet.................. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 940 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.210.246.8 Rating: N/A |
Hoji....my suggestion.... Trade buses....OFTEN... RCB | ||
| hojji firemaker (Hojjifiremaker)
Registered Member Username: Hojjifiremaker Post Number: 55 Registered: 4-2008 Posted From: 67.142.162.34 Rating: N/A |
that is funny. | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 581 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 75.219.250.154  Rating: N/A |
If you have any bare metal on the inside, such as aluminum roof/ceiling, coat it with undercoating and you should not have any problems, that's what I did when I ripped my interior out. | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 75 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 68.113.38.62  Rating: N/A |
I have never heared anyone say the wish they had less insulation. | ||
| Rob Norgren (Robsedona)
Registered Member Username: Robsedona Post Number: 143 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 75.209.58.204  Rating: N/A |
LOL yes never heard that ether always gave me MORE I'm hot I;m cold Now its use less energy! I think using a cabinet as insulation will have a lot of air gaps letting heat in and cold out at the wrong times of the year tight seal on the out side and on the inside of your insulation is what you want Drafts defeat the purpose of insulation. So as I see it the doors of these cabinets would have to have a tight seal and some kind of lock down that pulls the doors down hard Like wing nuts and rubber seals. Then their is the moisture factor also you might wind up with moldy shirts oh the smell the wife will have a fit over a little money. Just my way Rob (Message edited by Robsedona on October 03, 2009) (Message edited by Robsedona on October 03, 2009) | ||
| Tom Christman (Tchristman)
Registered Member Username: Tchristman Post Number: 132 Registered: 1-2006 Posted From: 66.218.33.156 Rating: N/A |
What I did for insulation, which has been very effective-after stripping the bus down to the bare shell, I screwed 1x2 fir stripping lengthwise to the cross members at about one foot spacing. This does two thing-one it extends the wall out past the metal supports so the insulation covers everything, and it allows you something to readily screw your wall and ceiling to. Then had foam insulation sprayed to the level of the 1x2's making for 2.25" of insulation-which is more then enough. It works so well, I'm using this method again on my truck conversion. Good Luck, TomC | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 952 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.211.30.51 Rating: N/A |
Tom...interesting...WHY did you not fill the gap with at lease some insulation prior to "screwing your wall to the furring"? Glass....glass is a huge key!...FWIW RCB (Message edited by chuckllb on October 11, 2009) |