| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 81 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 99.109.187.242 Rating: N/A |
As is true for many of us, the back rooms in our bus gets very warm on a summer day while we're rolling down the road. The engine heat really heats up the inside of the bus. I was looking at the engine compartment and it doesn't look like it would be too difficult to add some insulation to the area immediately behind and below the bedroom. Has anyone insulated their engine compartment? If so what kind of material did you use? I think it would need to be very fire resistant, have a reflective surface and not absorb moisture - or at least dry very quickly. What have you used? In my street rods, I used a 5/8" fibrous material with foil on both sides and it worked very well, but it was used in interior spaces. The material did not appear to be very absorbent and I don't know about it's fire retardent characteristics, but it was very easy to use and with the foil on both sides it would reflect a lot of IR energy. It came in rolled up 3' x 6' sheets. I used a 3M spray adhesive to apply. Do you think this would be acceptable in the engine compartment? DO you have other suggestions? Thanks in advance! | ||
| C. K.. Sparks (Kozycade)
Registered Member Username: Kozycade Post Number: 2 Registered: 7-2010 Posted From: 71.161.63.164 Rating: N/A |
Hey Jim, If heat rising from the motor hatch is your concern, you will have more sucess if you have your exhaust and manifolds worked with a ceramic powder coating. It can wreck havoc on your billfold though....just a sugestion. Kade | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1940 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
ductboard like they use for ac ducting works well. You should use it on inside also | ||
| doug yes (Dougg)
Registered Member Username: Dougg Post Number: 131 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 76.201.19.227 Rating: N/A |
Wrapping the exhaust with exhaust wrap (cheap at Advance Auto) will bring that heat source down considerably. | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 86 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 99.109.187.242 Rating: N/A |
Should I wrap everything from the exhaust manifolds all the way to the muffler? Would it benefit to wrap anything else? Any downside to doing this? | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 1898 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 174.89.172.133  Rating: N/A |
Big transit here is getting exhaust wrapped from the factory. That vinyl padded looking stuff that you fasten around the pipes. Fire is a big problem in the newer buses, with much higher engine room temps. With hydraulic lines for the cooling fan, one little leak, and up she goes, if the oil sprays or drips on the manifolds/turbo or exhaust pipes. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 88 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 99.109.187.242 Rating: N/A |
In the archives, there is a discussion about using rockwool board as an insulating material for the engine compartment. However, I didn't see any followup from the OP regarding how that worked out. Has anyone used rockwool board for insulation? If so, since it has no facing material, is there an acceptable reflective facing that could be applied? It isn't expensive and is apparently easy to work with. It does require to be 'pinned' to the metal, but that could be done w/ a good adhesive. Anybody had experience with this? | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1944 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157 Rating: N/A |
Duct board will do that and can be bent or curved. The stuff I used in generator compartment had foil on one side with a criss-cross fiberglass strand. Needed to be pinned with screws with body washers or something. Came in 4x8 sheets. Check out a heating/AC supply dealer to check it out.It helped lower noise level from old brown insulation board that used to be in there Also fire proof. | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 541 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 71.80.55.228  Rating: N/A |
Mineral wool has a higher temp rating. It is used for equipment enclosures that have to have a fire rating. The following from a Wickipedia article: " Though the individual fibres conduct heat very well, when pressed into rolls and sheets their ability to partition air makes them excellent heat insulators and sound absorbers. Though not immune to the effects of a sufficiently hot fire, the fire resistance of fibreglass, stone wool and ceramic fibres makes them common building materials when passive fire protection is required, being used as spray fireproofing, in stud cavities in drywall assemblies and as packing materials in firestops. Mineral wools are unattractive to rodents but will provide a structure for bacterial growth if allowed to become wet. Other uses are in resin bonded panels, growth medium in hydroponics, filler in compounds for gaskets, brake pads, in plastics in the automotive industry and as a filtering medium. Mineral fibres are produced in the same way, without binder. The fibre as such is used as a raw material for its reinforcing purposes in various applications, such as friction materials, gaskets, plastics and coatings. The heat that the material can withstand is: Material Temperature Glass wool 230 - 250 °C Stone wool 700 - 850 °C Ceramic fibre wool 1200 °C " I am certain it would give the coach better protection = more time if an oil or fuel leak caused a fire.Duct board DOES work well for noise though. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 1351 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.211.24.130  Rating: N/A |
I am in process of "trying" just plain old good quality carpet pad......yes, you read right. Had a roll of 1/2 inch very dense left over from a job. I can't remember where I read it over last winter, on the Internet...done by Trucking companies, as I recall....but I decided I would try it. And pleased to date with the result. I built a new Generator enclosure and completely covered the inside with it...top and sides, as close as a couple of inches to the engine. Built an air duct, thru the door with proper sizing as described in the Onan Manual. It has been used on several trips, door closed, and run for 2-3 hours at at time with no visible sign of excess heat to this point. But am keeping a close eye each time, with fire extinguishers next to the enclosure. Much quieted the generator and have had folks say that is the quietest they have ever heard. (Onan NHD 6500...2 mufflers...not wrapped at this point.) Time, I s'pose, will tell. FWIW RCB (Message edited by Chuckllb on August 10, 2010) | ||
| Justin Griffith (Justin25taylor)
Registered Member Username: Justin25taylor Post Number: 56 Registered: 4-2007 Posted From: 72.181.54.67 Rating: N/A |
I had some success with a method somewhat similar to what R.C. is using. Before I put the pad down, I went to an X-ray place and they gave me some thin sheets of lead. I put about 4 layers of the lead down followed by the carpet insulation. I did this on the top side and when I had my last engine done, I had to pull it out (not that bad) It works pretty good for both heat and noise back there. Justin 85 Eagle 10 (Message edited by justin25taylor on August 12, 2010) (Message edited by justin25taylor on August 12, 2010) |