Fuel for Thought

Insulation Job

By Eric
Posted Apr 25th 2013 9:50AM

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The idea was to beef up the insulation in the front half of the vehicle, so the auxiliary air conditioner would have less work to do. The air conditioner part of the job has a bit of a set back. The insulation part of the project is finished. The photos show some of the materials and steps involved in the insulation job.

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The supply list included—two and a half sheets of one inch insulation board ($14 each), two 2x25 foot roll of Reflectix reflective bubble wrap ($28 each), three cans of spray foam ($3), six tubes of construction adhesive ($3.50 each), and a few sections of the thin sheets of underlayment foam ($6 for one bundle).


The walls already had a layer of Reflectix. On top of that layer I added one inch of foam board and another layer of Reflectix. I used construction adhesive to hold the boards up, but the primary thing really holding the boards in place is the spray foam around the edges and in the gaps between foam pieces. I tried a couple tubes of adhesive made for specifically for foam board, but it didn’t seem to make a difference, and it took a lot longer for it to set up. The Loctite general purpose construction adhesive didn’t mention foam in it’s “don’t use with…” list, so that may have something to do with it too.


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When installing the first layer of Reflectix it performs better if there is space between it and the outer lay it is next too. If the Reflectix is touching a surface, heat can transfer through convection which defeats Reflectix’s reflective advantage. One photo shows how I used thin strips of Reflectix to give my main layer of Reflectix a standoff from the wall of the van.


The partition is underlayment foam sandwiched between Reflectix. The sections are hinged with fabric glued to the board and covered with aluminum tape and/or Reflectix. A couple one inch straps of webbing hold the folded partition to the ceiling when not in use. Not pictured is a space blanket curtain that hangs on the passenger side of the partition for access past the partition.


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