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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / April 2006Are camper vans insulated?
I'm in the market for a used van, after giving up on trying to insulate a work van with dumpster-dove foam pads. I'm too much of an eco-bunny to use spray foam! So in my search, I'm seeing used VW Campers, including Westfalias, for sale, but are those things insulated at all? I'm not asking for much; just as much as the little bit of insulation possessed by your average little old travel trailer would be good enough! On the other hand, I could line the work van with chicken wire and stuff straw behind it......Or old wool sweaters! An eco-bunny's dream come true! Thanks! Greta > I'm too much of an eco-bunny to use spray foam! Even with 0 CFCs? Sheesh. <sigh> A true echo-bunny would not drive, period - much less drive a van! If they did not BIKE it and tent camp, they might use a Toyota Corolla - and tent camp. > I'm not asking for much; You think not, eh? > just as much as the little bit of insulation possessed by your average > little old travel trailer would be good enough! Those are STUDDED walls! Usually three-inches (or more) THICK. With insulation FILLING the voids. > On the other hand, I could line the work van with chicken wire and > stuff straw behind it......Or old wool sweaters! An eco-bunny's dream > come true! Troll, troll!! <ahem> Use a good sleeping bag if there isn't a place to plug-in an extension cord to run a little electric heater. Eco-bunny, my grandmother's corset cover!  Signature:) JR 2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 >I'm in the market for a used van, after giving up on trying to insulate >a work van with dumpster-dove foam pads. I'm too much of an eco-bunny [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >Thanks! >Greta Hi, They may have a little insulation between the walls. But not much. You can tell by looking at the walls inside and out that they are not very thick. Not designed for continued cold weather use, IMO. Most of these old Westfalias are rust buckets unless they have been very well maintained or restored. In which case they are not going to be cheap. While travel trailers walls are not very thick either they will probably be a little thicker and offer more room for insulation then a van. Your best bet is to glue styrofoam insulation panels to the inside of a vans walls and roof then cover with something. You pick the something :) Take care and Happy Insulating. SignatureRichA "We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart" > I'm in the market for a used van, after giving up on trying to insulate > a work van with dumpster-dove foam pads. I'm too much of an eco-bunny > to use spray foam! My Class B is partially insulated. The fiberglass cap has insulation in it, and behind walls in the back area some of the pink fiberglass insulation was added where possible. All of the doors are not insulated. I can keep the inside at 70 degrees when the temp outside is near zero. Takes a lot of propane for the heater, but it stays warm inside. SignatureJon JPinOH Thanks everyone! All that info gives me a clue about things; that's good. JR, what, pray tell, is a corset COVER? :} Okay, JR, here's why the eco-bunny has a van and wants to heat it: a) I'm not using it for recreational trips. It is to be my full-time home, instead of the travel trailer I'm currently living in full-time. b) I want this home to be self-portable, when time comes to move it, rather than having to find a truck to rent or borrow when that time comes. c) I drive it as little as possible. I am accustomed to living without a vehicle, and mostly get rides with others, walk, etc. d) I have pets that need heat; especially the one that has a chronic respiratory ailment. If I leave the space unheated, they would need to be in the bag with me all night, and I wouldn't get much sleep. e) It also would get quite damp in there in the wet months, which are most of the year. Combination of lack of sleep, and cold damp full-time living quarters, makes for a cranky, unhappy ecobunny. Update: Looks like the old phone-company work van that I have, is going to be successfully lined with dumpster-dived foam mattresses and cushions, held up by field fencing from the local junkyard, and then covered with small-mesh chicken wire, also from the junkyard, to keep my little pets from getting into the foam and shredding it! I'll probably put colored fabric behind the wire for aesthetics. >Okay, JR, here's why the eco-bunny has a van and wants to heat it: >a) I'm not using it for recreational trips. It is to be my full-time [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >my little pets from getting into the foam and shredding it! I'll >probably put colored fabric behind the wire for aesthetics. Hi, What you are talking about doing is not going to be very pleasurable or comfortable or healthful for you or your pets. I don't know your situation but living in a van full time is not good. You have no safe way to heat it and no sanitary facilities. It's one thing to be an eco-bunny it's quite another to live like you are talking. You should be looking for a better real home. Good Luck SignatureRichA "We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart" I see where RichA <richatpa*nospam*@epix.net> contributed concerning posts by "greta" <spoonlegs@rawfoods.com> [AKA Ecobunny}: > What you are talking about doing is not going to be very pleasurable or >comfortable or healthful for you or your pets. I don't know your >situation but living in a van full time is not good. You have no safe >way to heat it and no sanitary facilities. It's one thing to be an >eco-bunny it's quite another to live like you are talking. You should >be looking for a better real home. Something smells very fishy here, and I don't exclude BO from the equation. This Greta is either trolling or a nut case with access to a 'puter. Rich's advice is of course very good, but IMO wasted on a dimwit or fool. Ignoring the brain problem associated with anyone actually thinking of insulating a utility van for full-time living with animals, there is a FACT she may not understand. (Assuming she not a pure-bred Troll). That fact: the most wonderful possible insulation will NOT prevent loss of heat under cold conditions - the only function of insulation is to slow the movement of heat/cold. Dumb plan by a hopelessly witless party, IMO. Will Sill The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill >I see where RichA <richatpa*nospam*@epix.net> contributed concerning >posts by "greta" <spoonlegs@rawfoods.com> [AKA Ecobunny}: [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >Will Sill >The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill Considering this person is posting through DirectPC, Hughesnet, I suspect the troll. After all, if one can afford a Sat system, and a computer, one should be able to afford some real housing. SignatureFrank Tabor Alright, guys, I can see this is not the right group for me. Bye. Assuming that you're not a troll... Don't forget that you're going to need a vapor barrier, at least in cold weather. Otherwise, your foam insulation is gonna get soaking wet from condensation, and become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, fungus, and other assorted nasties. You might try Yahoo auto groups and read the 'van_dwellers' group there. Much stuff of this sort is discussed there in detail & depth, and they're friendlier folk with less ego, more maturity, and fewer 'issues'... Jim, "Manure occureth." |
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