I have a couple of trips to Canberra for work coming up, and the diesel heater in our van is great for chilly nights.
But it struggles with -5C Canberra nights! At full blast it was keeping the temp at about 10C. Another 4-5C would be great just to take away that cold damp feeling.
In the mornings I have been putting on the AC to supplement the Diesel Heater. That gets it up to 18C or so, great whilst getting dressed etc. But the AC is a bit noisy to sleep with it on.
Our van has a lot of glass which does not help! So I was thinking of a cheap / temporary bit of insulation using bubble wrap. Cut to size and held in place with a few magnets. I don't really want to invest in those made to measure window covers as they are quite expensive (about $1,000 to do all the windows) And they won't get delivered in time.
Any thoughts most appreciated. Is bubble wrap a silly idea? It could go in the inside or outside of the windows, but would think inside would be better insulation.
-- Edited by RoboLB on Monday 23rd of June 2025 07:23:34 PM
rgren2 said
06:37 PM Jun 23, 2025
Get some cheap windscreen sun reflectors and use those cut to size.Get them from the cheapie $ stores.
-- Edited by RoboLB on Monday 23rd of June 2025 07:23:00 PM
Hetho said
08:17 PM Jun 23, 2025
Quite a lot of your cold will be coming up through the floor. Had a coaster for years and finally applied insulation to the under floor. Heaps warmer. Regards Hetho.
landy said
09:31 PM Jun 23, 2025
We have cut some off these to fit the floor inside our van. great for insulation and soft and warm to walk on if you have to hope out of bed in the night. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/306364992387?_skw=Childrens+Clip+together+rubber+play+mats&itmmeta=01JYE8JPRTX640YYQ78TCJ58JP&hash=item4754c6cb83:g:wCIAAOSwT-RoWR~N&itmprp=enc%253
Gundog said
09:51 PM Jun 23, 2025
I have a friend who lives in the ACT region, glued foilboard to underneath floor
Are We Lost said
11:07 PM Jun 23, 2025
Curtains help a bit with windows .... blinds a lot more. Get a laser temperature gun and see where the cold spots are. Maybe cold air is coming in around the fridge for example. As suggested, maybe the floor is the culprit. A carpet offcut could help a lot in that case.
How hot is the diesel heater outlet? Mine is at floor level and too hot on low to have my ankle near it. Other than the initial warming phase I doubt I would ever want to run it on high.
Ineedabiggerboat said
05:00 AM Jun 24, 2025
Ive just been on a two week trip around southern NSW and Victoria. Got to -5 a few times. Heater worked perfectly. Are you running alpine diesel or adding kerosene to your tank. Diesel doesnt like low temps from -4 and forms waxy globs in the fuel lines inhibiting flow.
msg said
08:19 AM Jun 24, 2025
Suggest bathmats on floor (nice fluffy ones). Windshield covers on windows as per Rgrgn2. I have a blower heater one of the $20 ones this warms up my van to toasty. (Transit)
msg said
08:35 AM Jun 24, 2025
I forgot. I stuff the rear barn doors with something. I get drafts there. Wear a mask while you are here. I went out to Cosco for two hours, the first time I have been away from home in weeks and caught a very nasty cold. Don't believe the weatherman too much, its not as cold as we are told.( I don't think so anyway) Has been lovely during the day up until today. Raining this morning though and likely to stay that way for a few days. (Not as cold)
woolman said
08:45 AM Jun 24, 2025
I purchase a couple of metres of roof parking and cut to shape of windows. Also seal around front edge of fridge. Worked for me
Neil
Whenarewethere said
11:32 AM Jun 24, 2025
We cut down large windscreen sun shades to fit every window in the car as we sleep in it. It was not so much about the cold as such, but more about the condensation. It works really well.
We also got condensation on the trim panels, but after filling behind every panel & ceiling with acoustic foam for acoustic reasons, we noticed that the condensation stopped.
So now with the car filled with foam & all the windows covered we noticed that the car was a lot warmer with those really cold nights. It is also good in summer keeping heat out.
RoboLB said
02:54 PM Jun 24, 2025
Lots of great tips folks, many thanks. Will try the cut down sunshades for this next trip.
msg said
04:19 PM Jun 25, 2025
Please let us know what you ended up doing and how you got on.
RoboLB said
01:14 PM Jun 30, 2025
I ended up buying a couple of cheap windscreen sun shades and cutting them up.
It was enough to cover the rear barn door windows, and side windows next to the bed.
I attached them with large magnets that I had on board (for use with space blankets on outside in 35C plus temps)
Note, We also have curtains installed and a curtain that seals off the drivers area for the main area.
I have a couple of trips to Canberra for work coming up, and the diesel heater in our van is great for chilly nights.
But it struggles with -5C Canberra nights! At full blast it was keeping the temp at about 10C. Another 4-5C would be great just to take away that cold damp feeling.
In the mornings I have been putting on the AC to supplement the Diesel Heater. That gets it up to 18C or so, great whilst getting dressed etc. But the AC is a bit noisy to sleep with it on.
Our van has a lot of glass which does not help! So I was thinking of a cheap / temporary bit of insulation using bubble wrap. Cut to size and held in place with a few magnets. I don't really want to invest in those made to measure window covers as they are quite expensive (about $1,000 to do all the windows) And they won't get delivered in time.
Any thoughts most appreciated. Is bubble wrap a silly idea? It could go in the inside or outside of the windows, but would think inside would be better insulation.
-- Edited by RoboLB on Monday 23rd of June 2025 07:23:34 PM
Get some cheap windscreen sun reflectors and use those cut to size.Get them from the cheapie $ stores.
Thanks. Good idea!
-- Edited by RoboLB on Monday 23rd of June 2025 07:23:00 PM
Quite a lot of your cold will be coming up through the floor. Had a coaster for years and finally applied insulation to the under floor. Heaps warmer. Regards Hetho.
I have a friend who lives in the ACT region, glued foilboard to underneath floor
How hot is the diesel heater outlet? Mine is at floor level and too hot on low to have my ankle near it. Other than the initial warming phase I doubt I would ever want to run it on high.
I purchase a couple of metres of roof parking and cut to shape of windows. Also seal around front edge of fridge. Worked for me
Neil
We cut down large windscreen sun shades to fit every window in the car as we sleep in it. It was not so much about the cold as such, but more about the condensation. It works really well.
We also got condensation on the trim panels, but after filling behind every panel & ceiling with acoustic foam for acoustic reasons, we noticed that the condensation stopped.
So now with the car filled with foam & all the windows covered we noticed that the car was a lot warmer with those really cold nights. It is also good in summer keeping heat out.
It was enough to cover the rear barn door windows, and side windows next to the bed.
I attached them with large magnets that I had on board (for use with space blankets on outside in 35C plus temps)
Note, We also have curtains installed and a curtain that seals off the drivers area for the main area.
It seemed to maintain the temp 2-3C higher.
So a partial success I reckon.