Insulation

maids · Senior Member

Insulation

Bicyclecamper · Guru

Too many windows, no point. Get proper window covers, blockouts that attach to the windows proper, not allowing any gaps, like curtains do, and if you don't have one, fit a diesel heater. That will cover your bases.

maids · Senior Member

too hot in oz for diesal heater

more worried about heat

Bicyclecamper · Guru

Well the blockouts will block a lot of heat. They are usually a dark colour on the outside, but can be white, on the inside, they are like silver foil, they can also be reversable. EDIT:, obviously you don't go south or live in the south, if you did, you would see the need for a heater.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Sunday 18th of December 2022 01:24:29 PM

maids · Senior Member

tried to look for blockout blinds but not sure how they would fit on these windows VW windows 2-11-22 (1).jpg VW windows 2-11-22 (2).jpg

Whenarewethere · Guru

You can't just go spraying polyurethane foam. It expands a lot & will puch out panels, destroy wiring, block off things that should be left open.

Have a look at this thread on acoustic insulation to see what is involved. Acoustic foam is also very good for thermal insulation. It's the same process getting behind trim panels.

https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t65443581/car-acoustic-insulation/

Cover windows, heat transfer on single glass in 6 watts per square metre per degree difference in temperature. If you have sun on the glass it's worse.

We cut covers for every window from XL windscreen sunscreens. A bit oversize so they jamb in the frame, these did shrink a bit horizontally due to the nature of the folds, so add 10mm or a bit more for large windows.

maids · Senior Member

so this is on the inside windows?

do you have a campervan? our windows are strange lol

Mike Harding · Guru

maids wrote:
too hot in oz for diesal heater

Speak for yourself!

My diesel heater has had about 4000 hours of use these past for years.

Cuppa · Guru

As Bicyclecamper infers, buses, whether minibuses or larger create a problem for living in courtesy of the windows right along both sides which whilst very nice to bring light in & to look out of, do create what some refer to as a mobile greenhouse. Some argue that this is the main reason why buses & minibuses are the worst type of vehicle to convert for living & travelling in, in Australia. Personally whilst I thing they have a good point I still think there are plenty of good reasons for using these vehicles too.

There are several things you can do to counter this mobile greenhouse effect however. The most important being one you already have with the ability to open up those back doors - good airflow. What you want is an airflow to rid the vehicle of hot air. A roof hatch incorporating a fan helps with all the heat which gets trapped up high. Especially one of those which switches the fan on/off at pre-set temperatures - Eg. FanTastic Fan. Allows you to go out for the day & return to the vehicle without it feeling like a sauna. Without a roof hatch good fans to ensure no heat holding 'dead spaces' up high are useful. Don't open all windows &/or doors. Open them strategically according to the breeze (if there is one) to create an air movement tunnel which takes in the entire van.

Other very helpful things concentrate on doing what you can to avoid heat build up in the first place.

Heat reflecting paint on the roof is very effective.
If your camper is a darker colour than white - that won't be helping.
Solar panels on the roof with a good air gap underneath them serve a secondary purpose as a 'tropical roof'.
Awnings on sailtrack along both sides of the vehicle extending far enough to keep the sun away from the sides of the vehicle & it's windows.
Insulation pads for the front windscreen.
Curtains - what you have are fine if used in conjunction with awnings.
Park in the shade with windscreen in shadow whenever possible. The windscreen is generally on more of a slope than the rest of the windows. This will make the single most effective heating element when it has the sun on it

All these things can make a significant difference. Our 7 metre bus, a 'mobile greenhouse', utilising all these things (but with only 1 awning), all around Australia was consistently 3 degrees less inside than out.

We toyed with the idea of fitting insulation around the walls etc when I was fitting it out, but decided it was not a good idea. In hot weather, the last thing you want is a heap of insulation to hold the heat in! Different if travelling in mainly cooler climates.

Whenarewethere · Guru

A lot of good points.

It was only once I had insulated the ceiling in the car that I realised how much heat was coming in via the roof.

The car does take a lot longer to warm up, but with ventilation it's cooler inside than without the insulation in the first place.

The other benefit of insulation is to stop condensation. Also covering windows helps a lot.

maids · Senior Member

thank you very informative

Unfortunetly we do not have a hatch only roof vent with no fan

We have a CAFflAM0 SIROCC01112V FAN

We also open the back doors.

There is a windscreen cover a 180mt wide side shade screen and awning.

There are two sola panels on the roof and the van is white

The trick is trying to park in shade but then we need the sun for the panels lol

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Window tint , good thick blinds and or curtains . Solar panels on roof helped in my case . Painting roof white with insulation type paint ? Awnings .

maids · Senior Member

we have tinted windows but we were told thats worse

Whenarewethere · Guru

Dark windows heat up quicker. You also have infrared going through the glass.

Air is what creates insulation, so you want to create as many pockets/layers of air.

Our home windows cop the afternoon sun. We have a couple of layers of curtains & for really hot afternoons we Velcro up a couple more layers of old white sheets. Makes a massive difference. The more barriers the better.

If you can cover the glass outside, even better.

Bobdown · Guru

maids wrote:
thank you very informative
Unfortunetly we do not have a hatch only roof vent with no fan
We have a CAFflAM0 SIROCC01112V FAN
We also open the back doors.
There is a windscreen cover a 180mt wide side shade screen and awning.
There are two sola panels on the roof and the van is white
The trick is trying to park in shade but then we need the sun for the panels lol

Always try to keep the heat out during the day by closing everything up, blinds curtains etc. By opening windows and doors, you let the heat in.

Open everything up once the sun has passed by, maybe think about installing a roof hatch to leave open at night.

If all the suggestions fail, buy a generator and run the air con.

Cheers Bob

Possum3 · Guru

Velcro is your friend when attaching insulation to windows or roof panels - It can be purchased in strips and spots from haberdasheries like Spotlight.

I always travel with a couple of boxes of self-adhesive strip - can be cut to small spots when required. If attaching to external surfaces subject to weather use the "hooks" on the permanent surface and the "loops" on the object being attached.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Spend the little bit extra & buy Velcro original, not some third party copy. Have some self adhesive & non adhesive, if you have to sew it on the self adhesive is a real pain in the neck as the needle sticks to the adhesive.

hufnpuf · Senior Member

I found this company some time back, I haven't got around to ordering yet (my car turns out to have dark tint on the back windows so it isn't as hot as I was expecting). They have a lot of patterns and if they don't have yours they can make to measure. http://www.solarscreen.com.au/

Possum3 · Guru

Direct link; www.solarscreen.com.au/

Jaahn · Guru

All good suggestions so far. It often depends on how much work you can do your self. To pay some company to do small jobs is a killer.

I did put some insulation above the roof lining in my Sprinter some time back when I had to pull the roof lining out for something else. Big job not easy ! I used reflective bubble foil type in a couple of layers. It works to some degree.

My suggestion on window shields is to get some coreflute sheets in the thinest size, and cut them to suit your windows. If cut nicely a bit over size they will just 'jam' in to the rubber and mostly stay there easy enough, or use the velcro. Coreflute is the light hollow stuff the realestate agents and elections etc use for signs, stiff but light and easy to handle. Actually we reused old signs. It is white so rejects the heat OK, and on cold nights stops the heat going out too. They could be sprayed silver I guess and can be stored in very little space easy enough. Hardware stores sell it.

I also fitted a roof hatch that has a fan and can suck air out or blow in with several speeds. We leave it up and running in the heat to suck the hot air out.

Jaahn

-- Edited by Jaahn on Monday 19th of December 2022 09:36:40 AM

PeterInSa · Guru

On our Sprinter we have block out Curtains and the Silver Sunscreens, SS uncut from memory 70mm x 150mm. Do not open the Rear doors have a metal box on the rear, also have a Sirco Fan and rooftop a/c, with a roof top vent/fan in the shower/toilet and Solar Panels on the roof.. A 3 way Fridge does not help to keep the heat down even with its 2 fans in the top vent.

maids · Senior Member

can you recommend a roof hatch?

seen some on ebay but not sure

Possum3 · Guru

Best is www.caravansplus.com.au/camec-4-seasons-evolution-roof-hatch-660mm-x-660mm-p-17831.html

Bicyclecamper · Guru

I had a reverse cycle fan and vent in my bike caravan, that I got from caravan plus. It was 355mm square and 12 volt plus 3 speeds, now it was a different situation, and as my c.van was insulated, which helped plus timber walls and roof, I just cracked the side window enough, and turned on the roof vent to exhaust the heat, and it did work well. It only cost $160 approx. I don't know if they do reverse or 3 speed anymore, but that is what I got.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Monday 19th of December 2022 01:22:58 PM

Jaahn · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
Best is www.caravansplus.com.au/camec-4-seasons-evolution-roof-hatch-660mm-x-660mm-p-17831.html

Personally I do not like these. They have no fan and are just too expensive IMHO. Many vans have them ??

I could not find my same model currently on sale on ebay but there are many like it now.

Jaahn

Whenarewethere · Guru

Whitworth Marine & similar have boat hatches, they should be pretty waterproof & they are designed to walk on. Probably the thickness of the roof may be an issue. At least may give some ideas.

maids · Senior Member

PeterInSa wrote:
On our Sprinter we have block out Curtains and the Silver Sunscreens, SS uncut from memory 70mm x 150mm. Do not open the Rear doors have a metal box on the rear, also have a Sirco Fan and rooftop a/c, with a roof top vent/fan in the shower/toilet and Solar Panels on the roof.. A 3 way Fridge does not help to keep the heat down even with its 2 fans in the top vent.

cant run A/C only with geny.got the sirco fan no rooftop fan,

The heat is coming through the roof as testing today with no sun on the windows.

tried using the stove extractor fan with the sico on and it is 37deg in there 34 outside

-- Edited by maids on Monday 19th of December 2022 05:36:58 PM

Cuppa · Guru

The Fan-Tastic roof vents have a 3 speed fan & can be reversed at the flick of a switch. So blow hot air out or suck cool air in. This allows you to create airflow when there is no breeze. Having the built in thermostat is great. You can leave the hatch open just enough to exhaust hot air & to prevent water getting in if it rains, & go out for the day knowing that the fan will cut in automatically at your pre-set temperature so you can return knowing it wont be a hot box.

They have fancy ones which close automatically if it rains too, so they can be left more open, but of course they cost more.

We had the 5000RBT model & mounted it over our kitchen area where it served as an extractor fan for cooking as well. Served us well for the 12 years we had our bus & was still working perfectly when we sold the bus. https://www.fantasticvent.net/

Of course it can be opened like a standard vent too, without using the fan. On the hot still nights it really came into it's own.

There is a market competitor -MaxxFan - similar thing, but I have no experience of them .

Consider placement with regard to where you sleep/sit to maximise airflow where you need it.

Fitting is the same as for any standard roof vent - & the hole required is a standard roof vent size.

https://www.caravansplus.com.au/fantastic-vent-2250-12v-roof-vent-355mm-white-lid-p-19918.html Current replacement for 5000RBT model $430

-- Edited by Cuppa on Monday 19th of December 2022 04:05:25 PM

PeterInSa · Guru

Re (Fitting is the same as for any standard roof vent - & the hole required is a standard roof vent size.

www.caravansplus.com.au/fantastic-vent-2250-12v-roof-vent-355mm-white-lid-p-19918.html Current replacement for 5000RBT model $430

Ours in the Toilet Shower Combo is similar, but the 12v motor its the old style and its noisy, would/should replace it with a 90mm computer fan for quietness. When the Sprinter is not in use, leave the Combo door open and the vent up & windows open to let out the heat.

If I had a computer type fan replacement would have the power on by a Thermo switch. Over 30 deg. fan on.

Craig1 · Guru

For make your own window insulation you may find some Air Cell off a building site. Can be cut to any size, double wall, pink on one side, silver on other, foil separated by about a 10mm "wall " makes little pockets, very durable, I have an off cut that is nearly 4 years old, in sun every day for windscreen.