Best insulation technique for panel van? Having had to scrape/sand/claw sticky stuff & dried goo off rusty panels, I’m adverse to spraying adhesive everywhere in case the same happens in years to come. But still want to be warm & minimise condensation.
I went with silent coat for sound deadening topped with dodo mat insulation. Both are sticky backed so no spray glue required. I then carpet lined the whole van as panel vans don't have the neat interior panels like a bus do:
no best its an old tin box. but....similar to above https://www.deadening.co.uk/blogs/news/campervan-sound-deadening-insulation-video or i have a nice eberspatcher forsale thats toasty
+1 for silent coat for deadening then I used foil backed flooring insulation for wooden floors on the floor but stuffed space blanket in all the cavities behind door cards etc. I used 25mm kingspan for the poptop & more space blanket for between the cab roof & headliner. (not the best for here as it has 17 diferent layers but works well enough)
Doing my panel van conversion, done the silent coat so far and wondered what to do next. So what is the dodo mat stuff and the space blanket. Today I removed the old homemade interior cupboards as I plan to get one of those standalone units, which would do for me. Anyone have ideas on the best unit to get, stove, sink, cupboards something simple and easy to install. My old roof lining is gone and I like the 3mm ply idea, any suggestions about this.
Did above except also fitted acoustic fire rated closed cell above engine instead of old cardboard and behind firewall too Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk
Space blanket is used in attic conversions & the like, get it online or at builders merchants, I have about 7.5 metres left! Enough to do about 3 vans! Never listen to anyone about quantities!
This is good sound and heat insulation. Used it on my van & noticed a difference on cold nights. Much warmer in the van & very little condensation
Silent coat is only for sound deadening and provides no thermal insulation at all! it will take the 'ding' out of panels (i may have researched this via numerous acoustic engineers some years ago). silent coat (4mm) plus cheap foil backed camping mats with the edges gaffer taped will work for sound AND thermal insulation. over the engine bay you need mass loaded vinyl (MLV) for 'true' sound deadening - aka any old heavy vinyl flooring over the silent coat. Thermo and sound insulation are different; silent coat will take the reverb (sound) out of panels (30 - 40% coverage TOPS! - any more is throwing £ down the drain), thermo insulation requires insulation that will not soak up water, hence closed cell foam (open cell foam will soak up moisture but not if you tape the open ends up!). It can be expensive from the 'insulate your bus' suppliers but the same end result can be achieved much cheaper with polystyrene (squeaky!) or cheap camping mats with tape. ultimately, it's a tin box and whatever you do is only ever remedial, but worth it imho. I did a thread (i think) on it years ago on here after some seriously in-depth research ( a rabbit hole i will not visit again)... will try to find it.
think this has some of my original info in http://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/sound-deadening-and-insulation-again.11846/#post-197309 P.s. no need to go too crazy on the sound insulation stuff, it's a biscuit tin on wheels, but it is worth doing. Thermo insulation is good as it's a panel van so think in terms of 'tanking' air gaps with insulation I have MANY windows so the whole thermo insulation thing was merely a nod to warmth
sound deadening (silentcoat) rollered on panels first, then a thermo isulation ideally completely adhered to the panel or stood off with an air gap... different schools of thought. generally if it's closed cell glue to panel, if it's foil covered space thermo, stand off as in tanking but make sure there's a place for the condensation moisture to leave the van. some science but mostly trial and error
Sorry, meant to add that the closed cell is usually backed with a water resistant foil like material I used something called palviz (I think) but I’m sure there’s better stuff around now.
Nice day in the van, raining outside, Radio 2 on, ripping out the old homemade ply cupboards. Now all out. Cleaning up the grot. Panels look good just a little rusting here and there, luckily the flooring was fitted to the outer edge, nice and roomy in there now. Next job is thorough clean up. Rub down and vactan the rust. Seal the flooring around the edges. When all clean and dry. brush on some coats of Rustoleum. Do the sound proofing as advised and then enjoy it for a while until I decide what to do with the space.
I got 2 × stand alone pods, mine aren't plumbed in because I wanted them easily removable - I'm happy to fill the sink from a water container and let it drain into a waste container in the unit keeps it all self contained. For my new panel van I'm.not even going to fit a sink, just going to use a bowl on the worktop. I saw a unit in B&Q for £40 that might work, but i need to check dimensions etc.
I'm interested to know which acoustic fire rated closed cell foam you used as I need to do mine too. Did you replace the hardboard with all the holes in it or just use the foam?
