MontanaChinook Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I have a roll of foil insulation (innovative insulation double bubble radiant barrier), and a roll of thin foam insulation. My walls are out. I plan to put the foil right up against the inside of the rv walls, so it can reflect sunlight. The foil calls for an air space on one side. This is where I'm a little unsure how to proceed...the "wall studs" are only 1"x1" beams. Not much space...and it seems like it'll be kind of hard to "mount" that foam with a gap between it and the foil. So I'm wondering if anyone has ideas? The one thought I've come up with is to actually mount the foam to the underside of the new walls, and just screw right through the wall and foam when I put the walls up. It's just 1/8" squishy foam. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 The bubble wrap stuff offers superior "radiant" insullation, and some conductive. not a good insulator for between walls.Have you visited the Home Depot. They have a foam sheet that comes in a couple different thicknesses. Its a urethane foam (not the white or pink Styrofoam) that has aluminized metal layer on both sides, Cut and install this between the studs, you can use a urethane adhesive so the outside and inside walls are glued to the foam. This will add some structural integrity Use alluminized tape to seal the joints before putting the inside walls on, (glue the inside walls to the foam also. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Thank you for the suggestion. But...I've spent the money (not an insignificant sum) on radiant barrier (foil) insulation to keep sun heat out, and a roll of foam insulation to add some R value to the insulation. So I'm just trying to figure out the best installation method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 The foam acts as your air space. The air space is to prevent conductive loses. A "real" air space can be a source of condinsation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 The foil company said to leave an air space on one side of the foil, so I figure it matters. Maybe in the end its not a big deal, but I think the foil people believe that for that insulation to work as a radiant barrier inside a wall, the air space in important. But I'm curious to know more about the facts of insulation, and what to avoid and whats good and bad! I don't really know much. There's a boat thread from another forum that someone posted, and those people went with foil against the inside wall, then foam, then another layer of foam, then the wall. No spaces. So I really have no idea...don't even know if those people knew what they were doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 The foil will be cold in the winter, the inside of an rv has very high humidity from the people, cooking, and the heater. The moist air will condense on the foil the resulting water will run down the INSIDE of the walls and cause rot on the floor. If you don't do winter then it doesn't mean as much. Adjust the thickness of the foil/foam so that the paneling just compresses it a tiny bit. Caulk the edge of foam to seal out the moisture. House usage has different rules than RV usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I bought a roll of the bubble wrap insulation. I cut custom pieces to fit my roof vents, front window, and side windows. This stuff works great in that application. makes a big difference in heating and cooling the toyhouse.JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Is it just me or this forum paaaaiiinnnnfully slow lately?http://www.frugal-mariner.com/Insulating.htmlHere's what I'm talking about. A boat people live on would get a lot of condensation, right?I'm fairly set on using the insulation I bought, since I've got a bit of money into it...but not if it's just really a bad idea.The searches I've done show more than a few people insulating their rvs with foil, which I know doesn't mean it's the right way to do it, but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 About the boat, Exactly, no air gaps. Except for maybe between the final layer of foil and the wall. By this time the foil is warm so that condensation is NOT a problem. You will read that the first layer of foil was glued to the hull and the foam was glued to the foil and the last layer of foil was glued to the foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 Ok. So foil somehow attached to camper fiberglass wall with adhesive. Layer or two of foam right up against that. Then maybe even another layer of foil, attached to the interior panelling. ? Thanks for the input so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Zach, I'd go for it with what you have. The amount of condensation that you'll get will be minimal, if anything. Cram whatever you've got in the wall and seal 'er up. Where you live, any condensation that forms will be gone in a hurry because of the low humidity, (mostly). You can "what if" yourself to death on issues like insulation especially if there are more than three opinions on the subject. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 No.... I've noticed! I think people always get more than they bargained for when they post questions... Ok, cram I will. Yeah, I would imagine its more of a northwest, Midwest and eastern problem, and not so much in the intermountain west. And honestly, there's NO insulation in there now. Anything is an improvement, and I mostly want to put a radiant barrier in for keeping out heat from the summer sun. A little r value and sound insulation is just a bonus. Though a little added structural stability couldn't hurt... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Two layers of foil and one of foam would completly fill your 1x1 studs so where you attach the last layer doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Alrighty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 What does your Chinook have for a roof vent? Mine had an odd-ball 9" square vent. I searched all over and finally found a new one. But once shipped here and I got to see it close up - I decided it was a piece of junk. So I just cut my roof out to 14" square and had to add some bracing to make the bigger vent work. Mine is a pop-top though. Maybe your's came with a full size vent since it's a hard top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Welllll...what do you mean by roof vent? I'm new to rvs. I have a grey water vent which is just maybe 2" and round. Above the cab-over, there's a sun roof/vent. I'm not there looking at it and haven't measured, but I'd say 14" square would probably describe it. The previous owner got sick of it leaking and sealed it shut. I haven't looked really close to see what all he did, but I think it involved screws, sealant, and who knows what else. I guess it was his 3rd or 4th attemp and damned if that thing was going to drip on him again... Haven't decided if I'm going to get it working and sealed correctly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Welllll...what do you mean by roof vent? I'm new to rvs. I have a grey water vent which is just maybe 2" and round. Above the cab-over, there's a sun roof/vent. I'm not there looking at it and haven't measured, but I'd say 14" square would probably describe it. The previous owner got sick of it leaking and sealed it shut. I haven't looked really close to see what all he did, but I think it involved screws, sealant, and who knows what else. I guess it was his 3rd or 4th attemp and damned if that thing was going to drip on him again... Haven't decided if I'm going to get it working and sealed correctly... I'm talking about the square vents in the roof that you can crank open (when working). The usual standard size is 14" square except for some of the new ones now that are made big enough to be emergency escape hatches. The one in my Chinook was a small odd-ball size - and like yours - was wired, screwed, and glued shut. Mine was 9". I cut out the roof to 14" in order to install a better quality vent. I also put one in with a 3 speed fan. But with the Chinook pop-up roof - there is more work involved then just cutting the hole bigger. I had to do some fiberglass work since there there is a raised rib in the middle that is 12" wide. Maybe not the case with your's since you don't have a pop-top. We used to camp in hot weather with a couple of DC table-top fans going. But then I got to try a fan built into the roof-vent and got sold on them. They work real nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I see. I'll measure mine this weekend. I can imagine that the first time I camp in hot weather, I'm going to wish it would open...it came from Seattle. Rain central. Doesn't rain so much around here. We get something like 300+ sunny days a year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bornwithatail Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 What do people think about core-bonding for insulating the chinook? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 He's got an Omega. But still...there's like a half inch of space between the shell the wall panels...Not much room for any kind of insulation. So I guess the question might be what's the best bang for the buck in such a small space? Or we just say "go with what you can afford, or have the skills or some kind of connection like a family member or friend in the business". If you know someone or are someone with access to this kind of insulation, it might be the "best" insulation for you. But you're severely limited by the space between the shell and wall on this camper. In areas, I just had 1/8" foam roll insulation and reflectix style insulation and they were tightly packed together. No air gap at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Zach So how is your 3 ply insulation working out now that you have used it in hot and cold places? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bornwithatail Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Thank you all for your help. Toyota people really do stick together. I have 2 fjs as well and never had a problem gettin sound advice on Ih8mud.I know this isn't part of this thread but I couldn't find it in another, should I buy a new cap for my vent or just a whole new assembly? It's 14", and is there a place to order them or should I just got to the rv store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Zach So how is your 3 ply insulation working out now that you have used it in hot and cold places? It's hard to say, is the best answer I can give...I only used it three times, for one night each time, before gutting it. I will say that I can sit in there in 90 degree weather, and it will be about 90 inside. Which isn't great, but it seems like I'm insulated against the worst of the sun. It's not 90 degrees in there when it's 70 outside. But the biggest factor is of course the windows. If I don't put up my foil/bubble window shades, it gets hot! Cold weather is the same. Windows are so huge, cracks between the door and frame so large, insulation probably doesn't matter much anyway. But it's such a small space, even boiling water for tea in the morning is usually enough to warm it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 I didn't find any vents the size of the one on my Chinook. If yours is 14" then you're in luck, since I think that's the standard size. I had to decide whether to fill in part of the cutout for mine to fit a 14", or cut the hole bigger to fit one of the larger off-size vents they sell. I ended up cutting the hole bigger, but that wasn't necessarily the best option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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