Insulating the L400 rear cabin?

[robd]

So I did a search and found a few posts from a few years ago, but looking for a bit more input from you knowledgeable folks!

I am thinking of insulating our l400 this weekend. I plan to sleep in the van in the winter, on overnight ski trips.
My plan is to use XPS or EPS rigid foam boards for the larger sections and spray foam for the smaller holes and to 'glue' the rigid boards to the walls.
I was thinking of going with 0.8 or 1 inch foam boards.
I also plan to re install all the standard delica panels back on top of the insulated sections.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? How hard is it to remove the interior in the Delica? Any tips before I start?

[Big-Bird]

There are lots of ideas on YouTube.

Lots of users have chosen reflective bubble wrap (used on RV's and garage doors ro reflect heat) that provides a good air gap for insulation and still allows stock panels to attched to the metal structure.

Not many use spray foam as water/moisture can ingress between the panels and the foam which allows rust to form quickly because the cavity can't dry properly.

If you don't cover your windows it won't matter matter how much or type of insulation you choose as the windows will allow loads of heat to escape!

Outback camping methods suggest that to stay warm at night in the outdoors you need to have a warm bed between the ground and person and warm blankets around the person. Same would apply in your van.

[robd]

Thanks for the reply!

I think I will first make some insulating covers for the windows and then take some panels off the rear cabin and add either rigid foam or reflective insulation where possible.

Will update the thread when that happens.

[Growlerbearnz]

On my L300 I filled all the panel cavities with polyester insulation, like you use on a house. It stops the air in the cavities from circulating, but doesn't retain moisture. Leave a 2" gap at the bottom so any water can drain out freely.

For bonus points I'd remove all the interior trim (including roof lining), then glue flexible foam sheet (maybe 1/4 or 1/2" thick) to all the exposed steel and over any openings- then reinstall the interior trim over the top. A number of fully-insulated fibreglass caravans are done this way and it's pretty effective, it's also invisible and stops squeaks and rattles.

Looking forward to seeing your project take shape!

[robd]

On my L300 I filled all the panel cavities with polyester insulation, like you use on a house. It stops the air in the cavities from circulating, but doesn't retain moisture. Leave a 2" gap at the bottom so any water can drain out freely.

For bonus points I'd remove all the interior trim (including roof lining), then glue flexible foam sheet (maybe 1/4 or 1/2" thick) to all the exposed steel and over any openings- then reinstall the interior trim over the top. A number of fully-insulated fibreglass caravans are done this way and it's pretty effective, it's also invisible and stops squeaks and rattles.

Looking forward to seeing your project take shape!

Thanks for the advice! I did a search online and could not find polyester insulation locally. It sounds perfect though.
All that I could find was fibreglass batting and rigid foam. Might go checkout what the rigid foam is like at the hardware store.
If its thin enough I could even use double sided tape or velcro to attach sheets to block off openings and cover the exposed steel, as you suggested. That way I can still get in there later on if I need to.

Otherwise it might be easier to use reflective insulation like you would a vapour barrier and cover the openings with that. I imagine that would create a decent air pocket and reflect a bit of heat back into the cabin, especially with that air gap?

[Growlerbearnz]

The polyester batting is basically the same as the fibreglass stuff, just not as itchy! A shame it's not available in Canada yet, it's great stuff.

[fredt]

Not done the truck yet... but have just bought a VW T5 and am in the process of insulating that, over here we use a foil first glued to the panels with good heat rated spray glue, then fill the space with a recycled plastic insulation (cheap) or a sheeps wool based insulation, (expensive), not rockwall or fibre glass as it holds moisture! then cover the filled panel with another layer of foil before sticking the trim panel back on
a bit like this....



the wheel arches and the the large flat panels in the picture are covered in self adeshive flashing, this is used as a cheap alternative to sound proofing, not sure if you guys can this stuff?
a couple of links to show what we use..

http://www.diy.com/departments/evo-stik ... 08220318:s

http://www.diy.com/departments/diall-lo ... 658_BQ.prd

http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-loft- ... 139_BQ.prd