a few picks of my progress this weekend

That's looking great. I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.

thanks Andy
a long way to go yet..but that was done in a couple a days...buying an old caravan is the way to go as it saves so much time...
i will keep posting as things move on

Nice fitting, i have a swb low roof self conversion. Looks good in there with the kitchen n all. Always have to duck a little.
What are your plans for windows? I got a spare driver seat frame out the scrappy so its 2 in the front with a walk threw. Also got captains seats out of an old toyota people carrier, gives a lot more room when they're turned round. Keep up the good work an im happy to show n tell haha, Al.

Interesting, Thanks for posting. May I ask what insulation you are using? Does it have a vapour barrier to stop warm moist air circulating to the cold metal skin and frame, condensing into water, and becoming trapped in the cavities?

Im doing a similar job, and sent for a roll of this stuff, which arrived next day. http://www.harrisonstrimsupplies.co...soundproofing--thermoliner-simple-23174-p.asp Now waiting for some warm dry weather to stick it on, as I know damp (from condensation) can have a disastrous effect on the strength of glue.

Peter James said:

Im doing a similar job, and sent for a roll of this stuff, which arrived next day. http://www.harrisonstrimsupplies.co...soundproofing--thermoliner-simple-23174-p.asp Now waiting for some warm dry weather to stick it on, as I know damp (from condensation) can have a disastrous effect on the strength of glue.

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Nice, would have used that myself if it was around 5 years ago. I did similar with end of season special camping matts and high temperature spray adhesive. Did very little for sound proofing though.

Any idea what the uvalue actually is. I assume this stuff is more dense and and at 7mm thick I can't imagine the u value is great. But so much more convenient than what I did!

U value give is the same as glasswool, r value 0.007/0.039 = 0.18

I don't think c177 is the appropriate test for a foil faced insulation though and doesn't take into account air cavity.

hot box tests aren't the full picture wth
Desc. Standard Value Unit
Density ISO 845 25 Kg/m³
Tensile strength - MD ISO 1798 291 kPa
Tensile strength - TD ISO 1798 237 kPa
Elongation - MD ISO 1798 100 %
Elongation - TD ISO 1798 115 %
Compression 10% ISO 844 20 kPa
Compression 25% ISO 844 39 kPa
Compression 50% ISO 844 98 kPa
Compression Set-0.5 Hrs ISO 1856 14.0 %
Compression Set-24 Hrs ISO 1856 5.5 %
Working Temperature Range Internal -60 \ 80 °C
Water Absorption %Vol (max) Internal 1 %
Water Vapour Transmission ISO 1663 0.97 g/m²*24h
Thermal Conductivity at 10C ASTM C177 0.0390 W/mK
Thermal Conductivity at 40C ASTM C177 0.0460 W/mK
Flammability FMVSS302 94 mm/min

When I lined mine I used high temperature general purpose adhesive. Also glued wood batton in a few strategic places to hold up a 6mm exterior ply panel up on the ceiling. So in the end I had double foiled bubble spot glued direct to the metal roof. Then spot glued thick rubber based carpet underlay onto the ply roof panel cut out with the roof lights and wired
Had identified a couple of sets of probably m5 screw points in the roof bracing and pre drilled for bolts. Then manoeuvred the whole panel into place. Bolted with said bolts and screwed to the batton. Good sound insulation from heavy rain and the foil prevents it baking inside from the sun. Hence must use high temperature glue!!!

hi guys
sorry i havent been on for a while and didnt expect my project to get such comments...now as for insulating my van i got some foil covered bubble stuff from homebase..£30(3 rolls) covered the whole van which seems to work realy well in sound proofing as well as the heat side of things.i didnt use glue but an aluminium tape that we use at work for covering exhausts that we put on our crushers.as for moisture/damp there was a gap of about 4 weeks before i started with the timber and there was no damp anywhere.i live in N.Ireland..rank weather and all seems good..Now getting round to the windows i hope this weekend but finding it hard to get a local supply of window rubber and dont want to use ebay as its rather expensive..bear with me i will update pics if i get any more done..
thanks for the comments and interest....
carderv

Yes, also used foil tape to seal and hold the foil bubble. And to be clear the carpet underlay sits on the top hidden side of the panel. The ceiling is now lined on the visible side with soft material.

Used underlay to line the inside of the door panels too, stops the booming.

any pics andy ?????

got a wee bit more done today

first window done and trimmed...quite happy with that one

Hi. So will find some construction pics but this is it. Kept the panel on the ceiling thin for headroom. The table sits on shorter legs to make the double bed. We sleep across the width of the van it matches my 6 foot . Our little girl sleeps across the front seats on a board big enough for a cot mattress. You can see them both held behind the drivers seat. Will be a few years before she needs much more.. . The sink unit has water and waste accessible via that side door. A simple gas burner stows away and will sit next to sink. Also a small fridge slides out from under sink unit. Solar panel bonded to roof too.

Very interesting posts, Thanks All.
I was keen to start using the van so took it out with a bit of furniture in and no insulation. I was amazed how much condensation formed on the roof in certain conditions - warm damp air from breathing and cooking inside meeting cold outer metal skin, condensing into water and dropping like rain.
But i've been lucky with the weather, and had a dehumidifier running in the van, so got the Thermoliner put on now. Attached pic shows work in progress.
I'm impressed with it, - soft flexible foam, strong glue covered in backing paper on one side, with a strong shiny foil on the other. It has a light square pattern on, which is a handy guide for cutting straight lines and right angles. At 7mm its the same thickness as the corrugations in the X2/50 Ducato roof, so I cut strips to fill the indentations, so could then put a layer more or less flat over the top. (for extra insulation you can add more layers) Then sealed the edges with aluminium tape (£5 from Homebase) to make the whole thing airtight and form the vapour barrier preventing damp air reaching the outer skin. .You can hold a piece underwater and squeeze it, but being closed cell foam there are no air bubbles because it doesn't absorb any water. Just peeling off the backing paper and sticking it on, although not the cheapest this might be the safest, easiest, and cleanest way to do a good job? If you like the look of it I guess you don't have to cover it with anything else because the foil skin is quite tough. I'm leaving it for the moment to see how it wears and whether it maintains its brilliant shine.

corcai said:

U value give is the same as glasswool, r value 0.007/0.039 = 0.18

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Well thats the theory when the wool is dry, but what of the practice when it absorbs damp? I have heard of a van lined with glasswool, damp air got in, condensed on the outer metal skin and became trapped in the absorbent glasswool insulation - which turned into a wet soggy mass, shaken down to the bottom of the wall as the van was driven, the owner only noticed from the brown mouldy stains on the inside, and the rust coming through to the outside.

Peter James said:

Well thats the theory when the wool is dry, but what of the practice when it absorbs damp? (

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I wasn't suggesting you use it I was pointing out that the 'excellent thermal insulating properties due to its low U-value' is not supported by the figures. You wouldn't expect much from 7mm of fibreglass. In the real world the thermaline will perform slightly better than that due to the foil and air cavity between it and the lining panels. The convenience of application and vapour barrier is very attractive.

I used 11mm camping mat for the tight spaces and overcab and 25mm thick kingspan panel glued on with closed cell expanding foam where it would fit between room members, side members and under the floor.

I did a trial with some rockwool batts which are water repellant in the sliding door where the kingspan was jamming the mechanism and there no sign of absorbtion thus far.

looks well andy..a friend has the maxi version of your van and hes doing a conversion too

hi al18
as you say...more room with swivels...not got round to that yet..working more on living area then do the cab after that

corcai said:

25mm thick kingspan panel glued on with closed cell expanding foam where it would fit between room members, side members and under the floor.

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Well of course thats going to give better insulation than 7mm Thermaline, and is more like the foam injection the professionals use for refrigerated vans. At least you can keep doors open to let the inflammable vapour out. I recall a guy in Wright Street, Newark, using cans of foam insulation to fill in gaps in his cellar. Something ignited the vapour (we think it was a spark from the thermostat contacts of the freezer that was in there) The resulting expolsion literally brought the house down on him and his partner, killing them both.
Can I ask what sort of foam you used, and what problems you had applying it?

Peter James said:

Can I ask what sort of foam you used, and what problems you had applying it?

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I didn't use the sprayed stuff, I cut reject kingspan sheets almost to fit between the members attached them with dabs of B1 firefoam I had left over and went around the edges with low expansion soudal. The low expansion stuff and fire foam are much tougher and more dense and give a smooth glossy surface and produces mostly closed cells especially when applied in winter in our soggy climate It really stiffens the panels and reduces the noise.