How to Properly Insulate the Floor on a Sprinter Campervan Build with Infloor Heat | VAN BUILD

[@diobeats]

Absolutely amazing video! Not only is the quality absolutely pristine, you also talk in such detail with each step of the build! As someone just getting into van life and van building this is so nice to see! Keep up the good work, my friend! I will be sure to be following along ☺️

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks Laura for checking it out much appreciated a ton of work go into the videos so Im glad people enjoy them.

[@MiasarahLai]

You read my mind on this video! Having so much difficulty finding straight forward info on floor layers.

[@chrisluehmann3094]

Awesome work. I used polyiso too. I screwed 1" thick strips of cedar (rot resistant) to the bottom of my factory floor. The insulation I used was Iko brand 1" thick polyiso with foil on it. R value was 7.5! Available at Lowes here in Vancouver. Its cheap. $29 for 4x8 sheet and I needed 2 sheets. So figure 70 bucks once you factor in a pack of screws and some cedar strips. Totally worth it!!

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks chris for checking it out! Yeah its great to work with.

[@sdalin27]

Wish I'd have seen this before buying all my noico foam! might just do in addition to on the floor sections of the humvee

[@iamjamesmannion4853]

Years have passed yet this video is still so relevant! Few techs have advance so look for XPS sip sheets with plywood outers the would be an awesome replacement for polyiso which then leads straight to the radiant barrier in this vid with the finish on top ;)

[@MindBodyMuse]

Idea for marking the board: what if we put the floor down and drill a hole thru the plus nut from the bottom up? You’d use a smaller drill, of course, and be careful not to damage the plus nut threads. That will mark the location 😁

[@victorvictor1018]

Hey dude really appreciate the in-dept videos, I'm just a few weeks behind on my sprinter van long-wheelbase build which makes the timing of these videos really convenient. About to order the sound deadening you made a video about and have already placed an order for my sliding door window. Guess floor insulation is up next ;) Thanks for making my research process a lot easier!!

[@scottadamson6116]

Thats awesome and thanks Victor for following along and dont hesitate to ask any questions.

[@kaymarpee]

super helpful video for pre-planning process!

[@scottadamson6116]

Glad it was helpful!

[@CaribbeanZapatta]

Then your panels for ceiling ! Great idea. !!

[@scottadamson6116]

Much appreciated

[@Scrambler85]

Nice to see quality work. A thumbs up

[@scottadamson6116]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@norcalvandweller8401]

Great videos, very helpful as I plan my build, thanks for sharing the information

[@scottadamson6116]

No problem 👍

[@vanlifeembracingdiversity5431]

Great tips shame weren't to record the whole floor build .well done.

[@sebastianh5929]

Another awesome video

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks Sebastien!

[@itsobre]

love your videos man

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks Amer!

[@stevestadterman9270]

you nailed it,,,the heat will reflect up w radiant sheet..i,m just wondering if you could incorperate a cement boat to transfer the heat to ur finish floor,,,, my design for boat in progress,,

[@gen2-x364]

Just saw this video and forgot to hit the play button.

[@coleblezard6628]

How did you put in the tubing?? Just router into the plywood?? Would love a video on that!!

[@scrumtios0]

Nice Should work pretty good. I designed a three inche floor. Mainly cause it gets so damn cold in Manitoba but this looks way better. Save some space

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks! Yeah I have infloor heat so 2 inches should be a ton for me.

[@scrumtios0]

Scott Adamson indeed. Good for those -50 days lol

[@MsRotorwings]

I need to apply for the VanLifeTech heating system? Good grief. What was your cost for the floor and heating? Thanks for the video.

[@dennym]

Great Info! Can you provide a link for the radiant barrier you put on top of the plywood.

[@thejackofalltravels8267]

I don’t have enough height in my sprinter for that set up. Like the vapor barrier. Looks tight. Also like the rivet nuts I am buying them today.

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks for checking it out and yes luckily I am a van size person haha under 6ft tall.

[@Plastpackad]

Aluminium is a great insulation material. Only coppar is better. Alu foil also helps and amp up radio waves, like mobile signal and Wi-Fi. I always ad alu foil to my winter clothing and my winter boots. It Radiates back the body heat. I have replaced my wool sule in my boots with alu foil - much warmer that way...

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks for the info!

[@susananderson9619]

Does insulating the floor and walls help keep the vehicle cooler in the summer?

[@burkerow]

Don’t know if you’ll see this comment but if other people see this and can answer the question, please do. Why use Baltic birch for subfloor? It seems overkill to me. What’s the advantage over OSB?

[@justinmergl1000]

What are your thoughts on using XPS rigid board instead of polyiso?

[@paulsevcik8878]

Great floor lay up going together nice Wondering what does you're radiant floor look like is hydronic? You didn't show this or I miss a eposode

[@richroberts3418]

Polyiso is great stuff but, it's r-value degrades pretty badly at colder temps so just beware for winter camping.

[@magdatomek]

Awesome, that is really good tutorial on insulation floor. Did you cut the grooves for pex thorough the plywood then install heat transfer plates , pex then aluminum tape? Thank you for sharing.

[@ccwright2109]

What & How did yu incorporate the usually reuired AIR GAP in order to get the actual rated R. Value??

[@Rob95Howard]

Hey Scott, Great video looking at conducting this process now. From my understanding the radiant barrier required a gap somewhere in the insulation layers to reflect the heat, without this it will simply act as a conductive heat insulator, but with it being metallic would actually work as a good conductor to transfer the energy more efficiently, any thoughts on this? Also love fixing via riv nuts, did you use metal bolts here as they will likely act as a thermal bridge and transfer the heat from the outside? Any thoughts on this too? Open to all viewpoints on this

[@anothersomebody8195]

You might not be using any more of the rivnuts, but if you do, you might want to consider making the hole slightly oval. The vibration will loosen the nuts and wallow out the hole. When you go to unscrew in 10 years, it really sucks finding out they're free spinning. I made all of this up based on trying to pull old airplane bolts out, so I'm no engineer.

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks for the info!

[@colleenkaralee2280]

When it comes down to having enough standing room left after insulating the floor and the ceiling, which is more important for temperature control - the floor or the ceiling? How can one best insulate the ceiling on the exterior, such as reflective material, etc - to keep the van from overheating?

[@scottadamson6116]

I guess it depends on whether you are planning more time in warm or cold climates.

[@colleenkaralee2280]

@@scottadamson6116 Oh, okay, I get it thank you.

[@Steven-e7c]

Hi. Which hydronic system does this use?

[@TheVaughnBrown]

Thanks, Scott. What was the foil like layer you dropped in that goes on top of the polyiso - the layer that "reflects" heat back up into the van?

[@cristianvalencia3192]

I'm confused so the plus nuts go through the van floor or just the 1/2 inch baltic birch wood?

[@shawnranaldo1529]

How much does it cost to buy the VLT system?

[@dustinosley5320]

Your the Man Scott! Thanks for doing these videos! I reordered more Lizard Skin to get the ample amount and will start prepping for spray next. Glad I saw your video before I went at it with only 2 gallons!! I notice no battens for Polyiso board? One less step sounds great! Now I’m wondering why so many others do it. Was also wondering if you glued the polyiso down. I guess the ply holds it down just fine? I’m full a questions and think it will be plenty worth my wild to purchase your Van build guide. Thanks again!

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks Dustin! Yeah 2 Gallons on a 144 probably would be just under a coat as the second is much thinner. 4 gallons for me was the perfect amount. When it comes to battens Ive never seem the point of it polyiso isnt going to compress much and with plywood over it the weigh distribution is very good. The Pros dont do it so I didnt think I needed it. Happy to Help!

[@dustinosley5320]

Scott Adamson Big Thanks for the reply! I now have 4 gal. Of sound deadening and 4 gal. of the ceramic “insulation”. Did you pull the floor up in the cab area and spray under it as well? Also wondering if you have a link for the marine flooring you are using somewhere? Big Thanks in Advance!

[@H2Dwoat]

Hi, great video, cheers. Do you go into a bit more detail about the infloor heating in a future video? I’m definitely interested, was it electrical or plumbed? Did you only heat the footfall area or under the cabinets as well?

[@a64738]

I would not put infloor heating under cabinets, mom has it under her cabinets in her kitchen at home and all the food you put in storage there gets heated up because the cabinets trap the heat...

[@authorthomascurran693]

Hey Scott. Any issue using the "plastic" factory floor under the foil under the glycol lines? My new Sprinter came with that, not wood.

[@kayakerpaddler2023]

We bought a "VanRug" which fills in the grooves in the floor and provides a thin layer of closed cell foam. We plan to use polyisolate over this, then 1/2" baltic birch, then sheet vinyl. We DON'T want to attach anything to the metal floor so we plan to glue the plywood sheets together and use a very strong industrial tape also before laying the sheet vinyl. Do you see any major problems with this? We plan on using 8020 to build cabinets and will attach them to the walls, not to the floor.

[@scottadamson6116]

I have never heard of them but just checked it out looks like a cool product. Construction adhesive is super strong but I havent worked with much thats the reason I used a few rivnuts and mechanical fasteners. But if you do your research Im sure it wil work for you. I know lots of people building our overland rigs like unimogs use sika products all over their builds.

[@deanharris2240]

What do you put over the wheel wells to insulate?

[@pzpz2135]

Don't you need an air gap for that foil to actually work? Otherwise, you have conduction which would work against your insulation efforts.

[@dda140]

Hey Scott, Great work! Really thinking ahead with the pattern tracing on the ground before hand! Can you tell us a little more about the VanLifeTech radiant system? Is this a heated liquid loop? Is there a part 2 coming to show that top 1" of your floor going in? And just for comparison, how much floor insulation is int he white van? Keep up the good work!

[@scottadamson6116]

Hey Dave! Thanks yeah dont worry there is a lot of thinking ahead in this project that gets missed....ha. Yeah it uses a diesel powered heater with a pump that circulates a glycol loop, the gylcol then leaves the heater and flows through flat plate heat exchanger where you warm the hot water. Yeah part 2 is coming and the insulation in the white van is the same excluding the loop.

[@kathleenmahoney9488]

I want to insulate my floor, and my sprinter has a factory subfloor. The company who put in my back seat said I didn't need to insulate the floor and so just bolted a back seat through the factory subfloor. While it would cost some height (I'm short with a high roof van), I was wondering thinking it may be best to lay insulation over the factory subfloor and lay a second birch subfloor before the flooring. Thoughts? Is that possible to do that?

[@firpofutbol]

What diameter tubing is used for the radiant heat loop? Nice insulated floor system you have going. 👌

[@scottadamson6116]

Not sure its the smaller pex for is that 3/8?

[@CaribbeanZapatta]

So. What if your van (2015) came with oem floors AND. iem walls ? I chose to leave floor as us and will have finished "dog floor" glued down. The walls are a combination of relect type with foam adhered to metal then 1" foam then airspace then reflective sheet then the plastic oem walls. Glued onto oem walls will be foam- reflect stuff. With wood-looking surface. My goal is an ultralight van [4 cyl motor] with best heat reflection (no plans to ever go back to cold ...)

[@scottadamson6116]

Good luck with everything! Yeah I used the OEM floor in my last van my new one just didnt come with one so I had to make one.

[@ONKT4]

What did you use to fill the uneven, corrugated flooring? Or did you just leave spaces there?

[@scottadamson6116]

Just left the spaces and used the 1/2 plywood baltic birth its never going to bend into the grooves.

[@grg2110]

Great videos Scott. Did you install the van life floor system yourself? How much did it cost?

[@scottadamson6116]

Yes I did and Im not done because you sort of need to do it in phases the floor system is all installed and I had to get more cabinets done on the van to finish the wiring and stuff.

[@grg2110]

Scott Adamson I did more research on the van life tech radiant floor heating and the company is particular about you installing it yourself. I guess there’s a patent pending so they are secretive about it. How were you able to be allowed to get it installed yourself?

[@skwishtopher]

I would also like to install myself. @scott Any tips on how to buy the full system?!👍🏽

[@AM-yq8bb]

Did you do anything special to make sure the rivnut holes are watertight?

[@scottadamson6116]

Hey! I did use sealant on the underside of the van once they were installed. I forgot to mention that !

[@mariamarvanitis2688]

Great video Scott!! Thank you for keeping it on a level!! I'm not sure if I missed it, I wanted to ask you... Is your van a 4×4 or RWD? I'm seriously thinking about buying 144 blue grey RWD... not sure if I can afford 4×4 🤔 And one more question about the Lizard Skin... the equipment that you've used for applying it.. can you please tell me whats the name of it? (You can tell I know a lot about that stuff lol) I thank you! Keep it going... cant wait to see the final result... hopefully I have my van by then too))

[@scottadamson6116]

My van is a 4x4 Mariam. The 2WD van I had for 4 years was a very capable van so I wouldnt say you need 4x4. The equipment was actually from Lizard Skin they sell a kit.

[@mariamarvanitis2688]

@@scottadamson6116 thanks a lot!!

[@manavendramehendale1459]

Hey it was nice video but just a suggestion you used a hell lot of technical terms and which went way overy my head pls explian it what every product means and how's is it useful in the van so even a common man like me who doesn't know much about van life can can understand it.

[@scottadamson6116]

Thanks for the feedback! Im going to put together a blog post about everything as well and Ill try and break things down a bit more there for everyone

[@BauBau9091]

Hi Scott, great video! Can I ask what are the prices for insulating the floor? Thank you!

[@scottadamson6116]

For the infloor heating system?

[@BauBau9091]

@@scottadamson6116yes, please! ☺

[@ascensionunlimited4182]

How cold outside does it have to be before this heating technique loses capability?

[@stevestadterman9270]

thats the million dollar question,,,i install infloor ,,snowmelt systems,,i would like to see water temp feed & return to see its heating capacity,,most of these heaters are 27k btu and always have an air coil,,tubing centers need to decreased to 3" centers ,,like a radiator under the floor.,,again take a flir camera shoot the floor,,you will see how it works,,

[@timw4369]

duct insulation is bitumen based and will fail over time. Butyl based is the way to go.

[@michaelfrymus]

3:00 you put the polyiso board on top of the reflective layer. But both sides of the polyiso has reflectics, and you're putting that on top of reflective layer... I was told that you shouldn't be doing that.. perhaps a polyiso that is only one sides relfective

[@a_little_green]

you are right, reflective insulation need an air gap, if you put something right on top, it's now basically worthless (around R-1 value)

[@susananderson9619]

12,000 bucks ?? For in a vehicle that has a set determined life span? No way

[@cfotograf]

I am not sure why you call yourself professional, you are just another DIY. Your work isn't neat. It looks unprofessional at all. There are plenty of approaches to insulate the van floor.

[@scottadamson6116]

Thank you