Insulation! Spray Foam VS Havelock Wool for Van and Bus Conversions

[@mountainman4410]

That child is such a little character! Always brings a smile to my face when you have her on. 😁

[@MobileDwellings]

Haha me too.

[@justinfowler2857]

One benefit I noticed with wool versus spray foam is wiring. With spray foam your wires are tied up inside of it. Thus if repairs are needed you'll probably end up breaking out some of the foam. Whereas wool can just be moved out of the way and reinstalled when the repairs are complete.

[@Shitty796]

That's why you tube in your wires with extra pull though strings

[@tyrantsforgitmo3394]

​@keithbaranzini5941 conduit all the way. But spray foam is also crazy expensive and in a pinch can not be removed and replaced without needing to respray the area that was cut out.

[@cybercapri]

Great info on Insulation, I will look into this for my project. FYI for those that don't know, this is a huge game changer in regards to keeping the roof, or almost anything paintable, about 15 degrees cooler, if not more, and that is Lanco Coolguard and 1 Gal. Siliconizer White Elastomeric Crack Filler. The Coolguard is the most expensive in the line, like 200 USD for 5 Gal but is beyond well worth the investment. I live in a 35 ft RV full time and I was able to paint my roof, sloppily as I'm not as young as I was a few decades ago easily 2 times now with enough left over to probably paint it a third with a single 5 gal bucket. I easily have 1/3 of a bucket left. Given the cost of 200 USD that's a steal in my opinion I just hope HD won't read my post here and increase the price because I'd gladly pay more for this product. Also the 1 Gal. Siliconizer White Elastomeric Crack Filler is by far the best of the best to repair your roof with; believe me I've been repairing roofs for many years. I typically stayed away from a product costing 25 USD per gallon because I didn't feel the product was worth it. all things considered these two items have sealed any and all leaks my RV Roof was having. Not only that but the bond created by the Siliconizer between the Aluminum Gaps is amazing. It won't shrink and stays where its put. There's a fair amount of tool time as well, just depends on if your using it in direct sunlight but that goes for any product in that regard. I've gone up a few times over the past few months and not a single crack. My Aluminum Roof appears to be a single piece, 8 feet wide and 35ish feet long and I have a gap as it laps over the outer end of the outer walls as they curve over the top of the roof. I say gap but it's actually overlapping Aluminum which is prone to movement and it can cause screws or fasteners to lossen over time with just the natural movement of the metal. I removed most of the old screws and replaced them with a bit longer and larger diameter screws to ensure the roof is held down. This created a valley, on purpose, and this filler did its job and filled the gap perfectly covering the screw heads easily. I also used an 8 inch by 100 foot, or 50 feet I forget, Fiberglass Screen repair to aid the Siliconizer in bridging said gap and that really helped. Even if the Aluminum does move it will move under the Fiberglass and won't create any issues. The Coolguard also prevents my Aluminum Roof from absorbing ANY HEAT WHATSOEVER; and I mean ANY HEAT. When I first painted the roof my shoe souls were almost melting as the roof was that hot; that was after being in the shade for a bit as you don't want to paint in direct sunlight if you can avoid it. I'm here to say this product went on thick and covered EVERYTHING; including bugs because I grew tired of picking them out of the paint. The Siliconizer sealed better than any caulking and the 1 gal bucket went a very long way. I ended up using 3 gal total, still have most of the 3rd bucket left, but had a lot of gaps to repair so it was well worth it. Since painting my roof I can now climb onto my roof, in direct sunlight, think high noon, and not worry about anything being hot to the touch. When they say Cool to the tough, in direct sunlight this product is COOL to the touch and that blew my mind. The siliconizer stays flexible and moves with the Aluminum as does the Coolguard Paint. I didn't properly prep the roof per the instructions but I'm here to say the paint is sticking like nothing I've ever used before. It stuck to Aluminum, Plastic, Fiberglass, and even Asphalt Roof, used by the previous owner in some sort of failed repair, and even though my Aluminum Roof was not properly cleaned this paint stuck to a dirty roof. Products over 400 USD were out of my price range and could probably work better but for the money I'm here to say the following two products are worth investing in. My health is not what it once was so I simply did what I could, when I could. The Siliconizer, on some areas, may have gone weeks untreated before it was painted and the paint stuck to it like white on rice. Also, both products are white and cover any and all dark colors instantly as I used some black silicone caulking in some areas before I found this Siliconizer. Even the Fiberglass was Black but did not bleed through either the paint nor the Siliconzier which was a plus for sure because Black Absorbs heat. I highly recommend painting your roof with this product, Coolguard. Also the Siliconizer, though more expensive then butyl, is also far superior as I've used both. Both of these products exceed my expectations and I've been in Construction since 1980, so do the math. This product didn't exist when I will looking to seal cracks in roofs and I'm here to say it's worth every penny. I can honestly say this about very few products but these two, now that I've successfully used them, are worth every penny. Leaks from my very old roof, my RV is from 1986, are probably sealed for the very first time. Also, as an added benefit, sound has been reduced drastically as well. If you've ever heard the sound of Rain on a Tin Roof then you know what that sounds like. This paint has easily cut that sound by 60% if not more like 90%. Stuff dropping on my roof now, which used to sound like an explosion, is not a distant thump. Even the passing Train's vibration has been noticeably reduced since painting my roof. I wish I'd done this sooner but you know hindsight, it's always 20/20. Here are the product links that I purchased through HD and shipping was free and only took a few days, like almost next day. www.homedepot.com/p/Lanco-5-Gal-Coolguard-100-Acrylic-Urethane-Elastomeric-Reflective-Roof-Coating-with-Dramatic-Temperature-Reduction-RC3700-2/304353858 www.homedepot.com/p/Lanco-1-Gal-Siliconizer-White-Elastomeric-Crack-Filler-Smooth-Knife-Grade-for-Permanent-Water-Resistant-Adhesion-RC230-4/100428972

[@Devon7839]

So what I'm getting from this, as a Canadian from a colder climate, I'm doing a major roof raise, and probably 4 inch framing with like 5 inches of spray foam in most areas and high efficiency residential windows.... I can dig it.

[@MobileDwellings]

Yes! I mostly like your plan, but I would go with approx 4 inches of floor insulation, add 1.5 inch furring strips in ceiling (probably 2x4's flat) and do the same with the walls. You can go thicker in the ceiling but thicker in the walls isn't worth it and you'll lose too much interior space. That with the high efficiency residential windows should keep you toasty with a wood stove and auxiliary heat sources (propane heaters or diesel heaters). It's going to be a lot of work!

[@Devon7839]

@@MobileDwellings yes it will be. I'm gonna start looking for a bus in the new year. Probably going to end up down in the US because rear engine buses up here are rare for some reason.

[@IppiopaidFEEDBACK]

You can also use a ceramic paint to increase your R-value! I’ve seen someone build an RV (granted it was a $500,000 RV) with an R 28 because of spray foam and ceramic paint. And the guy said to Google ceramic paint, I did and the stuff is amazing! About $300 (usda) for a 5 gallon bucket.

[@gormauslander]

@@IppiopaidFEEDBACK how is it applied? Do you spray it directly onto the foam?

[@davidhillman1066]

You and your family are blessed!

[@bariettaperez]

Perfect to put the baby girl in the video 🥰

[@Pdblee]

Nova is so cute. She’s a sweetheart. 😊

[@alanday5255]

Thank you for video. You can use the ceramic film tint. It has a great relective value vs regular tint.

[@markw5805]

If you put a reflective surface/color on the back of your ceiling panel and leave 1/2-3/4” gap between your roof you will reduce conduction and reflect radiant heat. This will drop your roof temp too.

[@markw5805]

Very wise suggestion…you must get the ratio correct on foam. Conductive R value is conductive R-value so your comment about the ceiling better with wool is incorrect…if wool system(you mentioned fans) is better then it is the System not wool vs foam. Foam may have more thermal mass so it radiates longer at the end of the day, but at the start of the day it doesn’t heat up as fast either. Once again conduction is conduction and r value is a measurement of conduction.

[@-7F]

Good job 👍🏻 i watching you from IRAQ 🇮🇶 great video .

[@davidhillman1066]

I’m hooked! Lover your work! And I love this bus!

[@MobileDwellings]

Glad you're into it. Thanks for watching!

[@junesketches]

Maybe on a future build, you can try Humble Road's method of adding heavy mass vinyl on vans for insulating buses that don't have raised roofs or spray foamed insulation.

[@MobileDwellings]

Interesting I'll try and remember to look into that next time.

[@EricPeelMusic]

MLV is not a good thermal insulator. It’s a good noise insulator.

[@junesketches]

@@EricPeelMusic Yes, I know. I just meant as an additional part of his builds. I should've said it clearer. I did reference Humble Road, so that should be more helpful to them if they ever look it up.

[@EricPeelMusic]

Ah, ok

[@trevorfancohart5642]

Hey! I am convinced. But am wondering how it has performed over the last year? Is the wool still recommended?

[@martigras8540]

That’s why I’m here too! Maybe he will do an update! I don’t have a roof raise so for that reason I’m leaning toward the spray foam.

[@sp1ke316]

I really appreciate the video and the opinions from the other side about spray foam, especially from someone who sprayed their own bus! Havelock Wool is interesting, but I have concerns based on other's reviews. Have you looked into rock wool at all? It is cheaper, slightly higher R-value, natural & "organic", and not an animal product! I also think it does a better job at acoustics and less worry of mold.

[@MobileDwellings]

I have heard the same about rockwool. I will definitely research it heavily and compare it to sheep's wool next time I feel inclined to skip the spray foam. Theres no arguing though if you're down with spray foam it is by far the superior product. But then I do think it makes sense to delete windows and tighten up the bus envelope if you're going to go for the spray foam.

[@TroyDeanOnTheRoad]

Great info. thank you!

[@peterrocan2542]

Havelock wool recommends at least 2 thickness layers of its product, for an R-value of 7.2. Looks like you went with a single layer on the walls & ceiling--if so, why? Thanks.

[@MobileDwellings]

We went with more like 1 and a half layers. We fit as much as we could in the cavities we created.

[@peterrocan2542]

@@MobileDwellings Good to know. Thanks. I had been considering spray foam, until I found your video... I'm still researching options, but I can see benefits of wool insulation over foam.

[@kylec2586]

If. Y chance anyone is in Ottawa Canada and needs closed cell sprayfoam let me know !

[@LaheralHaake]

And what happens with condensation when you use wool? Would it not retain moist like a big sponge?

[@amyv8416]

How much wool did you need for the 40' bus? I have a short bus that I am going to be converting, and I am interested in the wool insulation.

[@Hakeeeeeeem]

the wool will catch fire like crazy, have you considered it?

[@grooveaddictsmusic5832]

Fire resistant dude

[@jessmarie8664]

Okay so do you wire the electric first and then do the subfloors and furring strips?

[@MobileDwellings]

I like to do electric after subfloor and furring.

[@TxSabre7]

The Havelock link isn't working for me

[@TravelFanatical]

I might have missed this part, but did you use the wool in the floor as insulation ?

[@MobileDwellings]

Nope. Rigid foam board in the floor.

[@randomdamian]

In Europe it's -10 to 0 for about a month, 0-15 for about 3 months and the rest is 15-25 summer is like 2 month tops at 30-35... And not each day more like in weekly bursts. Is the wool still better?

[@MobileDwellings]

Europe is a whole continent. So many different climates. But this building style is inadequate for cold weather. Anything around or under zero degrees to be comfortable you need thicker floor insulation, thicker (preferably spray foam) in the ceiling, and less surface area taken up by windows. If you use the building methods ive shown in this series you should move your vehicle around to chase weather or create a serious amount of BTUs for heat.

[@randomdamian]

@@MobileDwellings But does it mean that even with heating it will be cold in my camper van? Or will it just consume more power to keep the temperature? I will get the AC that is placed inside the camper not outside like the Dometic RTX ones.

[@EnjoyTheShoah]

Where did you get those windows?

[@MobileDwellings]

They came with the bus!

[@katiemeehan752]

We are about to embark on our bus build and are planning to use havlock . Im intrested to know how you feel about it now after its been a bit and has been lived in so to speak. Also intrested to know how much you needed to purchase. We have a 09 thomas front engine 84 passenger so shes a biggen.

[@MobileDwellings]

If you're not going to be spending the bulk of your time in very cold climates we 100% feel that Havelock wool is the way to go. I think we used two of their double bag orders for this 33 foot bus. So 4 bags I believe.

[@erinnjohnson1247]

@@MobileDwellings What do you mean by double bag? On the website it looks like they only sell a pallet or 100 sf box. We have a 28 foot bus that we are looking to insulate.

[@MobileDwellings]

@@erinnjohnson1247 I believe they've changed the way they sell their product since making this video. I'd read through their faq, take some measurements, approximate how many inches deep you'll be insulating and estimate how many square feet you need to buy from there.

[@buffalomitch7088]

How many square feet of wool did you buy for the insulation?

[@bariettaperez]

What did you use to insulate the windows ?

[@MobileDwellings]

foil faced polyiso insulation

[@zahra.b]

🤔👍😍

[@ohske]

😯👍👍👍👌❤

[@ak47bobbarke]

Baaaaaabaaaaaaaaaa!!! 🐑🐏🐑🐏

[@IO-zz2xy]

I live your bus and this conversion, BUT, this but is definitely going to need a rooftop AC unit. I think you guys are being short sighted by not installing one early in the build as if you decide later it is going to be a difficult job. Believe me, you will have to remove roof panels and large chunks of insulation then re-batton and insulate etc. Not going to be an easy job.

[@MobileDwellings]

Hi Kerry. I install mini splits. Not a huge fan of rooftop airs but they have their place. You'll see!

[@sp1ke316]

Nobody "needs" AC 😊

[@gormauslander]

It made me incredibly uncomfortable seeing y'all handle that because it looks a lot like fiberglass wool, which is one of Satan's creations

[@MobileDwellings]

Haha yeah for sure. But this stuff is just fluffy sheep's wool!