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Insulation


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bumblebee

Tue May 01 2012, 07:25PM

Registered Member #364

Joined: Tue Aug 31 2010, 08:31PM
Location: Dillard, GA
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Okay when I removed my sliding door panel to paint it I noticed that the door had some (not a lot) of regular insulation in it. What do y'all insulate your walls in your buses with?

1969 Weekender "Bumblebee"

1974 Super Beetle "Betty"

sunroof71

Tue May 01 2012, 08:32PM

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Joined: Mon Sep 06 2010, 12:47PM
Location: lillington nc
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I recently asked something similar....

http://www.fullmoonbusclub.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?43188

1971 Sunroof bus- Fred
http://kampers4kids.com/

busdriver

Tue May 01 2012, 08:53PM

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Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:52AM
Location: Chapel Hill NC
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I'm using 1" dense foam rubber. I took out less dense foam.

Judy Neville
Chapel Hill NC

1966 Camper "Hannah"
1967 Singlecab "Khady"

bumblebee

Wed May 02 2012, 08:08PM

Registered Member #364

Joined: Tue Aug 31 2010, 08:31PM
Location: Dillard, GA
Posts: 445

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Thanks for the info guys. Sorry I didn't see it on the tech questions part because I don't look at that section much. Technically challenged. Looks like there are some good options.

1969 Weekender "Bumblebee"

1974 Super Beetle "Betty"

Robert

Tue May 22 2012, 08:38AM

robert

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Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 12:36AM
Location: SC
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You can use fiberglass insulation if you aren't planning on sleeping in the bus and you air it out frequently- it's what Westfalia used from their factory. If you are planning to sleep in the bus (and who isn't

) then you need to either cover it with a vapor barrier or better yet, use something that doesn't absorb moisture. Yes, the Bulley bus ended up having rust issues.

I've written up at least one thread about this but God only knows what's happened to them at this point. Anyways, there are several things you need to keep in mind. Insulation and sound proofing aren't necessarily the same thing. Sound proofing generally does little to insulate, it's more about stopping the metal from vibrating- and the bus has a lot of flat metal surface to vibrate. Those same metal surfaces also act like a heat sink but your biggest areas of lose are going to be your windows. You can use insulation or curtains over them at night but that’s obviously not going to work while driving. I have pieces of Reflectix cut to fit over my windows and I use small magnets to hold them in place; I store them in the upper area when not needed. There are some window films that have a low R value that you can buy; I haven’t tried any of them personally.

Start by stripping out your interior and cleaning everything well. While you’ve got the bus stripped out is also a good time to blow the ducts out as it’s a messy job. Clean and prep any areas with rust. I used POR15 but there are other products on the market. Pay particular attention to the floor area under any cabinets and under the driver’s side vent window (prone to leaking). Where the floor meets the firewall and the brackets where the seats bolt in are other areas to look at closely. Notice how the walls have nothing on them and you’ll see where a lot of your noise is coming from. There are plenty of products on the market for deadening them; I used some stick on product (there are cheaper alternatives to Dynamat). You don’t have to cover every inch to get good sound deadening- do your research here as the stuff is expensive and adds weight. After that had time to stick I shot the walls with a spray on sound deadener. You can shoot this stuff in the reinforcing ribs too- do not shoot the expanding foam in them as some sites recommend or you risk popping them loose (there is a minimal expanding foam that will work if you really want to). You’ll need to do this to the firewall too as that’s were a ton of your noise come from. Whatever you use should act as a barrier to moisture to keep it from getting to the metal.

Pick your insulation, some folks like the Reflectix (the aluminized bubble wrap), some like foam board, some like other products. I used fiberglass because it insulates well and I happened to have had a roll on hand. You’ll likely have to peel it in half in order to avoid compressing it- compressed insulation doesn’t work; remember it has to have air spaces in it to “trap” heat. Now whether you’re using an insulation which won’t hold moisture or you’re using batten type you’ll want to add a vapor barrier layer. Spray adhesive works well for mounting this.

Seal around any openings in the bus- the Westys have holes in the floor for the drains and the gas line and holes in the side for the vents and fills. I used a piece of rubber (old inner-tube actually) and made gaskets that sealed up tight around whatever was sticking through it. Cheap, easy and sticks with contact cement. Under the bus replace the foam gaskets around these openings with new foam.
There are areas that you just can’t get behind that will leave you with cold spots such as the rear quarter panels. I keep extra pillows in the bus so I can cover them to prevent me rolling over and touching them while sleeping. The rear mattress isn’t that great at insulating either; putting something between it and the metal engine cover helps a little.

Moving forward, the front doors aren’t insulated since water drains through them. You can put sound deadener in them though. There is usually what’s left of some Styrofoam behind the kickpanels- and large metal surfaces. Put sound deadener over these panels and insulate behind the panels. Look for rust damage that indicates a leaky windshield (common). The floorboard needs help and lots of it- carpet helps. When it left the factory there were grommets around the pedals where they went through the floorboard- replacing them keeps air from blowing up around them. Make sure you have the protective guard over the steering components as it helps keep air out of that area too (and it’s a huge safety issue if you should hit something and it get up in there). The roof is another huge heat sink with little to no insulation- especially in a sunroof or fiberglass topped bus. There’s little you can do for those last two expect make something custom. Westfalia did put a small thin piece of fiberglass insulation above the front seats. You can pull the headliner on a hard top and you’ll notice that there’s no sound deadener and usually no insulation. Easy to remedy- slap some sound deadener up there and insulation.

On the outside of the bus make sure all of your window and door seals are in good shape and your doors are adjusted properly. Make sure the heating system isn’t leaking. Pull the front vent off and replace the gasket on the flaps (usually long since rotted away) and adjust them so they aren’t leaking air. I have two mesh pieces for mine- in the winter I swap in the old one with that’s been fiberglassed over so no air can leak in.

That’s about as good as it’s going to get as far as bus preps. Keep clothes in your closet to help insulate it. For cold weather I highly recommend reducing the area you’re trying to heat. I usually hang a blanket behind the front seats to block off the front. If it’s really cold I’ll tuck a blanket into the upper bunk so that I basically create a tent out of the lower bed area- that and plenty of blanket and sleeping with a hat on.

On a side note, if you run a propane heater such as the Buddy Heater be sure to air out your bus well in the morning as they generate a lot of moisture during the night (as does breathing).

Hope that helps.

1978 Westy


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