Insulating a Van?

I picked up one of those new Nissan NV200 cargo vans to replace my car for my upcoming road tripping adventures. As with just about everyone, I'll use Reflectix to insulate the interior in an attempt to keep it cooler in there. What I want to know is how to attach it to the interior. I dont want to use any adhesives or permanent modifications since that will damage the resale value of the vehicle when it comes time to trade it in. So how can I attach it without leaving a trace? I see some people use Gorilla Tape, but I wonder if that stuff can really withstand 180F+ for years on end without peeling off. The main contender with my build is to loadout the vehicle in a manner that can be reversed when it comes time to sell the car, with the possible exception of a roof vent. Just strip all the crap out inside and done. No holes in the roof for a fan, stuff like that.

What is the finish of the interior going to be? Wood panels? If so, you could cut your panels and dry fit them. Once your fit is good, pop them out and attach your insulation to the wood and not to the van. As for a roof vent, if you do a proper RV with electrical fan and do it correctly, it'll add to the van not be a negative. I prefer to build out pickups because I spend a lot of time offroad and in the high country of Colorado and not having 4wd and high clearance is unacceptable. The van crowd seems to agree NOT to do spray foam insulation... there's some kind of chemical reaction that occurs with with the body panels and causes nasty visible patches through the exterior paint. I have no direct experience with this myself but have seen it while searching online build forums. I would encourage you to delve into the online build forum world, there's a wealth of information out there. I've built out a LOT of rigs for myself, friends, family, and customers... I'm a woodworker and cabinet guy so i love geeking out about this stuff. Post updates of your build process!

Sweet van. You should know that Reflectix has almost no insulating power. Tests have shown that it has an R value of about 1. It will reflect radiation, but only if there is an air gap between the Reflectix and the wall of the van.

So, however you end up installing it, make sure it is contacting the wall of the van at little as possible.

If you want something with actual insulating properties I would look into the Thinsulate marine insulation. I believe it's around R-3 per inch. It is also acoustically insulating.

If you are still in Hawaii,I am curious if insulating will help keep it cool.

Seems like most people insulate for warmth, which works in cold weather since you will heat up your van as you sleep.

In a warm environment, seems like opening the door once would loose your AC, unless you run it again after you settle in for the night.

What about selling it to another climber when you are done with it? Then a good, permanent build would add value. If you strip it when you sell it you lose the cost of materials and build time.

A couple things to consider: Will you be climbing in cold weather? Will you primarily be sleeping in your van? Reflectix is used as a shield to keep moisture off the walls as well as for its slight insulation value. Keep in mind that the actual R value of Reflectix is closer to 1 which doesn't produce that much insulation. That being said, every bit helps. If you're concerned with removing adhesives at a later date, you may want to consider just skipping the reflectix. Most people use spray glue to secure reflectix to the inside of a van (3m 90 typically). It's not easy to get off... You'll be using some form of adhesive remover that may damage the paint. It looks like there's some plastic side panels in this van. If it was me, I'd just pull the plastic panels, fill everything with mineral wool, cut foam board for the ceiling squares, securing with the existing holes in the cross bars and calling it a day.

Velcro

Gorilla tape leaves residue after long application
Friend and I were having a talk about insulation, we both noticed that price for aerogel insulation sheets has dropped quite a bit over the last few years. It is still quite expensive, but considering how much R value one gets per inch, it might be worth the expense where space is limited.

Perhaps you could figure out some sort of rigid and thin paneling system attached to van walls that could hold insulation in place? - it would be easier to remove.

I've heard people are psyched on this stuff, but i don't have any experience with it myself. Apparently it's free of harsh chemicals, brah.

amazon.com/Duck-280463-Mult…

No experience with insulating a van but some with Reflectix. The material is not going to be half as good at stopping radiant heat as the metal material of your van. The problem is that the metal in your van is also the source of radiant heat since the van itself is heated by the sun, your van becomes a giant radiator. You need to rig a sun shield over your van. White would also be a preferred color for the van depending on how much money you want to put into it.

Consider using a thermal coating to insulate. SuperTherm has a multi ceramic coating that has an RE-19 value.

Hardest part is prepping the surfaces for coating. Sanding all the gloss off all the painted surfaces. A sandblaster would make short work of it. Pressure wash it. Apply a rust inhibitor, and then the ceramic coating. The stuff is just fantastic. It would add to the resale value too, as it is simply a coat of paint that adds very little weight the the vehicle, and the RE-19's value will be appreciated by most buyers. Check it out here : supertherm.net/multicera.htm

When I build my van, it's how I plan to insulate. I will probably take the extra step to coat the outside of the roof before I bolt on the rack. Keep us posted with build progress. Interested to see your solution.

HVAC tape

I have been building out a Promaster cargo van. I bought that eco-friendly insulation, but ended up using styrofoam instead. The foam sheets are held in by HVAC foil tape, but I will be adding ceiling panels shortly. The tape isn't super sticky like duct tape, but not sure of the longevity comparison. The denim insulation is floppy, so while it would be OK for the floor (if it's not too thick), it's not ideal for the walls and ceiling if you want to minimize adhesives.

My floor is completely floating (3/4" foam + 3/4" OSB + garage mat), and it hasn't been a problem even on rough roads. It also allows you to screw furniture into the wood instead of the metal. I didn't drill holes for my solar panels and haven't installed a vent for the same reason you mentioned.

Craig Childre wrote:Consider using a thermal coating to insulate. SuperTherm has a multi ceramic coating that has an RE-19 value

Unfortunately, it's too good to be true. Just like with reflectix, the ceramic paint simply blocks radiation (about as well as white latex paint), but does nothing for conduction. By standard measures of R value, that paint has an R value close to 0.

Reference: cchrc.org/docs/Insulating_P…

If you're going to go the Reflectix route, consider EZ Cool instead. It's basically the same stuff, only better and cheaper. I used it to insulate my truck and camper shell and it made a world of difference, both temperature and sound wise.

As for how to attach it non-permanently, maybe velcro? By not having the whole sheet of insulation in direct contact with the body of the vehicle, you'll make the insulation more effective(by minimizing conductive heat loss), so that could potentially work out well.

Egg crate foam . It should help insulate and muffle the screams of children in your creeper van!

Rick Blair wrote:No experience with insulating a van but some with Reflectix. The material is not going to be half as good at stopping radiant heat as the metal material of your van. The problem is that the metal in your van is also the source of radiant heat since the van itself is heated by the sun, your van becomes a giant radiator. You need to rig a sun shield over your van. White would also be a preferred color for the van depending on how much money you want to put into it.

That's exactly what I am trying to insulate against. My van is dark blue, and by about 8:30AM the sheet metal is hot enough to cook on. I had hoped that putting Reflectix on it would help prolong the transfer of heat from the sheet metal to the air. Why else do people cover their van in it?

As far as a fan goes, the vehicle has 2"x2" ports in the back on the bottom of the car to allow air through when you slam the rear door closed (so as not to kill your ear drums). I was thinking of tapping into that with a hose and drawing cool air from under the van to the top of the van via a fan.

I am only concerned with blocking heat as I dont use the van in the winter. I am wondering if it would be better to use solid foam insulation on the roof and sides instead since it seems like most of the heat coming through will be conductive.

If you want to attach stuff without drilling holes or leaving glue residue, magnets might work well for you since most of the interior looks like sheet metal.

You could stick something like this ( uline.com/Product/Detail/S-…) to the back of the insulation where it would touch metal and assuming the magnets are strong enough it should hold it all in place and be removable when you don't want it.

Hire a insulation guy that does spray foam.

If you are planning to still do reflectix velcro and magnets would be your best bet for being easily removable. For it to be efficient though you really need some space for air. Don&t forget to insulate the ceiling too.Here is my set up when I started installing the insulation a couple days ago.

Installing the insulation

What about cellulose insulation? It is mostly recycled paper fiber. It can be blown in and if you want to remove it a vacuum will easily suck it out.