Thermal insulation
Insulation is all about trying to keep cool in the sun and warm in the cold. It’s time to get funky with some space-age technology when it comes to adding some pretty funky thermal insulation into the camper. After all the recent work, you can really begin to see the difference with the bus… errrr, well not exactly!
Cosmetically the exterior is pretty much exactly as it was (and should be!). It’s still reassuring to be asked by passers-by ‘so when will it be road worthy’ – it always makes me smile inside, especially when I tell them that no, and yes it’s already out and about on the roads! Technically I’ve even camped out in it for a night as well!
are you going to be painting it soon?
So, with stage one of the acoustic deadening side sorted, and winter on its way, its time to now look at adding some thermal insulation to my vintage VW camper. This part will be met with much approval from my wife! This kills two birds with one stone. It gets the roll of Triso Super 10 Plus Insulation out from the house and should make the bus a bit warmer to be in now the weather is changing!
New thinking
On a discussion thread all about insulation on a VW forum, an Architect suggested that Triso Super 10 Plus Insulation might be worth looking at as a possible solution for a bus? It then just so happened that a friend of mine who is in the construction industry mentioned that he had a roll of the stuff leftover from a job… so a deal was done and I arranged to get it picked up and delivered.
Space inspired
Originally I believe NASA was involved in using and developing multi-foil insulation for use in spacecraft? I think this is the roots of where Triso Super 10 Plus Insulation came from. It’s a 35mm thick multi-foil insulation normally used in the construction industry for roof insulation. It comprises 19 layers of foil/foam/wadding materials and is certified to have the thermal efficiency equivalent to 210mm of mineral wool insulation!
Triso Super 10+ being reflective multi-foil insulation means that it not only helps to keep your property warm in the winter but also cool in the summer by reflecting unwanted solar gain.
- Quick and easy to install
- Flexible, easy to fit into awkward spaces
- Durable – will not sag, moisture resistant
- Non-irritant, hypoallergenic
- Airtight and weather resistant
I liked the idea of less giving more so this seemed like a pretty funky insulation to use in a camper where space to fit any insulation was going to be really limited! Plus of course, I like the fact that it would be easy to handle, cut and fit!
The top and bottom layers are made of a ripstop style, reinforced tough aluminium foil, that loosely covered the remaining 17 layers of various forms of insulating material. It’s pretty easy to cut to size with a pair of scissors. We then kept the cut pieces together with some aluminium foil tape wrapped over the edges.
Warm feelings
With some invaluable help from my lovely wife Lorna, we soon managed to get wads of the Triso Super 10 Plus Insulation cut to the sizes of the different recesses in the cargo doors structure, then taped into position with the aluminium metal tape.
Although initially it is fairly ‘puffed up’, the taped in insulation will fit flush when the door cards/panels are fitted and screwed into place. Right, time to crack on and get some more cut to sized and taped in place then…
