DIY Thermal Shades/Curtains

ezrablu · Post by **ezrablu** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:56 pm

Dennis...I ran across this and thought I'd post it here for you:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4834338_up-insu ... shade.html

and

http://www.terrelldesigns.com/Instructions

graydawg · Post by **graydawg** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:32 pm

good idea with the reflectex, but after thinking awhile on it, not sure that would prevent xrays. from penetrating, not sure, it does need further investigation for sure.

ezrablu · Post by **ezrablu** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:23 am

Just for thermal value, James...not xrays. Although that might be a bonus with the foil in there

Headache · Post by **Headache** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:44 am

Thanks for posting this ezra. I'm homing in on an interior and those window treatments could really come in handy if I don't insulate the ceiling as I'm reading others have skipped as well.

ezrablu · Post by **ezrablu** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 4:13 am

Your welcome Headache. I'm going to be insulating my ceiling but I'm wondering about a certain technique I read about...if it would work in my bus but I don't know much about my bus ceiling or if all buses are "about" the same.

This person took off the steel wall panel just above the windows and then slid a sheet of reflectix up through the ceiling to the other window on the opposite side.

http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/main.php ... ettings]=1

I'm wondering if that would be possible with my bus? I'm not sure what's in the ceiling of my bus...wires for sure, which I'm keeping there.

graydawg · Post by **graydawg** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 6:20 am

For do it yourselfers, a bunch of cans of great stuff expanding foam, and drilling interior wall cavities and a longer straw will do allot of work in insulating, you will be buying cases of great stuff or similar foam product or could hire it done with a insulating company they have foam insulating equipment to do the same thing. It does work. DIY can save some $ and if careful will end up with the same thing.

Post by **Sharkey** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:34 am

graydawg wrote:a bunch of cans of great stuff expanding foam, and drilling interior wall cavities and a longer straw will do allot of work in insulating,

Sorry James, but my advice is do NOT do that! Great Stuff is expanding foam sealant. It does expand quite a lot, and if sprayed into a confined space, has the very real potential to rupture the walls of the space, or at a minimum, bend and distort any panels is presses against.

I have a friend who used it as a sound deadener in one of his cars, sprayed the doors, rocker panels, quarter panels, etc full of expanding foam. The car inflated like a blowfish, just blew the shape of the car all out of proportion. He ended up digging the foam out of most of the areas with knives, chisels and angle grinders.

Non-expanding foam is available, and should be used in confined spaces instead. Yes, it costs more...

Additionally, "Great Stuff", and products like it are NOT insulation, they are "sealants", they really don't have the thermal properties of proper foamed-in-place insulation.

Then there's the off-gassing...

rlaggren · Post by **rlaggren** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:44 pm

The foam also absorbs and holds onto water. It appears to be "open cell" where the little "holes" in the foam all interconnect with themselves and the outside world. I foamed the doors and pillars of a Ford van and it didn't cause any shape problems but after the first rainy season my sliding door got about 4 times as heavy as it started out - and it stayed that way for 3 years until I got rid of the truck. Way not what I wanted.

Rufus

graydawg · Post by **graydawg** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 4:21 pm

I am glad to know that, the only thing that was holding me back on doing it on my bus was the lack of funds to get enough of it to do any good, I was figuring at least 2 cases 24 cans to get me started and figured I would have to buy a few more cans after that on a 35 foot 4106. I used it on the school bus that I started on to convert and must have not got enough in there or something it was a 81 chevy carpenter body if that makes any difference, and I was using a 2' piece of tubing to insert it into the cavities so I would not have to drill as many holes on the interior, I was guessing by bumping the interior metal to see if it was getting enough in place, must have lucked up or didn't get enough in there, it didn't distort the metal on it at all, I seen the non or light expanding foam when I bought the great stuff I used and figured it would just take more was my reasoning for not using it. The insulation used in my bus right now is some type of thick material reminded me of a overthick size moving blanket they use to protect furniture when moving, but 2 to 3 times thicker. This was exactly what I was going to use and probably saved me a mess and some cash at the same time which always seem to be in short supply.
THANKS MRSHARKEY I DEFINITELY TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT James in da GRAYDAWG

Post by **Sharkey** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 4:52 pm

If you ever really ~do~ need 2 cases of foam sealant at once, do yourself a favor and check out contractor sales. The stuff comes in a two or three gallon "box", with a long hose to apply. I don't know how it works, but I've seen it being used. Got to be cheaper and less wasteful than dealing with all those pressurized cans...

graydawg · Post by **graydawg** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:07 pm

I will definitely check into that, do you know the name of it by chance or is it Great Stuff foam, and is it available at Home Depot or Lowes they both have a contractor sales area, here in Shreveport, La.

Stealth Camper · Post by **Stealth Camper** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:10 pm

Can't remember exactly where, will look around when I get a chance, but there are places that sell the isocyanate foam (expanding urethane, I think) that is used in houses - as in "This Old House".

Have thought about that, but then found the Dow blue foam sheets. R6 per inch and if glued with urethane adhesive, it can become a structural piece. (This is what NuWa uses in their trailers. I plan to shamelessly copy.)

ezrablu · Post by **ezrablu** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:10 pm

I bought some of that low expansion kind...it was about double the price of regular Great Stuff. I don't remember the brand now. My son needed it for something on his boat.

Dennis The Bus Dweller · Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:01 am

This is the stuff I used http://tigerfoam.com/products.php

Headache · Post by **Headache** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:46 am

The pics of that Reflectix installation are interesting, seems to be fairly simple.

The reason I'm holding off on insulating the ceiling is I'm being financially cautionary. I want to make sure I can pay for what I have to get done and anything else will be awesome extras. Since I'll still survive without it, it's on my 2nd to do list.

I'm also planning that I'll want to raise the roof if it isn't high enough already. This way I won't have to strip everything back down if I decide that yes I want to raise it, after I've saved the money needed to do it. If not I'll have a decent nest egg saved for anything that comes up.

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DIY Thermal Shades/Curtains

DIY Thermal Shades/Curtains

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