Date:         Tue, 12 Sep 1995 01:05:09 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         othneal@ix.netcom.com (Elliot braun )
Subject:      Re: Vanagon Westy insulated?

My reply:

    Sounds like alot of work, I just installes a Suburban 12,000 btu 
propane heater in my EuroVan Mv weekender, it is the same heater that 
Winnie. installs in that outfit they are making.  It is still not cold 
enough yey to KNOW but last weekend we roasted.

    If you already have propane on the bus the furnace is a snap to 
install, and even easier to run.  12.000 btu is alot of heat for a pop 
top.

    Elliot


You wrote: 
>
>Is the Vanagon Westy insulated? When I fixed some rust around my
>fridge flue vent and hookups I found about 2" of fiberglass in that 
area.
>Could somebody who has looked behind the other body panels tell me
>if there is insulation there also?
>
>I plan to winterize my Westy by insulating it, and adding some kind of 

>heater. I figure insulating pays off real well. Suppose there is
>no insulation in there now. My guess is that the body has an R value
>of around 2, and the glass is R 1. Actually all single panel parts
>of the body is more like R 1. A gross guess on total R value for the
>van would be 1.5.
>
>Current state is that even when driving, the car stays pretty cold.
>When stopped it cools down rapidly to the outside temperature.
>
>Suppose the R value was doubled. That would mean:
>
>	I only need a half as powerful heater, half the fuel etc.
>
>	Van keeps the temperature better (Stays warmer longer in winter,
>	cooler in summer)
>
>Doubling the R value ought to be easy. One might even be able to 
quadruple
>it. I'll come back with more precise calulations once I learn more
>of what insulation might already be present. 
>
>Some ways of insulating I though about are:
>
>	Put a piece of rigid insulation (Dow styrofoam .75", R3) in the 
>	pop top, so that it is held in place when the pop top is closed. 
>	(I won't try to	improve insulation in the poptop open case). 

>	Difficulty: How to seal well around the edges of the insulation, 
>	and how to avoid condensation on the inside of the poptop roof.
>
>	Put basement style, fairly rigid fiberglass between the body and
>	the interior panels in all accessible places. (R 3 per inch)
>
>Alternatives for the floor :
>
>	Place a piece of (say 3/4") rigid insulation on
>	top of it (Make cut outs for the fridge ventilation)
>	Put a carpet on top of it.
>
>	Stuff the cavities between the structural crossmembers with
>	basement fiberglass.
>
>	Mount a sheet of rigid insulation to the beams under the body. 
>	This need to be bent a little to attach both to the beams and
>	the sides of the body. The area around the propane tank, and
>	gas (diesel) tank) would remain uninsulated.
>
>Any insulation put under the car is likely to disintegrate after
>a few years, but that is less of a concernt to me, since it's easy
>to replace.	
>
>
>Places I'm more doubtful about: Should I try to insulate the front 
part
>at all, or would it be easier to try to just shut it off, and how 
could
>it be shut off effectively. (I don't think simply hanging a blanket
>is very efficient in terms of insulating r-value) 
>
>The window R value can be increased (To R 2) by one of those house 
window
>kits using a sheet of plastic. I've bought a set to experiment with
>consisting of 4 mil vinyl, and some plastic strips to make a pop in
>frame for the vinyl. 
>
>Comments or alternatives to these ideas are welcome.
>
>/Martin
>