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Old 07-07-2016, 06:35 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Cheap Spray Foam Idea?

Hello all.....just picked up my bus last week and am trying to figure out exactly what i want to do. Looking into spray foam kits and they seem to range from $600-750.

Found this link

how much of a ceiling do you think i could do with a 100 canister of handi foam.

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Old 07-07-2016, 02:29 PM   #2
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Handy little device...but...there are a few big considerations regarding Great Stuff use in/on RV's.

1. Never apply it to raw metal. It will rust it like crazy if the steel is not very well sealed, painted, etc.

2. Never apply it to any closed space. It will not set without plenty of air.

3. Never expose it to any UV source (like Sun Light). It breaks down very quickly.

4. Not recommended for use under your rig or to fill body gaps. It does not form closed cells and traps moisture, dirt & dust.

These are just a few of the issues folks here have discovered over the years regarding this type of product. Anyone else? Please chime in.
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Old 07-07-2016, 03:19 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango View Post
Handy little device...but...there are a few big considerations regarding Great Stuff use in/on RV's.

1. Never apply it to raw metal. It will rust it like crazy if the steel is not very well sealed, painted, etc.

2. Never apply it to any closed space. It will not set without plenty of air.

3. Never expose it to any UV source (like Sun Light). It breaks down very quickly.

4. Not recommended for use under your rig or to fill body gaps. It does not form closed cells and traps moisture, dirt & dust.

These are just a few of the issues folks here have discovered over the years regarding this type of product. Anyone else? Please chime in.
You covered it pretty nicely, Tango. Well said, as always sir.
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Old 07-07-2016, 06:57 PM   #4
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1) Insulation is the single most important factor in the comfort of your skoolie. This is not the place to skimp.

2) Do NOT use open cell spray foam in a skoolie. To Tango's list, I would add that open cell foam's R-value per inch is too low to do the job. In the limited space you have, 2 pound closed cell is the only way to go.

3) As big an area as we're looking at in a skoolie, have your closed cell foam professionally applied. That will cost you less than the kits, in both money and time. Plus, you will have a better finished product!

Closed cell foam...

...adds structural strength.
...is a good low frequency sound deadener.
...is a complete air barrier.
...is a complete vapor barrier.
...helps prevent future leaks
...has the highest R-value per inch of any insulation.

Open cell foam does exactly NONE of these things.

Handi foam/great stuff etc. are all open cell foams. They are also single component foams, and regardless of what you're insulating and what kind of foam you're using, you should use two-part foam.

Most people don't realize just how well closed cell foam performs. It is the perfect insulation for a skoolie. If you're too cheap to use it on your own conversion, don't ever get in a bus where someone did it right!
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Old 07-07-2016, 08:42 PM   #5
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i used this kit in a house and was very pleased. i ordered one on a friday and got it tue. wish i wasnt working 12 hours a day or id show ya how it looks in a bus.
Touch 'N Seal 600BF Spray Foam Insulation Kit U2 600 Closed Cell Free SHIP | eBay
every bid i got from a company was at least 1000 but they all changed there tune when i got there with my bus, the hell with them.
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Old 07-07-2016, 09:02 PM   #6
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Quote:
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i used this kit in a house and was very pleased. i ordered one on a friday and got it tue. wish i wasnt working 12 hours a day or id show ya how it looks in a bus.
Touch 'N Seal 600BF Spray Foam Insulation Kit U2 600 Closed Cell Free SHIP | eBay
every bid i got from a company was at least 1000 but they all changed there tune when i got there with my bus, the hell with them.
This kit covers 600 board feet, which means 600 sq ft with a cured thickness of 1". If you have a typical 40' flat-nose and want 3" of insulation on the ceiling, you'll need 1 1/2 of these kits. Three full kits might finish the interior of a 40' bus, depending on your desired thicknesses. Contracting it out might cost you $2k. I'd go with the pros.
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Old 07-08-2016, 06:14 AM   #7
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my bus is 30', ribs are 2" tall, this will give me 2" coverage on my entire roof area. under the windows im using 2" board. im putting 1/2 board over the ribs for a thermal break. its perfect for my application. on a 40' bus plan on spending 3 gran by the time they get done with up charges. has anyone had there bus sprayed recently? what was the cost?
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Old 07-08-2016, 09:12 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BusFiend View Post
This kit covers 600 board feet, which means 600 sq ft with a cured thickness of 1". If you have a typical 40' flat-nose and want 3" of insulation on the ceiling, you'll need 1 1/2 of these kits. Three full kits might finish the interior of a 40' bus, depending on your desired thicknesses. Contracting it out might cost you $2k. I'd go with the pros.
Yep. If you calculate that you'll need 2 kits, you'll probably need 3+. It is so difficult to control thickness with those DIY kits. To get 3" throughout will mean going 3"+ then cutting down the waste and with DIY kits there will be LOTS of waste because it's so damn hard to get a consistent depth.

The pros do it all day every day and can get it almost perfect with one pass. The waste is negligible when a pro is on the job. 15 minutes into spraying my bus with Foam It Green I wished that I had gone to my neighbour's business to do the work for me...
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Old 07-08-2016, 10:44 AM   #9
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A cautionary tale:

Several years ago I converted an Eagle 10. 8" roof raise, resided and RV windows. We used a single sheet of 14ga (or 16?) steel to cover each side.

We rigged a lift of sorts to support the steel in place, riveted one end and then heated the whole thing and applied tension on the free end. Got it stretched and tight before securing the forward end.

It was a thing of beauty. After 3-4 coats of Imron the sides were smooth and beautiful.

I had my heart set on closed cell spray insulation. I received several recommendations to a local shop & an old school German craftsman "Fritz". So, I called up and made an appointment. Showed up with the bus and showed them the masking that I had done and asked: "is this good or do I need to do more?". They told me that it was fine. The bus will be ready in 3 days.

Nine days later I picked up the bus (unfinished) and found that they had cut tail light wiring, damaged window bezels, sprayed foam in many places that it did not belong.

Worst of all... I found out later that each of the frame members should have been sealed or masked where the skin touched in order to keep foam from getting in between the skin and frame member.

That was not done and expending foam got between the frame & skin before expanding. When it expanded it deformed the skin causing the frame members to "paint through" the skin. Gone was the beautiful, smooth skin job.

I was soooo angry!! I demanded to talk to Fritz. Well Fritz had retired the month befor and sold the business to the folks that I was dealing with.

In short: Be VERY careful where you allow the expanding foam to go. I have seen it pull riveted seams apart.
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Old 07-08-2016, 07:55 PM   #10
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i traveled the country working for a thermal/biological company. we put up hatchery's to beer coolers to chicken processing plants. we had the large tanks of two part foam. one time the tip got clogged and the foam shot back and hit me in the hair line, within ten seconds it ripped a fist size chunk of my hair out. i wore all the gear after that encounter.
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