Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
from that page-
in a metal box like a bus, the condensation is going to be overwhelming for something like denim. Sure it may hold up for a spell, but its ORGANIC and will eventually mold.
This stuff is made for actual houses. For applications where actual fiberglass would work.
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ohhhh, I would hesitate to take as fact the statements of a party that would benefit from you taking their statements as fact! Applegate sells cellulose insulation and that article is written by Applegate, about how other insulation causes mold, and cellulose doesnt. Go for scientific unbiased sources (and that meant we didnt trust Havelock wool when they said their wool prevents mold growth - we looked for scientific data published by research institutions!)
Mold can be pretty devastating, not just effecting the respiratory system, but the endocrine (and thus hormonal), as well as neurological systems. So can fiberglass, you will breath it in, the walls arent airtight. I am a health care practitioner and treat the effects of this awful stuff all the time.
In case others come across this looking for some help - here is what we're doing to prevent mold growth. We understand that condensation is a constant thing, so we're doing our best to prevent it, and then also designing the bus in a way that makes it possible to check for it, and clean it up.
Our bus came mold free (though we viewed some horrendously moldy buses along the purchase journey). We still cleaned our bus 100 % about 100 times, and then followed another skoolie.net post advise and uses chlorine dioxide bombs (oder bombs) to kill any mold we couldnt see left on any shreds of insulation we couldnt reach in the walls.
I acknowledge the measures we're taking are expensive, painfully so. However, chronic illness from mold growth is far more costly - and in more ways then one.
1) sealing the behind-the-scenes-wood (furring strips, framing, floor grid, underside of wood floors and up side of ceiling wood) with a water resistant sealer and then painting it with a mold resistant paint (both products linked below). Both products are not toxic.
https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/...dustrial-Paint
AFM Safecoat - Safecoat® Hard Seal
2) making sure the bus can breath - so that things can dry out. Trying to make a bus air tight will result in a partly-air-tight-so-not-really-air-tight-and-therefor-not-breathable bus. SO rather then attempting to seal things up tight, which is impossible in a bus, we are making sure all furniture has circulation under it, mattress and cushions are resting on slats, and we will have little hidden fans running under each sofa and kitchen cabinet to improve air flow. Also wont be stuffing all spare storage space with sh!t.
3) choosing breathable insulation. Toxic spray foam exacerbates the possibility of having a partly-air-tight-so-not-really-air-tight-and-therefor-not-breathable bus. Fiberglass is also just so toxic, and very vulnerable to mold. So, we are using new zealand sheeps wool (not the rockwool, which is super toxic), which is naturally antimicrobial, mold resistant, and dries very well.
Contrary to assumptions, sheep wool breaths very well and dries well when wet (sheeps wool insulation will not react to dampness the same way a sopping wet wool sweater would). We are also using cork as our floor insulation, it is very hard so provides support, and breathes and dries well.
https://shop.havelockwool.com/
https://www.ecosupplycenter.com/prod...AaAirIEALw_wcB
4) two max air fans, which will improve circulation
5) a dessicant dehumidifier, uses very little energy, but is highly efficient. This dehumidifier (linked below) doesnt produce water, but rather burns up 85% of the humid air and then releases the remaining 15% of air as hot moist air, which can be hosed through the floor of the bus. No need for water hoses, drains, or water collection.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
6) have breathable and dryable organic mattress and pillows, and an under-mattress pad that helps the mattress breath. Also leaving space along side of mattress and head/foot of bed for mattress to breath.
Lots of brands of wool and organic cotton mattresses w organic latex, I pasted one below. Read about what makes a mattress breathable.
https://www.mattressinsider.com/matt...MaAjC6EALw_wcB
https://happsy.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAps...kaAmVAEALw_wcB
7) Avoiding propane, as that adds to condensation. Using electric stove (as much as we love gas, its just too risky) and a wood stove for heat. Diesel heater is our back up heat.
leave those holes in the floor behind that little lower wall, the ones you cant see. They allow for drainage (but be sure to cover with a mesh scrreen so bugs dont get in!).