The Good Ship Anne Marie

[somjuan]

Originally Posted by PDBreske

Out of curiosity, how many cans of Great Stuff did you use?

I think it was 4 regular crack & gap filler, and 2 big gap filler. Totally worth it - almost makes me regret not going all out with spray foam like usmcbay.

[sdwarf36]

Great Stuff tip: once you first use the can, you're committed to finishing it off or throwing it out. There's no putting it on the shelf + reusing it later.

[somjuan]

Originally Posted by sdwarf36

Great Stuff tip: once you first use the can, you're committed to finishing it off or throwing it out. There's no putting it on the shelf + reusing it later.

That's true, but (at least in my bus) I never had a problem finding somewhere to put more.

[somjuan]

Rain today is keeping meaningful construction from happening, but it did reveal a major leak! After many storms with the interior bare, I thought I had sealed all of the leaks in the walls. Apparently, there was one more. What I'm very confused and concerned about is that it seems to be coming through the Great Stuff! I was under the impression that, as closed cell foam, Great Stuff would keep water from getting in. I poked a portion above the leak and saw water squeeze out. I'm going to have to stall things until I can figure this bit out. If I can find the source of the leak outside, I'll just seal it there with caulk.

[family wagon]

Originally Posted by somjuan

That's true, but (at least in my bus) I never had a problem finding somewhere to put more.

Not entirely true... it's just a pain to work out. On several occasions I have cleaned the straw, the trigger/elbow piece, and the nipple on the top of the can and successfully re-used the can some weeks or months later. Full disclosure: sometimes, despite my best efforts, the cleaning just doesn't work out and I find that the partial can has to be thrown out. The straw and trigger/elbow aren't terribly difficult to clean out even after the foam is cured if you can find a suitable piece of wire to push through, but the nipple part can be a chore. I think it might be more luck than skill.

IIRC the can label mentions a solvent to be used for cleaning uncured foam. It was something relatively mild.. mineral spirits or xylene, maybe..?

[somjuan]

Originally Posted by family wagon

Not entirely true... it's just a pain to work out. On several occasions I have cleaned the straw, the trigger/elbow piece, and the nipple on the top of the can and successfully re-used the can some weeks or months later. Full disclosure: sometimes, despite my best efforts, the cleaning just doesn't work out and I find that the partial can has to be thrown out. The straw and trigger/elbow aren't terribly difficult to clean out even after the foam is cured if you can find a suitable piece of wire to push through, but the nipple part can be a chore. I think it might be more luck than skill.

IIRC the can label mentions a solvent to be used for cleaning uncured foam. It was something relatively mild.. mineral spirits or xylene, maybe..?

I think that's fair. For what it's worth, they make a "pro" product that can be resealed and used again later. If I'd have known about it before, I likely would have used it instead - it comes in larger quantities than retail as well.

[PDBreske]

Originally Posted by family wagon

IIRC the can label mentions a solvent to be used for cleaning uncured foam. It was something relatively mild.. mineral spirits or xylene, maybe..?

Acetone.

[somjuan]

Found and caulked the leak. It was in a corner of a window. I had appeared to be coming through the Great Stuff, but I now realize it was only coming over it.
With that scare behind us, we finished laying the insulation.



We covered our 1" polyiso insulation with 3/8" plywood.



The plywood is attached to the bus with 2" sheet metal screws. We staggered the sheets of plywood and insulation so the seams are not on top of one another.



And of course, more Great Stuff in the gaps.

Next up is the roof deck. It's not clear what we'll be able to do with the weather this week, but we're waiting until the deck is done before we begin the interior.

[somjuan]

Been a while since an update, but work hasn't stopped. We just finished our roof deck!

We started by ripping a 1x6 in half, and running them down the centerline of the roof. We drilled holes up through the ribs, and through the wood on top. We then cut a strip of rubber to fit under the wood, and caulked it to the roof. We ran 1/2" bolts up trough the ribs, and up through 4x4s.



On the outside, we cut 4x4 lengths on an 18 degree angle, and secured them to the beams with post caps. We came up through the ribs into the posts with two LedgerLok structural screws. I used an angle grinder to cut off the remainder of the bolts that stuck out above the beams. Once that was finished, we started attaching the decking from back to front.



This is the deck in its finished condition. The main hangout area is in the rear, and the gaps towards the front are where the solar panels will be installed. The pathway down the center will make adjusting the panels a little easier.



Despite some really warped boards, I'm thrilled with how it came out. It looks great both on top and from the sides. I'm thrilled with how it came out, and can't wait until I get the panels and ladder installed as well.

[nat_ster]

That deck looks incredible.

Originally Posted by somjuan

Found and caulked the leak. It was in a corner of a window. I had appeared to be coming through the Great Stuff, but I now realize it was only coming over it.



.

I just want to add that great stuff is a open cell, half pound density foam with a R value of about 4 per inch. It is not water proof, and will absorb water in high moisture area's.

If it had been 2 pound, closed cell, then there would be no way water could pass through it, but would still eventually leak passed it.

Open cell foams are good, but not a real vapor barrier, and only about half the R value. Closed cell foams are a true "Seal". They are more effective as a vapor barrier than the standard 6 mil Polly we use in residential construction.

Nat

[ol trunt]

Nat, Never mind. I don't want to invest the time.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Nat, Never mind. I don't want to invest the time.

Neither do I. I'm glad we agree.

Nat

[somjuan]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

I just want to add that great stuff is a open cell, half pound density foam with a R value of about 4 per inch. It is not water proof, and will absorb water in high moisture area's.

If it had been 2 pound, closed cell, then there would be no way water could pass through it, but would still eventually leak passed it.

Open cell foams are good, but not a real vapor barrier, and only about half the R value. Closed cell foams are a true "Seal". They are more effective as a vapor barrier than the standard 6 mil Polly we use in residential construction.

Nat

I'd love to somehow get to the bottom of this. There seems to be no consensus among people online, and though DOW claims it's closed cell it's still unclear. I think if I were to do it again, I'd just spray foam the walls completely, instead of my budget solution. I'll see how it does this winter, and maybe renovations will be in order.

[nat_ster]

It will do great. Any Styrofoam is better than fiberglass batts, or blow in garbage.

I lived in my bus shed for 2 months, with only 1.5 styro on the walls at -30 C. That 1.5 inches did a far better job than the other shed with 6 inch thick fiberglass batts.

Originally Posted by somjuan

I'd love to somehow get to the bottom of this. There seems to be no consensus among people online, and though DOW claims it's closed cell it's still unclear. I think if I were to do it again, I'd just spray foam the walls completely, instead of my budget solution. I'll see how it does this winter, and maybe renovations will be in order.

That's the problem. People on the internet have no clue. All they know is what they read, and want to pass on.

On the other hand, I work with this stuff daily. I've also had the opportunity to demo and renovate structures where open and closed cell were both used in high humidity locations.

The best was a floating dock. Someone had used the blue Styrofoam sheets under it for floatation. The blue sheets held up fine, took on no water. The great stuff they used around it completely saturated, and fell apart.

Nat

[ol trunt]

Somjuan, never mind what the mfg says---the world really is flat

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Somjuan, never mind what the mfg says---the world really is flat

That's good advise Ol Trunt. Manufactures want to sell you a product. Trades People who work with the stuff, over a period of time, have the ability to offer real reviews.

The only part of the great stuff expanding foam that's closed cell, is the outer "skin". Once that outer skin is breached by water, the core of the foam is a open cell sponge.

There is also a incredible amount of info on the net backing my claims. A simple Google search will offer much good reading.

I'm done with this topic in this build thread. If any member wishes to continue to discuss spray foam, please start a thread, and I will be happy to join the discussion.

Nat

[bansil]

I like how the deck turned out, great job

[somjuan]

Thanks bansil, we're pretty pleased with it too. Some rain has come and gone, and it looks like we're in the clear.

We've subdivided our interior into separate units, and we've finished roughing out two of them. Both are transforming units, which can take one shape or another. At the front of our port side, right behind the driver's seat, we have a desk with a drop leaf.



With the leaf down, the desk is only 15" deep, and quite out of the way. Open, we have a full desk for whatever use. It will also house much of our electrical, including the house battery bank, solar charge controller, and inverter. It's right on top of the starting battery bank, and I'll probably join the two with a large switch at some point.



At the front of the starboard side, about a foot and a half from the stairwell, we made our bed. When not in use, our bed serves as a bench for seating.



Our bed will be stored inside this bench. We'll be using a queen sized futon mattress, folded in half lengthwise.



Since we don't have any side doors, I wasn't happy with the idea of blocking off the back door for a bedroom, so a normal mattress wasn't going to work. But I also don't want to be pulling sheets on and off of my bed everyday either. This is the happy medium we found. When we want to use the bed, we just open up the bench and fold it out. It's a ten second process, and the bed is made and ready. In the daytime, it's out of the way, and there is a clear path down the length of the bus.



This construction has been more difficult than we'd expected. Nothing is really square or level, and it's hard to make things that are securely attached and also fit well. We're getting better at it, and the weird little nuances can be hidden when we start to finish the interior.



Our next project is the countertop space which houses all of our appliances. This part is going to be really interesting...

[inkblots84]

The bus is really coming along guys! Looks great! I'm willing the itch to crash in it is getting worse every day!
I really like your desk, cool way to use and save space. Keep the pictures coming!

[somjuan]

Originally Posted by inkblots84

The bus is really coming along guys! Looks great! I'm willing the itch to crash in it is getting worse every day!
I really like your desk, cool way to use and save space. Keep the pictures coming!

The lack of a woodstove is really the only thing keeping us from spending nights in there. We can do without power for the moment, but the nights are getting pretty cool.

We have our cabinet tentatively framed out. Nothing glued or screwed yet, but we made the cutouts in the countertop, and positioned things about where they'll be going to get a sense of things.