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Old 02-01-2015, 09:34 AM   #21
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I have imagination.
I just don't imagine that I'd want to spray foam the exterior of a bus.

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Old 02-01-2015, 12:56 PM   #22
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I'm using an insulating paint additive to paint the interior and exterior of the bus and then also insulating inside with sheeps wool. You should look into the additive, the one I used is called HY-tech and it seems pretty awesome. Lots of info on how it works on their website.

I'd imagine you could insulate from the exterior but it would be a lot of extra work for those few inches. The roof and the floor are the areas in need of the most insulation and if you're going through all that trouble you may want to consider a roof raise.
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Old 02-01-2015, 01:59 PM   #23
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I'm using an insulating paint additive to paint the interior and exterior of the bus and then also insulating inside with sheeps wool. You should look into the additive, the one I used is called HY-tech and it seems pretty awesome. Lots of info on how it works on their website.

I'd imagine you could insulate from the exterior but it would be a lot of extra work for those few inches. The roof and the floor are the areas in need of the most insulation and if you're going through all that trouble you may want to consider a roof raise.
I looked up HY-tech and it does look cool. How well does it insulate?
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Old 02-01-2015, 04:35 PM   #24
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Missybird, just a word of caution. I cut and pasted the following from an earlier discussion.
Before you use hemp or any other "natural' fiber to insulate with be sure to read up on what the mfg has done to test the product for what you want to use it for. While it may have been tested for residential use I'd bet it hasn't been tested in the skoolie environment. Remember, all of our buses leak water or at least suffer from condensation. Wet hemp (as well as other natural fibers like lambs wool insulation) will support a fine growth of mold and fungus after they get moist. Also loose fibers will eventually settle and loose their insulating properties. Fibers to achieve their insulating properties need trapped air spaces. If you stuff fibers into spaces to "plug" them up, you will gain no insulating properties. Google "how thermal insulation works" and in a few minutes you will be a near expert--lots of good stuff there. Hope this helps. Jack
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Old 02-01-2015, 05:41 PM   #25
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I have imagination.
I just don't imagine that I'd want to spray foam the exterior of a bus.
I agree, that's why I did the roof raise.



Great info on the use of natural fibers as insulation.

Nat
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Old 02-01-2015, 05:48 PM   #26
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Id go with unnatural fibers first. Anything thats mold and moisture resistant.
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Old 02-02-2015, 11:17 AM   #27
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Id go with unnatural fibers first. Anything thats mold and moisture resistant.

X 2

Some here will remember that for that reason, I don't even like using wood. My body can't do mold of any amount. A few short minutes, and my lungs start to fill up with fluid.

I have no other breathing trouble.

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Old 02-02-2015, 09:27 PM   #28
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Thanks for the concern Jack.

I based my decision for sheep wool on lots of research and it fit my needs perfectly. The company I bought from is called Oregon Shepard and has great resources to help you compare products.
First, wool is naturally fire and vermin resistant; the fibers actually snuff out flames and you don't need to worry about any mice making nests in your walls, ceilings, or floors. Second, the wool also naturally resists mold and mildew growth. Wool can soak up as much as 30% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet; think of how a sheep stays warm in the rain. Third, wool is nontoxic and safe for you and the environment. You don't need any extra clothing or safety precautions. Fourth, wool is 100% recyclable and self sustaining. Fifth, wool is acoustically superior and is the most effective as a sound control material. Sixth, wool does not break down in terms of fire resistance, moisture absorption, mold growth, corrosive action or degradation. This stuff will last a long time, performing at its best. Seventh, natural wool (at least Oregon Shepard's wool) does NOT settle over time, it actually expands over time. This results in improved long-term thermal effectiveness by as much as 20%. And most importantly, sheep wool actually has a higher R value then traditional forms of insulation. Sheep wool is a natural insulator because it has a crimped nature which traps air in millions of tiny pockets. It has an R value of 3.5 to 3.8 per inch of material, .3 to .6 points higher than fiberglass, cellulose, or mineral wool.

If you're looking for insulation, look into using natural sheep wool. Its pretty cool. Hope that helps.
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Old 02-03-2015, 06:05 AM   #29
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wool may be all that, but what about the stuff it traps? think sawdust, pollens, etc. add the moisture that the wool holds and ya get mold.
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Old 02-03-2015, 06:33 AM   #30
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From the department of energy-
For use as insulation, sheep's wool is also treated with borate to resist pests, fire, and mold. It can hold large quantities of water, which is an advantage for use in some walls, but repeated wetting and drying can leach out the borate. The thermal resistance or R-value of sheep's wool batts is about R-3.5 per inch, similar to other fibrous insulation types.

I don't see anyone touting the stuff except the guys selling it.
Seems to appeal to green types, but I doubt its going to last very long in a bus environment.

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articl...tion-materials
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Old 02-03-2015, 09:01 AM   #31
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Wool is not for me.

No bat or woven anything for me. Spray foam or nothing.

I just looked at the title to this thread. How are you attaching the wool to the outside of the bus?

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Old 02-03-2015, 09:52 AM   #32
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It does not matter what any of us post. What matters is that you look at the options we give. Look at the pro's and the con's based on what we post. Then go do your own research. We all have our own reasons for choosing what we chose. Cost and availability are also factored in. Some of us live in our buses while we convert. That also helps to determine what is used as well as the methods used. I can not stress this enough... DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! Find what will suit your needs, skills and pocket.
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Old 02-16-2015, 11:42 AM   #33
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Here you go folks.

http://news.distractify.com/people/amazing/sports-car/

I saw someone mention that they didn't want to drive a baked potato around... so what would you like to drive around? Based on what this guy pulled off, apparently your imagination, budget and foam sculpting skills are the only limit.

Now what this guy did is pretty cool, not sure anyone here is gonna now run off and sculpt their whole bus next week, but still this really seems to have some potential as far as sculpting some features on a smaller scale. Maybe redoing your dash? The bus dashboards I've seen so far have been all been pretty utilitarian, maybe this is a way to pretty them up a little.

And imagine if you did have the time and funds to foam your whole bus and the talent to really sculpt it into anything. I could see someone doing an entire bus in a bio-mechanical look, a la H.R. Giger, or just recreating the classic curves or fat fenders or even the crazy fins of earlier decades. Natural scenes or cityscapes carved in bas relief into the side of your bus?

One thing though, I think I read somewhere about foam releasing fumes? Or is that only certain kinds?
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Old 02-16-2015, 12:14 PM   #34
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Spray foam will release fumes if applied to thickly.
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Old 02-16-2015, 02:03 PM   #35
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Spray foam will release fumes if applied to thickly.
Please be more specific, there are different types, of foam, each with there own characteristics.

At work we only use the closed cell 2 pound. Regardless of thickness sprayed, out gassing is done in 30 days or less as per manufacture literature. 90% of the outgassing is done in the first 24 hours.

At proper temp, the foam is done expanding in 3 seconds or less.

A simple coat of latex paint is enough to seal open cell.

The amount of out gassing after the fist 24 hours is less toxic than the formaldehyde glue used in the OSB most skoolies use in their buses.

Nat
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Old 02-16-2015, 05:22 PM   #36
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So basically there are foams with which this could be safely done, and applied as thick as you wanted, even if you weren't going to do anything especially artistic.. I would at least shave it down so it didn't look like a potato but I've also got some fairly decent sculpting skills and I'd be awfully tempted to have some fun too. For me it's an intriguing idea because we're probably going to end up with a short bus due to driveway, storage and workspace constraints.. and in a small bus keeping all the interior space possible is very attractive. (now I've just got to find a bus... liking this one http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4884314855.html but wish it was a different motor
and not so far away.... )
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Old 02-16-2015, 07:49 PM   #37
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This place sprays shipping containers that it makes into homes. It is a ceramic mix that they compared to what was used on space shuttles. They are located in St. Pete, FL.

"...sprayed with heavy-duty insulating SuperTherm ceramic coating to prevent heat buildup and transfer.."

See it here

I am curious how much that adds to the weight of it. It doesn't matter to the shipping container but I don't know about a bus that is driven around.
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Old 02-17-2015, 09:09 AM   #38
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Hmm not sure I am sold on ceramic coatings and insulating paint..

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...is-own-product

Anyone have first hand experience? I've seen some members talking about plans to use various insulating paints and roof coatings, but don't recall seeing the results.
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Old 02-17-2015, 09:59 AM   #39
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Hmm not sure I am sold on ceramic coatings and insulating paint..

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...is-own-product

Anyone have first hand experience? I've seen some members talking about plans to use various insulating paints and roof coatings, but don't recall seeing the results.
Anyone that knows how insulation works (trapping small air pockets) will never believe that a paint can do the job.

Same go's for all this reflective foil coatings on insulation. Unless the finished wall covering was the reflective coating, you will never see any improvement.

The people that leave air gaps thinking they are going to get better results from their foil cover insulation are just defeating the whole insulation process.

When I first hung the new galvanized sheets on my bus, they were a near mirror finish. Although they did reflect a ton of the suns heat away, it was not enough. I tried a small section in white and found it was only half as hot as the mirror finish metal. After painting them black, the sheets got over twice as hot as the mirror finish did.

If this ceramic impregnated paint was not white, it would never sell. The only results people are seeing is due to the white color of the paint.

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Old 02-18-2015, 09:05 AM   #40
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Well read and make your own conclusions. http://www.insulation.org/articles/a...fm?id=IO060705

Me I'm painting my roof white.
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