Mineral Wool Insulation

[gobygoby]

Last night I bought 620 lbs of Thermafiber Industrial Felt (also sometimes called Mineral Wool) and now I don't know where best to use it.

There are 10 packages and each package weighs 62 lbs. In each package there are 4 slabs. Each slab is 3" x 24" x 48". Price: $220. Delivery to my apartment: $20.

I also have a case of TYTAN Black Outdoor & RV PRO Insulating Foam on its way. So my question is:

Where would be the best place to use this Industrial Felt in a 40ft '98 Thomas MVP?

I thought about taking down the interior roof panels, adding a 1 inch thermal break below the roof ribs, then remounting the roof panels with the felt inside. But that is a lot of work, plus this stuff is a lot heaver than fiberglass.

Next I thought about using it in the walls, but I only have enough to do one side.

Right now I am leaning towards lining the rear wall and the back 1/3 of the bus. That is where the bed and TV will be. Mineral wool is supposed to have really good thermal and sound insulating properties, so it seems to me that this would be the best use for the felt. What do you think?

[EastCoastCB]

Put it in the area where the engine is.

[gobygoby]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Put it in the area where the engine is.

Can you elaborate?

[EastCoastCB]

Well, its fireproof and sound deadening...
The engine makes lots of heat and noise.
If you only have enough to do part of the bus start with the hottest, noisiest part.

[gobygoby]

So my engine is in the back of the bus. When I am inside the bus, looking towards the rear, there are two steps at the rear of the bus between the floor and the emergency exit window. The engine is below these steps. I would rather put the insulation on the underside of these steps to save space. Do you have any ideas about how to secure the insulation to keep it from falling?

Putting it in walls is easy, but suspending it to a horizontal surface seems much harder.

[family wagon]

Those steps are probably built around some kind of channel with sheet metal on both sides. I'd put the insulation inside that space (where it probably has fiberglass now). If the insulation were attached to the engine side of the structure and exposed to the engine bay I'd expect it to quickly load up with dust and moisture. Then again, your bus plan is to be stationary rather than driving about, so maybe that's not so likely in your usage as it would be in mine.

[nat_ster]

Using this kind of insulation in a bus is a bad idea. It absorbs and holds moisture.

That moisture comes from leaks, condensation, ect.

Around engines, wood stoves, and other heat sources are the only places you should use this type of insulation.

I just insulated a 500,000 BTU coal boiler with mineral wool. It falls apart easily, absorbs 500 times it's weight in water, and loses it's insulating ability's when wet.

However, unlike fiberglass, it's not itchy.

Nat

[gobygoby]

I think we are talking about different materials. This stuff is hydrophobic. You can dunk it in water and it won't absorb it, it fact it floats. Also, it is just as itchy as fiberglass, but not as bad for your lungs. Still, I am going to be wearing protective gear and a mask while installing it.