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01-04-2010, 08:21 PM
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#1
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Adirondack Mountains NY
Posts: 1,101
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
I have heard of shredded used blue jeans turned into recycled insulation. But I don't think anything currently available will insulate as well as spray foam. My justification to use spray foam would be that if I use 1/4 the energy to heat or cool a space, I am continually saving money and the planet. This would continue over the entire life of the space. I think that would be "greener" compared to using a lesser insulation and constantly pouring more energy into the space later to maintain creature comforts. The kicker to environmentalism is that man must (currently) use petro-chemicals to make the lightweight plastics and super insulations that will let him use less of them as combustion fuels.
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Someone said "Making good decisions comes from experience, experience comes from bad decisions." I say there are three kinds of people: those who learn from their mistakes, those who learn from the mistakes of others, and those who never learn.
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01-04-2010, 10:55 PM
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#2
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 381
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Here's some info on soy-based spray foam insulation (SFI)....
http://www.biobased.net/news/index.php
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01-05-2010, 08:50 AM
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#3
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Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 187
Year: 1963
Coachwork: Grumman
Chassis: Chevrolet
Engine: Chevy 292 I-6
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbear
I have heard of shredded used blue jeans turned into recycled insulation. But I don't think anything currently available will insulate as well as spray foam. My justification to use spray foam would be that if I use 1/4 the energy to heat or cool a space, I am continually saving money and the planet. This would continue over the entire life of the space. I think that would be "greener" compared to using a lesser insulation and constantly pouring more energy into the space later to maintain creature comforts. The kicker to environmentalism is that man must (currently) use petro-chemicals to make the lightweight plastics and super insulations that will let him use less of them as combustion fuels.
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Excellent point! Being green isnt necessarily a single factor, but rather a total of many factors. If some of those factors are "brown", yet the overall effect is "green", so be it. I like the sounds of the soy based foam if its performance is on par with other foams.
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01-06-2010, 11:41 AM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 575
Coachwork: Thomas
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Such a tough topic. Last year of reading up on green alternatives hasn't led me to any decisions so far.
One thing to consider is how oftne you would have to replace the insulation. As I understand it, blue jeans and most spray foam will settle in a house, leaving some gaps here and there. Imagine what that would do in a moving bus.
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01-08-2010, 09:28 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: California, Just NorthEast of San Fransisco
Posts: 539
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Thats why alot of the spray insulations uses a glue to try and hold it into place, but it still tends to collapse over time. I vaguely remember hearing that they arn't good for any situation where there are vibrations as it will cause them to settle faster, glued or not...But I could be wrong.
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01-09-2010, 07:13 PM
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#6
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: near flint michigan
Posts: 2,657
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smitty
Quote:
Originally Posted by KarlW
I am trying to do a bus that is all "green" or eco-friendly or whatever you want to call it.
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I mean it's not like it's ground-up puppies & kitties.
Smitty
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does that work? I would gladly grind up a few kitties if they made for good insulation! lol
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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who will watch the watchmen?)
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01-09-2010, 10:49 PM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Oh, my God sakes--hamsters!
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01-09-2010, 10:52 PM
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#8
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Whidbey Island, WA.
Posts: 1,109
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American
Engine: 3208 na boat anchor
Rated Cap: 2
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
...and gerbils. Oh my.
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01-11-2010, 01:54 AM
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#9
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Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Lakeland, Florida
Posts: 232
Year: 85
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: Gas
Rated Cap: 66
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
If you want quality and to go green, then I think you should do what Smitty said. Get stuff that is there and being trashed. Nothing is greener than keeping crap out of a landfill. I know my habitat restore here has a giant pile of hard foam 1 inch insulation. Just no full sheets. All smaller cuts. Take a ton of that stuff, get some foil tape and go to town. Or maybe newspaper...ive seen shredded newspaper being used after its been treated to keep it from lighting up at first spark.
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01-12-2010, 10:25 PM
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#10
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Almost There
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 72
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
There was a great article in the Oregonian about a school in Guatamala using plastic bags stuffed inside plastic water bottles and then stacked into walls and covered with concrete. Good use for something useless after one or two uses. Say that three times..... Also, a mixture of boric acid and diatomaceous earth will kill bugs trying invading any paper, cloth or wool insulation. I mix the diatomaceous earth in a spray bottle with a little water and spray anywhere bugs hide, including the dogs bedding, kills fleas, ants etc. Leslie
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01-13-2010, 09:13 AM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 575
Coachwork: Thomas
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
Lady on a list was talking about how she did papercrete inside hers for insulation.
Also, you might check into how green those reflectix rolls of insulation are?
I have to wonder how green do you mean? As in from renewable sources, safe to be around (human health), long lasting, from recycled mats, overall long term effectiveness, energy conservation (using the AC less), etc.
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03-07-2010, 07:20 PM
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#12
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
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Re: Questions about "green" insulation for bus
I would think that using house type foamboard would work best. It's pink or blue... not necessarily "green".  But I've never seen Mother Earth News say too much against it. It's more of a trade off (ie: solar panels good... all those lead acid batteries is bad... better than some alternatives though). For what you are using it for, the foam board is your best choice for insulation. Check out some construction sites. You may be able to get some out of the trash dumpsters and that way not only do you get your foamboard insulation but you kept it from being put into a landfill. Responsible folks will tell you to ask first. Anyone who has experience dumpster diving will tell you not to as you will just be told no (liability). Construction dumpsters are full of dangerous materials. Be careful. Those cans of "Great Foam" are good for filling in the gaps of pieced together foam insulation.
BTW, I didn't say that... We never talked... I was never here.
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07-01-2021, 02:57 AM
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#13
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Oregon and New Mexico
Posts: 47
Year: 2007
Coachwork: International
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I'm curious if any of the folks on or reading this thread have tried any of the eco friendly insulations mentioned? I'm looking into them myself now - wool or recycled jeans/cotton, spray soybean foam - and 100% agree with the suggestion to mitigate stuff going into a landfill by buying scrap and taping it together.
What have you tried? How have they held up with the bumps and movements of life on the road?
Thanks!
Kate.
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