Gutting the interior roof vs. leaving it

[PNW_Steve]

a solution that I've considered, which I'm surprised no one has discussed in my short time on skoolie.net - is, to cut access holes (like 1'x3') in the existing steel sheeted ceiling, probably 3 to work around rib obstructions, and to pull the crappy insulation out, then shoot foam in each of the cavities - then apply a thin wood ceiling cover over the old ceiling (bridging screws/riviets of course). benefit is maintaining majority of structural integrity/strength of original ceiling sheets and foam is contained by existing sheets "forms", and there is way less demo.

Be careful!!

The closed cell polyurethane foam expands with considerable energy. If you take one of the popular (Tiger, FoamIt etc) and attempt to install in the manner you described you will likely wind up with incomplete fill and bulging/bent ceiling panels.

There are other types of foam insulation that will work as you described but the only ones that I have worked with are "open cell" foam and do not have many of the features that make closed cell polyurethane so desirable.

The "void filling" foams that I have seen do not have the R value, moisture resistance or structural strength that the closed cell polyurethane.

I see the advantage from a labor standpoint. If the labor savings offsets the difference in performance then you are in good shape.

 

[karrlot]

When I first got my bus there was a slight leak around one of the emergency hatches.
I am really glad I took my ceiling and floor out. There are a few spots where the seam between two roof panels is leaking, water comes inside, runs down the rib, and comes out on the floor. Now that I found all of that, I can seal the seam, cure the rust, and won't have to worry about water ruining my interior.

I'm using it for camping, and don't want to spend money on spray foam, so I am going to use the rigid insulation panels on the floor and ceiling, then build a wood floor and ceiling.

 

[warewolff]

I think the war on fiberglass insulation is sometimes misguided. My bus is 16 years old and I planned originally to gut the whole bus. When I started tearing the walls up I saw that I had perfect and thick fiberglass insulation underneath. It has a decent R value. There was no mold or moisture. It looked brand new. Same for the ceiling, minus a small leak n the emergency hatch from my own carelessness. I sealed up the emergency hatch and left all the original fiberglass in the bus, then added thick foam all through the interior. Walls, ceiling, et cetera. My bus is WARM in the cold and cool in the sun. I get that not all stories or buses are like mine but there's no use reinventing the wheel if the job was done right the first time around.

 

[AmbleAnimals]

Hello! Just picked up our 1997 Blue Bird and the interior ceiling is in really good shape.

Obviously i'm going to rip out the floor and the walls below the windows as well as the panels directly above the windows, but I'm curious how many people go ahead and rip out the curved ceiling as well? What are the advantages (as obviously the disadvantage of the labor and the refinishing)? We are planning on using the bus for camping in the Spring and summer (and a little bit of the Fall) months and while obviously the need for temp control is great, i wasn't sure if the effort was necessary?

Obviously anything mounted/ installed into the roof becomes more difficult if you are messing with an already finished ceiling. But I did;'t know if that was easy to work around. Also, if I end up doing solar panels on the roof, i figured I could mount brackets on the side of the bus and bring bars across.

What are the thoughts of people either way? Your insight is VERY much appreciated.

Hey there! Thank you for posting this. We are beginning the conversion of our 2006 Thomas bus and our wondering the same thing about our ceilings. We are in NC and are not in harsh weather. We have debated over removing the ceilings but the cost to put up something new is killing us. We also like the industrial look of it

I am wondering g how things have gone for your bus and if you ended up keeping your original ceilings? If so are you satisfied with that choice?

 

[Robin97396]

I'm only 18 months into my build. The point I'm attempting to make here is that I've lived in this same bus for two winters, one winter with the original interior and this current winter with a fully insulated ceiling and walls.

Is it worth it? For me it was. My heat energy requirements are a fraction of what they were last year, and this winter was much worse than last year. Secondly, condensation in a bus during the winter is a bit of a problem unless you don't mind dripping water. My third point is sound deadening from the foam installation. This bus felt like a metal tent before the insulation process. I could hear things outside as if I were in a tent, and after the foam process I can't hear cars drive by anymore. If you think a bus is noisy when going down the road you should foam the complete ceiling and walls to find that the junkyard type noise of all that sheet metal vibrating simply goes away.

It was scarcely possible to hear my CD player or even talk to anyone near the driver's area while driving due to the noise. After the foam installation it's easy to hear people talk and the stereo comes through loud and clear. I can't say it's quite like riding in a car, but maybe the noise level of a pickup truck.

As everyone says here, it all depends on how you're going to use your bus. The investment in insulation definitely reduces your heating requirements significantly and begins paying you back the first winter. I figure three years of reduced heating costs, not to mention possibly using AC in summer, will easily pay back the cost of the foam insulaton. Not counting labor I estimate the insulation to have saved me well over half of my heating bill in comparison to the previous year. I'm not even going into the comfort benefits and reduction in work level to keep this bus warm during a winter.

Remember all the humidity in your bus rises to the ceiling with the heat. If your ceiling has only factory insulation it's going to visually collect condensation. Personally I got tired of toweling off the metal ceiling.

You're the only one that really knows how you're going to use your bus. Set your own comfort level. There's nothing wrong with waiting through a winter to see what heat levels feel like in your bus. Good luck.

 

[Scooternj]

One other thing to consider about the original insulation is what kind of debris is caught up in it. Fiberglass is, by its structure, anti-microbial. But, once you've had a school bus in service, with up to 90 booger eaters and window lickers, what kind of shape is it in? Has it been on paved roads its entire life or bouncing down unpaved roads, kicking up dust the entire time. And once your fiberglass starts collecting dust and debris, it begins to lose its anti-microbial properties, because the little critters now have something the feast on.

Plus does the roof leak when it rains? If it is, then the only way to where it's coming from is to pull down the interior panels and inspect it in the rain. Which comes back to both the condensation and mold problem.

Remember, unless you're going with a completely open floor plan, every interior wall and structure will help with the integrity of the vehicle...as long as it's built *properly*

 

[gbstewart]

I left mine alone, it was in nice shape, I stripped the walls and floor, I liked the look of the ceiling , if I wore full time I may have ripped it out .
gbstewart