bubble wrap or wool blanket?

whitevanwoman

I'm totally skint at the moment so no £££ to buy any more insulation for the van for a few weeks, so I've been rummaging round the house looking for what I could use and have come up with a big bag of clear bubble wrap and a traditional proper wool blanket (like the old grey army ones).

So which is likely to have better insulation properties?

Hopefully it will only be a temporary measure and I do have a roll of silver bubble wrap insulation which I can use as well, but obviously the more insulation the better and using either the clear bubble wrap and / or the wool blanket will kill 2 birds with one stone as it'll help with decluttering the house prior to getting rid of it.

I repeat, absolutely NO spare cash to buy anything else at the moment. I know neither will be ideal but it's a case of making do with what I've got. Buying anything else for the van will mean either cutting down on food or coal (only source of heat and hot water at home), both of which are as pared down as much as possible.

Your thoughts on clear bubble wrap versus wool blanket please?
 
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kangooroo

I'd use the blanket as a curtain or screen but not behind any panels where it could absorb moisture or become damp.

Bubble wrap is quite good second-best insulation but watch out for condensation against metal leading to rust...
 

sean rua

wvw,

you mean temporary insulation to go go behind the ply?
If so, I'd use the bubblewrap and keep the blanket for other uses, eg, blocking draughts; "containing" condensation, etc.

Winter will end on April 15, so conditions will ease, and the insulation factor can be dealt with in a leisurely manner.:D

sean rua.

ps

I found out this winter that "thinsulate" - a highly touted insulator with layers - can sag when used " curtain fashion". It looked like a sack of spuds with just a few left in the bottom!
It's supposed to be restained and used together with other things, of course.

No point blaming something that's primarily designed for a different specific purpose, I suppose. The same would apply to the bubblewrap and the wool blanket.

sean rua.
 

whitevanwoman

Thanks K and Sean

It's actually for covering the wheel arch as I've removed the box covering it. The rest of the floor is insulated with 2 layers of camping mat and then carpet, there's enough scrap carpet left to cover the wheel arch but I wanted more insulation for it.

I've actually got a couple of wool blankets as I snap them up in charity shops when I see them as they are hard to find now and have multiple uses and I've already made double lined curtains etc so they are spares and not needed for bedding or anythiing else.

I wondered about using the clear bubble wrap as the first layer on the metal which would act as a vapour barrier, then the wool blanket and then the silver bubble wrap thermal insulation and then finally carpet.

As the carpet isn't fixed down (having a big dog which means it often gets damp, despite waterproof covers, and also I didn't want to fix it permanently until I'd sorted out the leak in the corner), I can lift it regularly for airing etc so condensation shouldn't be a permanent problem.

Ideally I'll cover the wheel arches with camping mats same as the floor once they start being stocked in the pound shops again and I can pick them up cheap. The cheapest I can find them at the moment is about £4 - £5 which I refuse to pay when I know I can get them for at least half that and will want a few more of them.

Once June arrives I can probably get hold of more raw sheep fleece as I've used up all I had - at this rate I'm going to have a whole flock of sheep in the van! I've used the fleece behind the side ply and also behind the ply on the doors together with silver bubble wrap as a vapour barrier. Whilst the sheep fleece may absorb some moisture, it is "designed" to dry out quickly and having only had one wash, there's still plenty of lanolin in it so it shouldn't become waterlogged. The side ply will be coming off again in a few weeks to check the leak is sorted so I will check on the fleece for dampness etc and if necessary I'll remove it and replace with somethiing else (finances permitting) or will bag it in plastic bags although this makes it harder to fill small gaps etc.

So is my plan a really daft idea or would it do for a few months, so long as I keep an eye on it for condensation? I don't think I'll be replacing the box over the wheel arch as I'm planning a foldaway bed across the width of the van, which will rest on the wheel arches so it will be easy enough to keep an eye on it for any signs of condensation.
 

hextal

At the risk of sounding like a nutter - could you test them?

Was thinking something like - get some ice-cubes - put in a tupaware tub / or a bowl, wrap that with a single layer of material and time how long it takes to melt - repeat with the next.

Or test em side by side.

In terms of insulation, could you tape the bubble wrap to the outer face of the ply-lining (before it's installed) - then tape a space blanket to the outer face of that? That way you've got both the radiant heat and the conduction covered. I figure its best mounted to the ply - that way you've got a gap between the van and the space-blanket to ensure that it is working for radiant heat and not getting by-passed by conduction.

I've not tested that, it's just a theory by the way..
 

whitevanwoman

At the risk of sounding like a nutter - could you test them?

Was thinking something like - get some ice-cubes - put in a tupaware tub / or a bowl, wrap that with a single layer of material and time how long it takes to melt - repeat with the next.

Or test em side by side.

In terms of insulation, could you tape the bubble wrap to the outer face of the ply-lining (before it's installed) - then tape a space blanket to the outer face of that? That way you've got both the radiant heat and the conduction covered. I figure its best mounted to the ply - that way you've got a gap between the van and the space-blanket to ensure that it is working for radiant heat and not getting by-passed by conduction.

I've not tested that, it's just a theory by the way..

Ha ha, no more of a nutter than me with my wacky ideas!

Testing is a good idea... might give that a try in front of the wood burner and see which melts soonest.

With regard to the insulation on the side panels, what I've done is filled the cavities with fleece, then a layer of silver bubble wrap insulation, then put the ply back on and am planning to staple more silver bubble wrap to the outer face of the ply (the side which is visible inside the van). Eventually when insulation and layout is finished, I'll carpet the sides but for the moment, I do like the way the light bounces off the silver bubble wrap at night, and it's easy to spot cold patches as there's a misting of condensation visible on the silver bubble wrap.

I do quite enjoy lateral thinking and being resourceful in terms of problem solving due to financial constraints, which is why I quite often post asking for suggestions like this as it helps stimulate the creative imagination!
And someone somewhere must have had the same kind of theories as me!
 

Tbear

Hi WVW,

Bubble wrap the arch and wool wrap yourself.

Bubblewrap does not last and will breakdown even faster if exposed to the uv in sunlight so best covered.

Richard
 

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