Repetitive insulation question!

[Emma&Al]

I did a search but couldn't quite pinpoint the answer I needed,
So, Ive just ordered some plywood door cards and was considering adding some sort of insulation behind them - should I add rockwool or something similar? Or spray insulation? Or do I need to then add something like foil insulation on top of that?

Thanks all, Emma

[Emma&Al]

I just read that rockwool is best in bags due to moisture problems? - someone also suggested sheep wool but I won't use animal by products, so that's out for me.

[clift_d]

Insulation comes in two types: closed cell and open cell.

With open cell insulation the pores (air pockets) in the insulation are linked to the outside of the insulation, so the insulation can absorb moisture like a sponge. With closed cell insulation the pores are closed and so the insulation doesn't absorb water. If your insulation gets saturated wet then it no longer really works as insulation and it speeds up the corrosion of any metal that it is in contact with. So if you use an open cell insulation then you need to make sure it's wrapped to stop moisture getting into the pores, which will mostly be caused by condensation from inside the van. Rockwool is open cell insulation as are the various types of glasswool.

Ideally you want a closed cell insulation - some kind of foam rubber sheeting if you can find it, or a foil bubble insulation, or similar.

[Emma&Al]

Thanks clift_d! That's actually really helped in my decision making. I used some sort of foam matting in a van I had a few years back and I bought rolls of that silver foil bubble wrap stuff but never got around to using it.
And so, if I was to use the silver bubble wrap type stuff, could I then just somehow stick that directly onto the metal behind the plywood door cards?

[clift_d]

You can use foil bubble insulation but it's not ideal as it doesn't give you much in terms of thermal performance on its own.

Much better to use something like this, with joints between sheets taped, and the edges, using a foil building tape of the sort that is used for airtightness in construction.

[lloydy]

i put pipe insulation behind all my panels, easy to work with and very cheap. Its also closed cell
http://www.pipelagging.com/pipe-insulat ... ecnFWAm828" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

made a noticable difference

[Emma&Al]

Thanks both of you, that's really helpful

[Smcknighty]

I (yesterday) used the roll of foil bubble insulation I already had bought and then layered on pipe insulation copying lloydy's idea as he mentioned it before. Also used some silent coat to damp the reverb of the panels. It feels like a good solution, watch this space..!

[Emma&Al]

Oh brilliant! I'll be interested to know how thats worked out