hi I was wondering has anybody done this and is it a bad idea ?????? spray insulation

That stuff is great the way it is being used in the picture. The problems arise when you shoot it into a confined space. It grows as it cures. The thin aluminum siding on a camper is no match for the strength this stuff has when it grows. If you spray it on an open wall you can trim it with a saw after it cures. I tried some experiments with it and it holds great.

We thought about this and decided it was OK if we put a PVC tube in the walls next to all the electrical and plumbing outlets. Without a tube you can't fish a new wire or pipe should you want to upgrade or replace anything. It has great insulating properties however.

If I had the ambition, that is the one thing I would do to my Breakaway. The insulation that Barth used is absolutely minimal, just the bubble pack, 1/8" luan and foam backing of the vinyl covering, The furnace runs almost constantly when outside temperatures are 30+/- and the settings inside is 65 +/-.

I am looking for a blow in type of insulation that is water proof and fire retardant, so far nothing good has been found. I also am working on trying to route some PVC along the center of the ceiling (in the air space) so that I could route some cables/wires front to back if needed.

We don't spend a lot of time in colder weather so this is not at the top of my list. It could help in the hot weather as well, but so far the roof A/Cs keep up fairly well,still have to run both if outside is over 95 +/-.

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Originally posted by DougZ:
That stuff is great the way it is being used in the picture. The problems arise when you shoot it into a confined space. It grows as it cures. The thin aluminum siding on a camper is no match for the strength this stuff has when it grows.

LOL. I learned that the hard way. When the stuff first hit the market, I used it under the foredeck of an RC boat, for flotation. Not only did it bulge the deck, it bulged the bow, cutting speed and fetching ability significantly.

I know of folks who used it for insulating, and found their windows would no longer open, due to the bowed frames. One fellow reported that the foam even bowed a stud or two.

There is some non-expanding foam out there now.

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If you spray it on an open wall you can trim it with a saw after it cures.

The bus people love it. They fill up the wall cavities and level it with a rough disk sander.

I use that stuff on small cracks around the house foundation. There are stories on the internet that some people will have health effects as the material degrades and out-gasses.

Here, a reefer trailer mfr discusses the thermal issues of the degradation:
http://webcache.googleusercont...&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Here are anecdotes of the health effects:
http://www.greenbuildingadviso...pray-foam-insulation

I am not a chemical engineer, but the ingrediant isocyanate sounds too much like cyanide for me to not want to be careful around this material.

Some websites talk about not using this spray foam in attics due to the temperature extremes and accelerated degradation and outgassing.

Concerned,
Matt

Formaldehyde used to be a problem with foam, too. I seem to remember that it was banned except for products from China.

Lot's of folk who convert buses do this before installing the interior walls.

As far as running a wire from the front to the back, the prior owner of our Newell or an installer for the automatic sat antenna ran pvc down the center of the roof and ran all the wire from the front compartment (TV) to the rear motosat. Has worked well.

Like I said, I have done some experimenting with this stuff. It is incredibly strong. It sticks to just about anything. You can seal it with just about any paint or primer without degrading it. Unless I had a REALLY GOOD respirator I wouldn't grind it. Those new reciprocating saws can shape this stuff with no problem.

In 1974, I took a brand new Ford window van I had bought, to a boat builder and had them spray the walls and the ceiling. I had ordered the van stripped. I then covered it with vinyl covered luan on both ceilings and walls. It was very warm in the winter and even w/o ac, not bad in the summer.
Jim

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I seem to remember that it was banned except for products from China.

A big deal here in Florida has been Chinese drywall, but not due to formaldehyde. The claim is that Chinese drywall out gasses sulfur which in turn attacks all the copper wiring and tubing in homes. There appears to be no detriment to humans except the rotten egg smell that occurs.
My two cents on foam, the two part applications done by a professional are as safe as any modern building material. My Wanderlodge is coated inside and underside with this type of material and it is as good as it gets in combating radiant temp loss as well as water /condensation migration. Up north they were also using sprayed on cellulose, but I would expect it to settle too much in a mobile platform.

Closed cell foam has so many benefits! It's an amazing insulator, it is virtually waterproof, it stabilizes wiring and plumbing components, rodents and insects don't like it, it is light weight. I could go on, but it is the best in insulation.

With foam, you want to be sure to paint/coat any areas exposed to UV when application is complete. It is also beneficial to take a permanent marker and label on top of the foam what is hidden underneath. Remember too that the stuff is virtually impossible to remove when oversprayed/dripped. Know your expansion ratio and take time to completely protect and prepare the job in advance. Go on YouTube and search for do-it-yourself videos if your going to do your own two part application.

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There appears to be no detriment to humans except the rotten egg smell that occurs.

I hate to dis you Corey, but I have personal experience that whatever is in the Chinese drywall will totally disable anyone in contact with it for any length of time. Our gov, Charlie Christ, was in a house for less than three minutes and it took him 3 days to recover. We won't even consider working on these jobs, since going on site to give estimates made us so sick it took days to recover. We may never know what exactly is causing the problem, but don't downplay the seriousness of what they placed in our homes.

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I hate to dis you Corey,

I'm with ya brother. No Chinese drywall endorsement here. I was making people aware it's another issue. I didn't realize how bad though.

Foam good, Chinese drywall bad!

I would not breathe or swallow anything from China.

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I would not breathe or swallow anything from China.

Rather fond of eggroll and TsingTao.