[emat]

At long last I took possession a couple days ago. In stream of consciousness style....My plan for the layout is to have a galley on the drivers side facing the slider, platform bed in the back, and I'm hoping I can fit in a bench seat that incorporates drawers and storage just forward of the bed platform. My four Motion widows should arrive sometime in the next month, so won't be formally installing much before them, but will spend the time cutting templates and preparing what I can. I'd like to add a couple speakers in the rear of the van, so I'll run some wiring for that. I've got a MaxAirr 6200k fan waiting for a hole to sit in. I'll apply a modest amount of Noico sound deadening. Thinsulate insulation on the walls and ceiling, either 3/4" polyiso or closed cell foam on the floor covered by 3/4" plywood and topped with a 'racing blue' garage style flooring probably with an underlay of some sort. I have a sliding screen door (from Dan). I've ordered a NovaKool R3100 AC/DC fridge. I'll have a single burner portable induction cooktop, but think I'll mostly use a double burner portable coleman propane camp stove I already own and cook outside for the most part. Just because I can I'll put in a small, low power microwave. For plumbing I've got my eye on a 26 gallon fresh water tank. I've got a sink from Ikea that has a nice stainless steel drip plate. I'll move the water around with a Shurflo 3.0 Revolution pump. I'm wondering if I can run one line to the sink and another to a hand-held shower unit at the back of the van (for me and the dog). For grey water I'll put a 7 gallon tank right under the sink and forgo drilling anything more holes in the floor than I have to. For DC power there's a business called WeGoSolar not far from me that I think I'll work with to install 200-300 watts of solar. I know of an electrician who will help me put together the rest. I haven't decided on how to finish the walls and ceiling yet but hope to find something that inspires me along the way. I'd like to order a Fiamma rack, awning and bike rack, but that will depend on if and when FiammaUSA ever reopens. It's a surprisingly high step up into the van so I have a feeling I'll want to install a running board outside the slider at some point.

My impressions of driving the van so far are good. More or less what I would have expected from a large van. It's certainly a very different experience compared to the golf wagon I have been in. I have the factory swivel seats, which seem to work well. I have a few issues to sort out though. Opened the hood today to discover the radiator fluid was just below the 'low' mark. Not what I would have expected for a vehicle with less than 100km on it. What fluid do we use with the van?? There's an annoying alarm telling me the slider door is open when it is in fact shut. And just a visual inspection of the slider door from the inside reveals a lot of light getting in through places that I would think should be sealed, in particular the top rear corner. I'll see about applying a strip of weather sealant around that. Another alarm tells me to check the tire pressure, that should be an easy one to deal with.

Thats it for now. Someday I'll have to figure out how to upload pictures, lol.

Eric

 

[MsNomer]

Have the dealer fix the slider before you add anything. Something is mis-aligned.

Welcome to the grownup Pinewood Derby.

 

[SteveSS]

Congrads, Eric. It feels good to finally get underway after the long wait. Ours has 555 km on it now, just from occasional runs for building supplies.

Have you sourced polyiso on the island yet? We only found one source, Lowe's in Nanaimo, and they only have 1". Apparently it's mostly an east coast thing in Canada. We've applied 1" on the ceiling and walls and will use it on the floor too. To gain a little more head clearance, we're hoping to get by with 1/2" plywood on the floor.

Where are you seeing light at the top rear corner of the slider? Is it around the perimeter seal, or are you looking inside the door through that long narrow opening at the top? Looking inside the door, we can see a speck of light coming through the upper rear latch plate, which is outside the perimeter seal. We are more worried about water intrusion than air leakage, but we haven't figured out how to seal it yet.

Your manual tells you what coolant to use. It's a special 10-yr OAT formula with a FCA specs number. Ours sits right on MIN when cold. If you end up taking it in for other things, they can add some for you. But for now, it's probably not a big deal if it's just a little below MIN.

Our tire pressure light came on shortly after we picked it up. We checked the tires and so did the dealer, but the warning light stayed on for weeks. Then just yesterday, it went out all by itself. Maybe one of the sensors was stuck.

We got our Bogart battery monitor and solar charge controller from WeGoSolar. You must be up island near Chemainus.

 

[emat]

I'm in Nanaimo Steve, very near that Lowes. I'm specifically looking for 3/4" as the thickness of my insulation is being largely determined by the depth of the bottom attachment of the screen door I've got. I've been told that if you ask, they can order different thicknesses. Not being at that stage with all this I haven't tried yet. I believe that Slegg Building supplies also has a polyisocyanurate, I think they have a location in Victoria as well. I'll have a better look at the door tomorrow when it's light out. I'm relieved to learn you're coolant levels are similar to mine. Though I wouldn't put it past that Jimmy Pattison to short change us on the coolant!

 

[canuck4everr]

Home hardware (building centers) has polyiso , the one in tsawwassen carried 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch , cant remember , im sure you can special order through them as web site lists more sizes

 

[goldenraf]

Polysio doesn't insulate well at lower temperatures, I read several articles, here is one: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/articles/dept/musings/cold-weather-performance-polyisocyanurate

I used polystyrene 1 " for the flooring and added a layer of plywood on top. I trimmed around the sliding door to leave space for the screen door.

For the walls I used Roxul and made sure was airtight sealed since this stuff is not good to breathe. For the ceiling and all other cavities I used Tyvek Thermawrap http://www.dupont.com/products-and-...r-barrier-systems/products/Thermawrap-r5.html
It is very easy to work with and it doesn't affect your lungs!.
For hard to reach areas I used Foam Spray, but the low expansion type, still a pain to work with, you never know for sure what is being filled or not.
I live in QC and wanted to make sure that I could use the van in Winter and I also set a limit on my budget.

I used the Tyvek product in all doors and pillars.

I have yet to insulate the driver and passenger doors.

 

[emat]

Thanks goldenraf, I hope that works well for you. I notice you don't have many (any?) windows. In addition to the cab, I've got factory rear door windows, plus four Motion windows in the walls. I'm afraid no amount of insulation is going to mitigate heat transfer through all that glass. It a balancing act of different compromises. The windows will give me lots of ventilation in summer and I'll eventually put in a Webasto heater for the winter. If I wrap myself in lots of wool, it should be fine.

 

[MsNomer]

Emat, it appears your insulation/windows will be similar to mine. Below freezing and windows bare, the Webasto will warm the van to the mid-70's with the dial turned less than halfway up.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

goldenraf,

Thanks for your contribution.
Actually the R value loss of Polyisocyanurate from 50º down to 20º (about as cold as we might camp) is about 5% according to the graphs in the article I saw from that source.. That is much less than the advantage Polyiso has over EXP for equal thicknesses not counting the advantage of its foil surface if installed with dead air space something polystyrene normally doesn’t have. I guess I’ll not rip my polyiso out and put in XPS or polystyrene that will begin to deform and even melt above 160º. It will be fine under your floor as that temperature is unlikely to reach that. To say "Polysio doesn't insulate well at lower temperatures” is misleading. It doesn’t insulate as well as it does at 50º would be a fairer statement. It still does much better than what you used at 20º

Your Roxul is about the last product I would want in my van right along with fiberglas and asbestos. All have fibers that imbed in ones lungs and contribute to respiratory issues as far as I have read. I appreciate you pointed that out so others would be aware, thanks. I don’t know much about it really and if you are happy fine. I’d advise others to look into it before using it. Here is a first fact from the maker:

"ROXUL insulation is a rock-based mineral fiber insulation comprised of Basalt rock and Recycled Slag. Basalt is a volcanic rock(abundant in the earth), and slag is a by-product of the steel and copper industry. The minerals are melted and spun into fibers”

Not in my van thanks.

 

[Eiko]

"The minerals are melted and spun into fibers” I don't know that any long term safety studies have been done on Roxul but this description sounds very familiar. You guys should google the pathophysiology of asbestosis or silicosis or talcosis or coal miner's lung (coal miner's pneumoconiosis) or breathing anything not readily taken care of by the body. Including wood dust.

My current plan after a few hundred hours reading opinions on various brand forums is Rhinoliner the sheet metal, fill in the floor corrugations with Minicell. Walls and ceiling 1" polyiso, followed by 2" Thinsulate. Floor with 2" polyiso, 3/4 plywood, 1/4 rubbing stall mat.

I've read the diminishing returns on insulation after R12 in an RV. My goals are different. Mainly to keep heat out for long periods of time. So I have no windows in the van. Door opening and closing will be minimal. The Rhinoliner is added protection from condensation on the van skin in cold weather.

 

[goldenraf]

RDinNHandAZ I added a side windows I got from a manufacturer in China, They supply RV manufacturers in Australia and Europe. This windows is similar (or the same) as Seitz used in the Westfalia and other European Ducato's. It has a double pane, Screen and blind all in one.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

I saw windows on Alibaba that perhaps are the ones. In Europe there is a lot of interest in double pane windows and instead of awnings like Kinro which are not air tight, and some others here their whole window seals when closed and vents at the bottom. The ones I saw were a plastic (lexan?) material which if reasonably cared for ought to be great. If you still have the source it might help others?

 

[MsNomer]

Biggest problem I see with Seitz, etc., is that they are flat. Therefore, there's a practical limit how how big one can fit on our curved sides without serious deformation.

 

[emat]

The flooring between the driver and passenger seats sure is squishy. How well does it hold up over time? I've put a thin rubber mat over it to catch the dirt but is there anything else others have done to cover this area?

 

[MontanaExplorer]

The flooring between the driver and passenger seats sure is squishy. How well does it hold up over time? I've put a thin rubber mat over it to catch the dirt but is there anything else others have done to cover this area?

Just received my van last weekend and am wondering the same thing. I was surprised at how soft the floor is there.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

As usual it has been discussed. The search box got me right to it:
http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57162

 

[nebulight]

RDinNHandAZ I added a side windows I got from a manufacturer in China, They supply RV manufacturers in Australia and Europe. This windows is similar (or the same) as Seitz used in the Westfalia and other European Ducato's. It has a double pane, Screen and blind all in one.

Any info on these windows?

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...7815.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.17.ZWD1cI

 

[emat]

Update: I've done nothing of note yet. It's simply too hot and the air is full of smoke from forest fires, forcing me to seek refuge indoors. See www.firesmoke.ca for more on the smoke.

I am looking at solar panels though. I like the specs on this 305 watt Hanwha panel. https://www.solacity.com/product/hanwha-q-peak-g4-1-305/ Even with shipping as much as the panel it's still decent value. The dimensions of this panel will allow me to mount it lengthways behind my maxxfan. I'm sold on the idea of using 3M VHB pads to do the job, but I'm not sure I want to spend $26(US) plus $10 shipping for the Impact3D bracket. I estimate I'd need 6-8 of them. Looking for a reliable way to attach to a bracket to the tape. I concede to allowing one hole in the roof for entry of the cable. It will be a short run, 2-3 feet at most to the MPPT controller mounted in the panel behind the slider door. Batteries directly below that. Details on the components of the electrical system still in progress.

 

[emat]

I'm also considering these running boards from Luverne, a short driver side and long passenger. http://www.luvernetruck.com/category/392/O-Mega II 6" Oval Steps

I'll be getting a professionals to install two front and two rear Kenwood speakers and swap out the awful Connect 5.0 with a Kenwood apple car play touchscreen receiver, I can't remember exactly which model. I'm no audiophile, but if I could redo my van purchase I would definitely forgo the UConnect 5.0, man it's terrible.