caravan insulating

[BillySugger]

I have a 36 x 12ft. caravan and even with central heating gets cold in autumn and spring. I thought about using Celotex fitted between the floor joist from underneath but am unsure whether it would work and how would I fix it up. Any ideas?

 

[ajrobb]

Would Celotex Insulation Clips be any use?

http://www.bizrate.co.uk/homehardware/products__keyword--celotex+plastic+rafter+clips.html

 

[BillySugger]

Thanks. Looks good if I could work out how it fits!! Price seems good.

 

[big-all]

whilst it will make a difference i dont think it will much above 5 to 10% difference because the temperature at the floor is possibly 2 or 3 degrees cooler than at the roof height the floor is mostly carpeted and there's little air flow over the floor under surface giving a cushion off air

having said that its very very difficult to save heat loss on a caravan without major works and maybe the underfloor option assuming you have thick curtains and draught free door windows and roof lights will give you the best benefits

 

[BillySugger]

Some good points. Cheers.
The caravan has double glazing and thick curtains but the carpet could be a bit thicker. I will have a word with the caravan makers re the underfloor options.

 

[mointainwalker]

From the size this sounds like a stationary caravan , is that right ?

If so you could improve matters by putting a "skirt" around the perimiter.

By this I mean vertical boarding of some type to prevent wind blowing under the floor and very efficiently carrying away even more heat from the floor.

 

[BillySugger]

Thanks.. That is the next job. Already got a price for materials looking for some person with experience to fit it. Hayling Island area. Getting a bit old for this work!!!

 

[big-all]

From the size this sounds like a stationary caravan , is that right ?

If so you could improve matters by putting a "skirt" around the perimiter.

By this I mean vertical boarding of some type to prevent wind blowing under the floor and very efficiently carrying away even more heat from the floor.

i had assumed a skirt was already fited

 

[BillySugger]

It will be easier to fit the insulation prior to the skirt. You still have to allow a percentage of ventilation under the van apparently to allow for any gas leakage to be vented out. The material I intend to use has a vented strip to be included every so many feet!!

 

[digdilem]

That sounds like a single park home?

I insulated a double two years ago. Lined all the interior walls with 64mm foam-backed plasterboard. Went from almost uninhabitable and streaming with moisture to really very cosy. Loft insulation was already at about 100mm, and access impossible to add more, but we were prepared to line the inside of the ceilings too. Turns out it wasn't needed. Floors had a rubber underlay and decent carpets.

Gone through its second winter with outside temps hitting worse than -10 for two weeks at a time, tenant still very happy.

FWIW - I did talk to a specialist who advised they all tend to be built badly and intended for partial occupation so insulation is poor. Twin-skin aluminium walls with about 40mm rockwool and massive vents.

 

[BillySugger]

This is a caravan on a small site / park which is open 8 months of the year. March to Oct. and it can get really cold at times There are reasonable carpets on the floor. I am more interested in fixing the Celotex between the joists from below. The Celotex clip is apparently for fixing from above. Sticking will not be an option as it will need supporting from below which will be time consuming.
So sensible suggestions welcome!

 

[mointainwalker]

I have no idea if the floor of a caravan is flat or not or how easy it is to acces the floor from underneath.

If it s flat you could simply drill though the floor and fix battens of the required depth and then fix insultion of the same depth between the battens - and if it required holding in place - then attaching mesh or similar acros the battens to secure it.