Insulate roof or not???

[transit-town]

Hi transit fello conversionists...!
-i have a 99 mk5 15 seater minibus which i intend to turn into a day/wkend bus,what do people reckon on the original roof liner???? ...remove and insulate or leave in situ...??, Thanks in advance!

[chris72a]

I removed mine in MK6 and re-built with carpeted ply I cut the very rear section and melded that with the ply cause plywood don't bend like that, it looks seamless. Yes I also insulated with the sticky rubber backed sound proofing. I can post some pics if you want so you get an idea.

Cheers
Chris.

[dumper]

I wax oiled mine and stuck b&q plastic bottle insulation with it before putting roof lining back on

[hectors-tranny]

If you don't mind the look of the existing liner I would stick with that. It's a lot of time effort and cash to ply and carpet line a roof.

The liner will offer a bit of insulation, but yes It's probably worth taking it down and getting some other insulation behind it then putting it back up.

Of course, properly ply and carpet lined is going to look less 'minibussy'...

[Beaker]

I guess it depends on whether you like the look of the headliner or not.

If you don't like it, by al means replace it.

If you do like it, you can remove it and check for rust and treat as necessary. Then line with insulation and replace the liner.

Either way you are going to want to prevent condensation building up on the inside of the roof. I can tell you that while insulating my van over the course of the winter, I was horrified to find water dripping onto the floor from condensation build up my roof spars, while the roof panels which I had stuck Thermoliner onto, either side of the spars were bone dry and far warmer to the touch than the spars.

If this is going on unseen above your roof liner, you need to know about it and address it.

[transit-town]

Cheers lads,think i'll take it down and inspect the roof, insulate and probably put back as it's lighter than timber but will probably also spray it a grey or whichever colour carpet i do the sides with!

[Beaker]

Sounds like a plan'

You can always cover it with Easyliner carpet - it's cheap and easy to fit and weighs next to nothing, you will probably just need some longer clips to re-attatch it with.

[fzrtdizxr]

@ transit-town
as beaker said condensation is your worst enemy in the camper build,
i would remove the roof covering and insulate it to death, tbh,
i did mine with 5mm thermal foil backed insulation (foil coated bubble wrap) then used 25mm jab-lite (basically polystyrene used in wall cavities) between the roof spars, then went over the top with 5.5mm ply, it was great for about a yr then i noticed the screw heads starting to go rusty, this was because i never covered the roof spars with insulation because i thought
1 it's a double skin of metal, so should act like a cavity.
2 the ply on theses small sections would be good enough.
wrong on both counts
so now i have to take the main part of the roof down and slide some foil backed insulation in between the ply and roof spars to hopefully cure the problem,
you wouldn't believe how much condensation a couple of bodies and a kettle can course overnight in a panel van,
insulate like there's no tomorrow and don't forget to vent everything

[timoat]

@ transit-town
as beaker said condensation is your worst enemy in the camper build,
i would remove the roof covering and insulate it to death, tbh,
i did mine with 5mm thermal foil backed insulation (foil coated bubble wrap) then used 25mm jab-lite (basically polystyrene used in wall cavities) between the roof spars, then went over the top with 5.5mm ply, it was great for about a yr then i noticed the screw heads starting to go rusty, this was because i never covered the roof spars with insulation because i thought
1 it's a double skin of metal, so should act like a cavity.
2 the ply on theses small sections would be good enough.
wrong on both counts
so now i have to take the main part of the roof down and slide some foil backed insulation in between the ply and roof spars to hopefully cure the problem,
you wouldn't believe how much condensation a couple of bodies and a kettle can course overnight in a panel van,
insulate like there's no tomorrow and don't forget to vent everything

Did you use an air barrier for the reflectix? If its glued to the vans metal, its basically useless, even more so without an air barrier.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showt ... p?p=404699

[bigjohnthomas]

Bonza that liner will stop any condensation
I wouldn't bother taking it down an 18 year old vans roof is going to be the least of its oxidization problems
What i would do ... Is ,Have a drink, put on some corduroy trousers and cowboy boots and a berret and enjoy the time you have left with it together
Hope this helps
Dr allcock

[chris72a]

That was very helpful BJT,

[bigjohnthomas]

Happy to halp my dear boy
I am an avid wearer of corduroy myself
As I find nothing better than a I'll fitting pair of jumbo cords for hiding a micro penis