rockmeupto125 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I have no room in the garage, its heated only intermittently, and I'm tired of having the bikes out in the cold, even though they are under cover. I have a 14 foot van body I use as storage, which is the basis of my idea/pondering. Can I insulate the van body so that a small electric heater can maintain temperature for a few dollars a month, or am I jousting at windmills? The van body is tight, the only air leaks are around the overhead rollup door. Would foamboard insulation be adequate....or economical? The floorboards are tight with each other so leakage there would be minimal. I have no way at this time to insulate the floor. And how to go about insulating the door? Access would be occasional, as I don't ride much in the snow. Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Insulation may be a problem. Even if you foamfilled the panels, the metal ribs that hold the inside and outside panels together will be a conduit for the heat being bled outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 the walls are already sheathed with plywood. The ceiling is bare aluminum spars and skin, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowrideCX Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Joe I would put some foam board insulation on the ceiling and try to segment the foam board for the door. As for the sides of the door you could try to get some rubber and make overlapping skirts around the door opening to help block the air and not hinder the door. The floor is insulated with the ground. A small ceramic electric heater would probably be fine. What temp are you trying to maintain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 I'd be satisfied with a constant 40-45. Trying to figure out what R factor I need to pull this off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Can I ask, why does it need to be heated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 Cuz I don't like deep freeze storage for my babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_40 Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Think the best way would be foam on the floor, piece of plywood covering it to distribute the weight. Put the bikes on the plywood then build walls/roof with the foam around it, seal corners with tape/glue. Add small heater with temp control. Kinda like building a cheap foam cooler around the bikes. Just a idea off the top of my head. Smaller the inside area and thicker the foam should be cheaper to heat right. And would be the smallest amount of foam needed since your only putting it around what you want to keep warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eliXXir Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 A constant temp is ideal, even if 34 degrees. I don't like fluctuation above/below freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXitanium Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 The more insulation you can afford, the less you'll spend in electricity. I looked on Home Depot website: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amdry-3-9-in-x-24-in-x-96-in-R14-Type-1-Insulated-Wall-Panel-AMWP142496/204399265#.Upkp4tKfhOI That is almost equal to a standard house wall. That would be a pretty good start. R19 is kind of a standard house wall with 2x4s. https://www.warehousebay.com/catalog/insulation-fasteners/?osCsid=c69b63f0010ac1f63a4c !" rigid foam and a vapor barrier so not too much wind whistles though. I used R11 all around for these calcs. The insulation will have the value printed on it when you go to buy it. Find the 1" hardboard. I had a friend try to store sleds in an aluminum trailer that was too tight in the summer - it corroded the aluminum chassis of the sleds - functional - but ugly. ....roughly 3000 Watts per hour with a -16 degree night - worst case scenario. You probably won't want to run it at 70 - 50 would be fine? About like paying to run one of those halogen shop lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superhawk996 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Ship them to SoCal, I'll ride them only enough to keep them ready for you. They'll live indoors when not being "maintained". Or maybe blanket the bikes individually with a small bulb or heater under each. One thermostat so when the garage or van gets below "X" they all come on. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 My 2 cents.. Loads of good points above. 1.Don't forget about Fiberglass insulation. It's cheap, it's easy to work with, and it's not flammable like Foam...etc. etc. 2.You don't want an Air Tight storage box, so if you seal that door up good, you had better figure out a way to exchange a small amount of air under your own controlled conditions. Vents (small, very small), One high, one low. Years ago... I made a small greenhouse off of the back porch with 2x4's and plastic, that I used over the winter to keep a small fish pond and plants from freezing. I used a small 750-1500W heater like this... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Patton-Electric-Utility-Heater-PUH680-WM1/17808701 .. because it was all metal and because it utilized a spring coil heater, as I did not want the ceramic. It worked great... and no it did not kill my electric bill, mainly because I only wanted it to maintain 35-40 degrees... and it was a small area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXitanium Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 So, rockmeupto125, are your babies warm out there? ..never got to hear how the heating project went. I hope well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Never had a chance. Temps here have been much like where you are, but probably a little warmer. Mostly single digits for a good part of the winter. Just too cold to even attempt to get anything done. I made sure the antifreeze was fresh, pulled the batteries, Stabiled the tanks and told the girls to tuck in tight. This summer I plan to foam the van body and get it ready for next winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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