Sheep wool insulation and how many sq ft of wall space?

[knowmercy]

We have ordered wool for our 31’ airstream. This weekend we installed it in the main door and are very impressed with the sound deadening! I do agree that it dries out very well. We had some stored in the airstream over the winter that got a little wet. It dries out in a few hours! Definitely does not hold onto moisture! We didn’t have any critters try to use it to make nests either! Not even a trace and our airstream is wide open! So far I’m really impressed!! I can’t believe more folks aren’t using this. It resists settling very well! One note is that you need to string up yarn to hold it in place until you get the skins in. We ordered 5 bags or the two inch thick stuff from havelock wool. Each bag does 125sq/ft. We’re not planning on doing the underside with it, but the math i did on the shell is spot on (i hope!). Cheers!

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by knowmercy

We have ordered wool for our 31’ airstream. This weekend we installed it in the main door and are very impressed with the sound deadening! I do agree that it dries out very well. We had some stored in the airstream over the winter that got a little wet. It dries out in a few hours! Definitely does not hold onto moisture! We didn’t have any critters try to use it to make nests either! Not even a trace and our airstream is wide open! So far I’m really impressed!! I can’t believe more folks aren’t using this. It resists settling very well! One note is that you need to string up yarn to hold it in place until you get the skins in. We ordered 5 bags or the two inch thick stuff from havelock wool. Each bag does 125sq/ft. We’re not planning on doing the underside with it, but the math i did on the shell is spot on (i hope!). Cheers!

Thanks so much for this response. I also am going to go with wool, and you helped me feel more confident in my decision. Some people said wool smells when it's wet... did you have any experience with that? Also, how did you determine the square footage for 5 barrels at 31 feet? I have a 22 footer and cant figure out how many bags I need. I already insulated the end caps as well. Can you advise?

[knowmercy]

The wool has a scent. The havelock wool we purchased smells like you a sheep when you put your face up to it. I don’t think it’s stinky and my wife didn’t think so either. From what i observed it’s not really any different wet or not. Once we got it in the door i don’t detect any more scent.

Okay as for the sq/ft i did my best measurements for the main part of the shell. Let’s say the straight portion of my wall is right around 22’. The length of the entire hoop is right at 18.5’ (i really think mine was 220” from memory). So 22’x18.5’ puts us at around 407 sq/ft. I think i mentioned before but the 2” bags from havelock cover 125sq/ft. Since you already have the end caps filled you should be able to compute what you need like that. Your airstream is a 75? They should share that hoop measurement. Does this help? Good luck! Keep me posted how it goes. Cheers!

[Zcashio]

I haven’t used Havelock in an airstream but will one day. But I have used it in a camper van build. Such a great product and no messing with itchy fiberglass and not knowing exactly what’s in the product is worse. The smell of the wool was much nicer than fiberglass or anything else. We wanted something natural. Glad the wool is working for you guys and I hope to use it in an Airstream one day soon. Thanks for the replies after you purchased it

[Hein]

Thinsulate SM600L acoustic/thermal insulation has several advantages over wool. It is hydrophobic, has no smell at all, contains no borates, less weight, easier to install, and passes all pertinent Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

All the best,
Hein

[tallytwo1994]

Originally Posted by Hein

Thinsulate SM600L acoustic/thermal insulation has several advantages over wool. It is hydrophobic, has no smell at all, contains no borates, less weight, easier to install, and passes all pertinent Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

All the best,
Hein

Hein,

Why do you continue promoting this synthetic product when it has no comparison to a natural product? I take it you work for this company? This just seems wrong to me.

Carol

[drairstream]

I have no horse in this race but after reading up on it this sounds like an excellent product. Placed with spray adhesive it will stay in place and deaden sound effectively too. R value is 5.2.

[Hein]

Originally Posted by tallytwo1994

Hein,

Why do you continue promoting this synthetic product when it has no comparison to a natural product? I take it you work for this company? This just seems wrong to me.

Carol

Sorry if I offended you, Carol. Our van upfit supplies company does sell several varieties of Thinsulate acoustic/thermal insulation which is specifically engineered for vehicles. We have many thousands of DIY and professional upfitters who are very satisfied with the ease of use and performance. Many more folks use Thinsulate in the their vans than use wool. Wool does have an ugly side (https://youtu.be/aE66ZC7RJQA) and has to be treated with borates which are definitely not natural. There is a lot of energy used in processing wool and it can also contain residual pesticides from sheep being treated for lice.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
541 490 5098

[tallytwo1994]

Originally Posted by Hein

Sorry if I offended you, Carol. Our van upfit supplies company does sell several varieties of Thinsulate acoustic/thermal insulation which is specifically engineered for vehicles. We have many thousands of DIY and professional upfitters who are very satisfied with the ease of use and performance. Many more folks use Thinsulate in the their vans than use wool. Wool does have an ugly side (https://youtu.be/aE66ZC7RJQA) and has to be treated with borates which are definitely not natural. There is a lot of energy used in processing wool and it can also contain residual pesticides from sheep being treated for lice.

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
541 490 5098

Hein,
You should disclose you interest in this product by listing yourself as a commercial vendor, as other vendors do. I don’t understand why the moderators haven’t called you on this issue already. There are quite a few commercial vendors who participate in the forums and I thought it was required to list yourself as such when you are regularly promoting a product you sell.
Carol

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by knowmercy

The wool has a scent. The havelock wool we purchased smells like you a sheep when you put your face up to it. I don’t think it’s stinky and my wife didn’t think so either. From what i observed it’s not really any different wet or not. Once we got it in the door i don’t detect any more scent.

Okay as for the sq/ft i did my best measurements for the main part of the shell. Let’s say the straight portion of my wall is right around 22’. The length of the entire hoop is right at 18.5’ (i really think mine was 220” from memory). So 22’x18.5’ puts us at around 407 sq/ft. I think i mentioned before but the 2” bags from havelock cover 125sq/ft. Since you already have the end caps filled you should be able to compute what you need like that. Your airstream is a 75? They should share that hoop measurement. Does this help? Good luck! Keep me posted how it goes. Cheers!

your 31 is 407 square feet? Hmm. I did my measurements subtracting my windows and end caps and came up with 283 square feet. Do you think thats too big given mine is a 22 footer and yours is nearly 9 feet bigger? I guess its plausible that yours could be 125 feet bigger? Anyway, you said you bought 5 bags, i'm gonna need 3 and have a little leftover... maybe i can make a nice quilt for winter time with it

[Can of beans]

I just insulated my 72 31' sovereign center bath, and I used all but one batt of 5 bags of 24" x 48" x 2" thick Rockwool AFB if I remember right there are 12 batts in a bag. that works out to 472 sq ft. this is walls, ceiling and some over the wheel wells. i used all the little cut off bits to fill cracks and narrow gaps, so no real scrap there.

[AZ4ME]

Hein, can you tell me what the R-value is for the SM600L? I'm interested in using it in my Airstream Argosy. Thanks.

[Wall.E]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

FWIW, it would be pretty difficult to get it burning in the small cavity between outer and inner (metal) Airstream skins.


As far as "hardly ever used in residential construction..." I'm not sure where those stats would come from, as it is widely used in residential and commercial construction and has arguably the best R value per cubic inch available until you get into super expensive materials like aerogel.

I have been researching all sorts of insulation and weighing pros and cons. This type is used both in residential and commercial areas like hospitals and schools, plus if you see tests done with fire, this product extinguishes itself, so it’s extremely safe. Both the adhesive and insulation are very low VOC and therefore it get a Green rating. This is fairly easy to install if you watch any videos of people using it in their vans or RVs. It is not cheap! But the shipping can’t be as bad as what I was quoted for hemp insulation.

[Hein]

Originally Posted by AZ4ME

Hein, can you tell me what the R-value is for the SM600L? I'm interested in using it in my Airstream Argosy. Thanks.

The R-value is 5.2


We are willing to offer a discount to anyone who wants to use 3M Thinsulate acoustic/thermal insulation in their Airstream renovation. We understand that it would take quite a bit more material than is typically used in van builds. Please Private Message me for details.


All the best,
Hein
DIYvan