BCM Community

today while insulating the new to me coach,I took temperature readings...full sun  76deg outside----bare skin=116     insulated roof with foam 1 1/2 inch thick=86 deg   metal roof frame uninsulated   105 deg    insulated steel roof beams filled with spray foam=93 deg   covered with 1/2 plywood   89 deg     steel roof beams insulated and covered with 1/2 blue board insulation 82 deg...so conclusion I am filling box tubing with spray foam thru 3/16 hole drilled 1 ft apart ;put in one till appears in next etc..after that covering roof and sides with 1/2 inch thermax board...then plywood strips to fasten ceiling to..should  greatly reduce heat gain or loss and aid in hvac application..I know we talk about theory so thought I would post these test results...Anyone else with similar results???  Bob

can you tell I just got a Infrared thermometer? just confirmed my observations but didn"t expect extreme differences..

Late spring in Yuma i have gotten a reading of 156 degrees on the side of our bus where the darkest color is. :(

We shot temps of different colors on 2 buses in our yard. West side of buses at 3 PM on a sunny July day near Arcadia, Florida. Ultra White was 116*, Red was 123*, Mauve was 121*, Gold was 132* and Dark Metallic Green was 146*.  the hotter the skin, the more heat that is absorbed and the more heat the ACs have to remove.  Your choice. Jack

thanks for the come back guys..new bus is maroon..hot...will prob keep color because paint job is good..just add more insulation and park under shade tree & or use awnings....Bob

I just spent the whole weekend insulating my ride.  I unloaded the two front bays and dropped the wiring and whatever was in the way and installed 1 inch foil backed foam.  I taped the edges with the tin foil looking tape. I did 2 inches under our bed which is right over the engine.  The last bay has the generator and tanks in it.  When I rework the gen and tanks the way they need to be worked then I will double insulate that bay.  I can feel the beat in our bathroom as it sits over thr generator bay.  So now I have the foil foam and the floor is 1.25 inches solid wood.  Oh and I put the insulation over the already inplace bubble wrap.  The funny thing I learned of 2 more big holes which was sucking out cold air or bringing in hit air.   With the hole under the dash, the hole to the left of the driver seat and those 2 holes I found today, I figure I have been driving down the road with 4 square feet of open to the outside.  No wonder it has been so hot during the day while driving.