No insulation on a camper king campers

[Grayray]

I am a new owner of a second hand 6.1 camper king conversion, I love the camper but discovered it had no sound deadening or insulation and shocked by this as I had believed that all camper conversion were done. So what do I do? I can gain access to the side door and rear tailgate but it would be difficult to do on one side where the kitchen is located. Any bright ideas of retrofitting the insulation etc. I should have looked at the forum before taking the decision. Why would camper king do this as they seem to do a good job with fixtures and fittings thanks for any solutions grayray

 

[Spaghetti]

Hi and welcome. This has been discussed before, it’s quite common for some converters to not insulate. Mines not insulated, and I’ve been happily using it for nearly 5 years. I just got back from a week in the Highlands. I haven’t felt the need to retrofit it to mine.

 

[Ceilauren]

As above discussed, with varying viewpoints. We have a Camperking and have had no problems either with heat in summer or cold in winter. Just enjoy it

 

[CraigP]

Hello - we have a Camper King conversion and did enquire about this before we purchased. Their argument was that they supply most with a heater fitted and you don't need both.

We are very happy, have been absolutely fine without insulation and only used the heater once for about 5 mins when it was below zero outside.

After much fretting about specs, conversion companies etc. we decided to just go for it rather then debate and delay. As our first camper we won't miss what we've never had. Coming from a tent anything is a luxury!

 

[DXX]

In all likelihood it’s not sound deadened and insulated because it takes a significant amount of time and isn’t visible in the finished product.
Camper King do convert a large volume of vans.
It’s one thing running a heater harder / longer to compensate for the lack of insulation but on a very hot summers morning it’s nice not to be cooked in bed.

 

[Grayray]

As above discussed, with varying viewpoints. We have a Camperking and have had no problems either with heat in summer or cold in winter. Just enjoy it

Good advise thanks

 

[Grayray]

Hello - we have a Camper King conversion and did enquire about this before we purchased. Their argument was that they supply most with a heater fitted and you don't need both.

We are very happy, have been absolutely fine without insulation and only used the heater once for about 5 mins when it was below zero outside.

After much fretting about specs, conversion companies etc. we decided to just go for it rather then debate and delay. As our first camper we won't miss what we've never had. Coming from a tent anything is a luxury!

Indeed the heater is great I was just concerned for the heat in the summer

 

[Grayray]

Hello - we have a Camper King conversion and did enquire about this before we purchased. Their argument was that they supply most with a heater fitted and you don't need both.

We are very happy, have been absolutely fine without insulation and only used the heater once for about 5 mins when it was below zero outside.

After much fretting about specs, conversion companies etc. we decided to just go for it rather then debate and delay. As our first camper we won't miss what we've never had. Coming from a tent anything is a luxury!

Agree with your views stayed away for two nights and it has been very cosy

 

[Grayray]

Thanks all for your views this is a great forum and very useful as a newbie

 

[MrD]

I thought I read somewhere that VW don’t insulate either??. I can’t confirm if this is true though just thought I’d come across it somewhere

 

[Spaghetti]

I thought I read somewhere that VW don’t insulate either??. I can’t confirm if this is true though just thought I’d come across it somewhere

I believe that’s the case. I ran my diesel heater earlier for 20 mins and then looked at the van with a thermal camera. It didn’t seem to be losing much. Was around 0 degrees out, heater set to 35.

 

[Grayray]

That is very cool, I assume yours is also not insulated

 

[airhoguk]

VW don’t insulate their vans, neither do Bilbo’s on their conversions

 

[Spaghetti]

That is very cool, I assume yours is also not insulated

No. I’ve added a few sheets of sound deadening to the tailgate, slider and front doors but that’s it.

 

[Carlwaynie]

I thought I read somewhere that VW don’t insulate either??. I can’t confirm if this is true though just thought I’d come across it somewhere

I think you right … when i looked at a camper conversion from Venture and asked whether it had been insulated they said no, they said there was no reason too as Vw don’t do it either.

 

[DXX]

Moisture from exhaled breath, cooking and open burning LPG will condense if the surface temperature / humidity levels are within the dew point.
Even if the internal air temperature is being maintained by a heater the van body will be cold in winter conditions and condensation will form on the exposed metal surfaces.

 

[AndyNichs]

This made me chuckle, it's as if I wrote the original thread myself
I have a CamperKing van myself. I bought mine back in March this year and although I wanted a van fully insulated and sound deadened on my wish list of things to have, I decided their were more positives to buying from CamperKing than negatives, so I overlooked the fact it wasn't insulated. I've literally finished sound deadening and insulating my van this week. Truth be told, I really enjoyed doing it. I did the side door, the rear quarter, the tailgate and the 2 front doors. It's impossible to get behind the kitchen without taking it all apart, which I'm not prepared to do! It was fairly easy to do, although I did cut my hands up getting to the deeps of the panels.

The final results.... It's like chalk and cheese! The van is SO much quieter and gives it more of a car like sound when closing doors. Probably sounds silly, but I'm so glad I did it and trust me, I have no DIY skills at all You can talk to the people in the front and the people in the back without having to raise your voice, and a lot of the little annoying rattles seem to have gone as well? Would definitely recommend doing it. I can provide a list of products you need if you like, but like I said before, would 100% recommend you do it...

 

[Grayray]

Thanks for getting back to me like you I am very pleased with the looks of the van and inside is very modern. If you don’t mind a list would be very useful and I am looking forward to doing this given your positive feedback. This forum is great best wishes Chris

 

[AndyNichs]

Sure, no problem. I'm no expert, and I'm sure people will say "you don't need to do this" or "you should have done that", but this is how I've done mine and I'm really happy with it...

So as mentioned previously, I did the sliding door, the back quarter, the tailgate and the 2 front doors. In total I ordered the following:

3 x Sound Deadening Dodo Mat DEADN ® Hex 20 Sheets Special Edition Car Van 4x4 - Sound Deadening Dodo Mat DEADN ® Hex 20 Sheets Special Edition Car Van 4x4 | eBay
*used this for all the panels

1 x Camper Van Insulation Foam Dodo Thermo Liner Pro 6mm Foil 3sq.m Sound Proofing - Camper Van Insulation Foam Dodo Thermo Liner Pro 6mm Foil 3sq.m Sound Proofing 5060675880456 | eBay
*used this for sliding door, 1/4 panel and tailgate

2 x Dodo Mat Acoustic Liner Sheet 15mm Car Soundproofing 100x50cm Self Adhesive - Dodo Mat Acoustic Liner Sheet 15mm Car Soundproofing 100x50cm Self Adhesive 5060675880401 | eBay
*used on 2 front doors

Can't recommend the Sound Deadening Shop enough. I ordered a fair bit from them on different days, and most of the time it was free next day delivery.

2x Insulation Rolls - https://www.diy.com/departments/diall-insulation-roll-l-6m-w-0-37m-t-100mm/3663602481812_BQ.prd

I also used aluminium tape to put on all joints, joins, seals and small gaps (probably over kill!) and got some spray glue to keep the insulating foam in place. A roller helps to make sure the sound deadening is pressed firmly on the panel, but I also used a long wooden soon for all those out of reach places!

You'll also need some trim tools to remove the panels and then some replacement clips. I snapped a few when pulling the panels off, they aren't expensive so I just replaced them - Halfords Trim Panel Clips | Halfords UK

I'd also recommend, whilst you have the panels off to vacuum the bottoms out. I like Camperking vans, but because they are mass produced I've found the attention to detail is somewhat lacking! I found the odd bolt, screw, rivet and just general rubbish in the bottom of the panels.

I think that's it, but If I think of something I've missed I'll let you know and if you have any questions please ask
Andy

 

[Scruffy]

"You don't need to insulate" What an absolute joke! Travel in a brand new panel van, and then jump in a properly insulated van, the difference is chalk n cheese. Try to keep a non insulated van cool in the summer or warm in the winter, is way beyond the capabilities of your standard AC. Converters don't do it for one reason, money and that's it.