Camper van spray foam insulation in Lethbridge gets specified as often for summer as for winter. This is one of the sunniest parts of the country, and a metal box parked in that sun becomes unusable long before the temperature outside does.
Solar gain on a dark van
A van in direct sun gains heat through its roof and its sunlit side far faster than through any other path, and a dark vehicle does it faster still. Inside an uninsulated shell that heat arrives almost immediately, which is why a parked van is intolerable within an hour on a clear day here. An insulated roof and walls slow that arrival substantially, and combined with a vent it is the difference between a van that can be left and one that cannot.
Ventilation in a box that has been sealed
This is the part people get wrong after doing the insulation right. A properly sealed van does not breathe, and two people sleeping in it produce a lot of moisture with nowhere to go. The insulation work has to be paired with a deliberate way of moving air, usually a roof vent and an intake, or the water that used to condense on the metal simply condenses on the windows and the bedding instead. Sealing without ventilating moves the problem rather than solving it.
Where the roof rack and solar mounts go
Anything mounted through the roof is a penetration through the insulated layer, and on a van the roof is also the surface taking the most sun and carrying the most equipment. Solar panel feet, vent flanges and rack mounts should all be located and backed before the foam goes on. Drilling afterwards puts a metal fastener straight through the thermal layer at the hottest and coldest point on the vehicle.
The parts of the shell that get missed
Behind the wheel wells, the rear door frames and the area under the floor at the back are the three places most often left bare because they are awkward. They are also, respectively, where road heat arrives, where cold air gets in at the seal, and where the floor is thinnest. It is worth confirming all three are in the scope rather than assuming a quote covers the whole shell.
Camper Van Spray Foam Insulation Lethbridge: Common Questions
Is this worth doing for summer as well as winter? In Lethbridge particularly. Solar gain through the roof is what makes a parked van unusable, and slowing it is the main benefit on a sunny day.
Do I still need a vent if the van is insulated? More than before. A sealed van has nowhere for the moisture two people produce overnight to go, so a vent and an intake are part of the same job.
When do the solar mounts get decided? Before the foam. A fastener drilled through afterwards puts metal straight through the insulated layer at the most exposed point on the vehicle.
Work out the depth with the R-value calculator, then get a free Lethbridge quote. More on Camper Van Spray Foam Insulation Alberta.