insulation engine bay

Topic: insulation engine bay (Read 3012 times) previous topic - next topic

insulation engine bay

June 09, 2020, 05:29:20 am

Hello to all,
I am still waffling about what to use in engine bay. My original stuff is falling all over the engine. Has anyone used soundown Microlite insulation? If not what soundown was used.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #1 – June 09, 2020, 09:12:34 am

i lined my engine compartment about 10 years ago with a product, i believe
was called dynamat. easy to install and still looks good. i am editing this post.
dynamat was not the product. i used ez cool

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #2 – June 09, 2020, 10:06:36 am

I used EZ Cool in the engine compartment and the generator compartment. Really like it. Lightweight. Been installed over five years now. No heat in bedroom and quieter. I did double it up in the engine compartment.
I used spray adhesive AND the fender washers and screws to hold it in place.
EZ Cool is in Texas or Home Page - ESP, Inc. Home of Low-E Insulation

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #3 – June 09, 2020, 10:38:51 am

Our engine compartment was a mess with the insulation dropping down onto the turbo. I used R-19 Fiberglas covered with Hardie Backerboard. Really cut the heat in the bedroom. Used standoffs to give space for the R-19 and then stainless fasteners. Photo of my fire test says it all. Painted with white latex. Nothing gets through Hardie. See YouTube blowtorch tests.

I also did the fridge compartment with Hardie. No insulation but covered every square inch. Fridge compartment is the most important on the coach.

Generator compartment is also bad but have not done it yet.

Pierce

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #4 – June 09, 2020, 12:44:19 pm

I also did the Dynamat insulation. I removed the stock heat blanket, fully lined everything with Dynamat, then put the stock blankets back on. On the inside, I removed all the carpet and black mat, lined the entire bedroom floor and bed pedestal with the Dynamat, then put in new pad and carpet.
The difference is noise is really good, but the heat difference is amazing. We get no noticeable heat from the engine compartment any more. Glad we did it.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #5 – June 09, 2020, 04:05:36 pm

I have a big box of sound down insulation meant for the engine compartment and the generator. Just haven't had time to do it. I'm going to take it with me on my trip this summer and hopefully one of these days get around to it. I think the sound down is probably the best product for it. Not only do you want heat coverage but also sound and I think that this product will do the best at both. Truth is though if the engine catches fire it's not going to matter if you have something that's going to block heat or not.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #6 – June 09, 2020, 10:51:44 pm

I need to do the same thing. Does the majority of you guys rip out the old stuff? Or better off to over the top of the old stuff?

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #7 – June 09, 2020, 10:56:22 pm

I scraped on it until every trace was gone.

P

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #8 – June 10, 2020, 01:56:22 am

Rip er out!

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #9 – June 10, 2020, 07:25:37 am

Black, old, heavy crumbling insulation, will plug radiator. Get rid of it!

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #10 – June 10, 2020, 09:36:16 am

Having experienced an engine room fire on a diesel boat, I'm extremely cautious about what product I use around turbos. Looks like the existing insulation will burn, I can confirm Soundown burns vigorously with huge amounts of orange smoke and drips molten lead to boot. Some of this stuff used looks to be metallized plastic? No thanks.

I'm leaning toward using rigid fiberglass duct board with aluminum facing. Probably 2". This stuff is sound deadening, will not burn, and is readily fabricated in a neat fashion, lightweight,very durable ,reasonably attractive and locally available everywhere.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #11 – June 10, 2020, 11:22:23 am

Quote from: Chuck Pearson – June 10, 2020, 09:36:16 am

I'm leaning toward using rigid fiberglass duct board with aluminum facing. Probably 2".

Chuck,

This will wok just fine and several of the members here have used it.

Mike

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #12 – June 10, 2020, 12:32:01 pm

Do those of you replacing with the fiberglass duct board remove the furniture blankets, or mount over/through them?

My original blankets still appear to be in decent shape, just dirty and hard to keep clean.

Thanks,

Trent

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #13 – June 10, 2020, 02:08:01 pm

Just remember that anything with an aluminum face will melt quickly with a direct flame. Good for sound and heat but not for flame. In steel buildings, cement is sprayed over the steel beams to keep them from losing strength and failing when in contact with a fire.

Pierce

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #14 – June 10, 2020, 02:44:47 pm

Improving the engine bay is on my list this month as well. I like the fiberglass and hardie backer approach. What am I going to find as the substrate after removing the crumbling black insulation?

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #15 – June 10, 2020, 03:15:22 pm

Most likely will be plywood

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #16 – June 10, 2020, 10:21:43 pm

Fiberglass is not a good choice: it's flammable !
Considering that the engine area is the second most common place for RV fires you should look for a non flammable sound deadening foam with a radiant heat barrier.
There are lots out there like this one from soundproof cow. Quiet Barrier™ Specialty Composite - Soundproof Cow
Good luck with your project
David

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #17 – June 11, 2020, 12:32:52 am

David,

Let's take a look at your post. First, the R-19 is underneath the super fire restive Hardie Backerboard where no flame can get anywhere near it even if it were flamable. Second, do you think every house with Fiberglas in the walls and ceiling is a fire trap? As a career firefighter, I made countless inspections of business and homes, all in accordance with the N.F.P.A. guidelines. Do you think insurance companies would insure homes insulated with flammable insulation?

That is why as soon as I bought out U300, I started making the fridge and engine compartment as fire restive as possible.

Google is a good search engine to come up to speed on these topics. The only thing incendiary so far is your post.

Fire resistance
Made from sand and recycled glass, fiberglass insulation is naturally non-combustible and remains so for the product's life. It requires no additional chemical treatments. Many building codes also recognize fiberglass insulation as an acceptable fire stop in wood- and steel-framed wall assemblies.

The kraft face glued on some fiberglass rolls is the only thing flammable.

Pierce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NC79e0oztM

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #18 – June 11, 2020, 11:46:02 am

Pierce, I think he might be confusing "fiberglass insulation " with just plain old "fiberglass" as in boats, motorhomes and the like.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #19 – June 11, 2020, 12:25:43 pm

Quote from: rbark – June 11, 2020, 11:46:02 am

Pierce, I think he might be confusing "fiberglass insulation " with just plain old "fiberglass" as in boats, motorhomes and the like.

Yes, one is made from sand and glass and the other from a combination of fiberglass and petro chemicals. But when you come in the room with both guns blazing...

So, all fiberglass is made from silica sand ,soda ash, and limestone (types of sand and ash may vary) and is not flammable. It's only when a polymer (petro chemical) is added that the polymer combination becomes flammable (the actual "fiberglass" may melt but does not burn).

Pierce

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #20 – June 12, 2020, 04:10:50 pm

Regardless of whether it's fiberglass insulation or just plain fiberglass, has anybody ever seen an engine fire on a motor coach where the motor coach was not totaled afterwards? Now in a lot of boats there are fire extinguishers built into the engine compartment that will put a fire out lickety split. But even with that you're talking major bucks. If my Cummings caught fire it would get pretty hot in there maybe hardy board would stop most of it but it's going to get through. Either the whole coach is going to go up, or you're going to have such a high restoration bill that most insurance companies would probably total coach anyway. I may be wrong on this and if anybody has any true stories to tell I'd like to hear it.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #21 – June 12, 2020, 05:45:52 pm

Installing Hardie Backerboard in the engine compartment is not intended to stop an engine fire but first, to allow occupants time to safely evacuate the vehicle and if the fire is small enough, give either a fire extinguisher or the fire department the possibility of saving the coach.

A forum member with a U300 called me several years ago. He had turbo work done a couple of hundred miles earlier and the shop left off a clamp on the turbo. The turbo pipe fell off and started the engine compartment wall on fire. He said by the time he discovered it and pulled off the road, he just had time to grab is computer and along with his wife, evacuate the vehicle before the living space was completely filled with smoke and the entire vehicle involved right after that.

While flames will NOT go through the Hardie Board, they will go around it, catching the rest of the coach on fire. The protection it gives acts as a delay. It's addition along with added insulation, will make the rear area cooler and allow less noise in the bedroom.

But the full example of saving the coach is the lining the fire prone refrigerator compartment where there is a very limited amount of fuel and the Hardie Backerboard WILL stop any fire before it can extend beyond the compartment. This includes the roof. If you view my fridge compartment photos, you can see there is no area that is not covered. There is not enough fuel available to catch the interior of the fridge on fire. A disaster will be averted and only the fridge will have to be replaced.

Most of the time it's the smoke that is deadly to people. It does not take much to incapacitate or kill and can take only seconds for this to happen. In the case of an engine fire, extra time will allow a safe evacuation so you will be able to Journey, Roam and Explore.

You can view the YouTube video below to become familiar with the fire restive properties of the cement board. This is only one of several videos on YouTube on the Hardie Backerboard.

Pierce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0hYlXnPewM&t=364s

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #22 – June 12, 2020, 06:51:50 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – June 12, 2020, 05:45:52 pm

Most of the time it's the smoke that is deadly to people. It does not take much to incapacitate or kill and can take only seconds for this to happen. In the case of an engine fire, extra time will allow a safe evacuation so you will be able to Journey, Roam and Explore.

A good reminder that all check, and replace as needed their smoke detectors.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #23 – June 12, 2020, 10:28:14 pm

Pierce I agree completely. I've used hardie board in my homes in both the past and present home. Great stuff but breaks easily, at least the panel kind does.
Just replaced both my smoke detectors and CO detectors. Both were 20 years old.
Hopefully if the engine ever catches fire, your driving and can get out quickly. Good thing these beasts are diesel and not gas.

Re: insulation engine bay

Reply #24 – June 12, 2020, 11:22:07 pm

I also just finished installing all new detectors. They were all original to the coach when new.

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