Basement Wall Insulation Vapor Barrier

It is for a bathroom with a tiled shower.

Basement wall insulation vapor barrier.

Without a vapor barrier in place condensation inside the walls could ruin the insulation and promote the growth of harmful mold and bacteria. I planned to install vapor barrier on top. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. A vapor barrier is also helpful to keeping a basement insulated and warm.

In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side. If you put it on the right side where the humidity is it s not much of a vapor retarder. Not every wall does. So we thought it might be a good idea to clear up some of the confusion.

My basement wall is insulated with a 2 inches of styrofoam on the interior and i built a 2 4 wall and added roxul insulation. For reference my basement is currently finished with concrete exterior walls then charcoal colored wrap material there seems to be an inch or two between this wrap and the exterior walls then stud framing with r12 batt insulation between the studs then a vapor barrier and finally drywall on top of the vapor barrier. Plastic specifically 6 mil polyethylene plastic is. Joe says in the article plastic vapor barriers really are vapor barriers when things get wet.

Not to be confused with a vapor barrier which is placed on the warm side of the wall just in front of the insulation and behind the drywall a moisture barrier goes against the basement wall. Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors. The material is stapled to the frame of a basement wall before it is finished with plaster or drywall. Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets.

When a vapor barrier is on the side of a wall where the dry air is i e outside in winter or inside in summer moisture problems can occur. Not so asphalt saturated kraft paper. We ve written several articles about basement insulation and a cost effective approach to basement insulation using foam board and fiberglass insulation since writing those articles we ve received quite a few questions about when to use a basement vapor barrier and when not to. Also on the graph is the permeance of polyethylene.

Basement vapor barrier and insulation. Polyurethane sheeting is a typical vapor barrier that contractors use to prevent moisture from penetrating the walls of a basement. I live in central ontario canada. After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one.

A vapor barrier reduces the movement of water vapor by. Is it ok to add this vapor barrier.