Installing Basement Vapor Barriers

When moisture accumulates in the home, it can decrease the R value of the insulation and as a result does visible damage to the interior walls. The best defense against this is vapor barrier that should be installed in every room including the basement. In addition this will help in your basement waterproofing.

Vapor barriers can be installed either outside the house or inside the walls. This really depends where the homeowner lives because the weather outside is something that should be put into consideration.

People who live where humidity is not a problem should have this installed on the warm side of the wall. This will block water vapor from entering especially during the winter when the temperature drops.

The vapor barrier should only be placed outside the house if the weather really gets hot outside especially during the summer. This keeps the temperature just right during the winter.

If the person lives in a place that is cool throughout the year, it is best to install this on the interior wall that is over the studs and just behind the wallboard. This should not be done using Kraft face insulation because this type of material does not offer the proper protection for the walls in the home.

Most homeowners use the batt and roll insulation to act as a vapor barrier. Studies have shown that leakage still occurs when the facings meet. This can be prevented by stapling the front of the studs and reinforcing it with 4 mm of plastic tarp over the framed wall before finally tacking it up the wallboard.

Another alternative is by using an encapsulated insulator that can be bought from the hardware store. This should be poly wrapped and installed also by using a face stapler instead of a hammer and some nails but it is best to check first with the local building department if this is suitable.

Fiberglass has also been useful tool as a basement wall. However, it is not that cannot absorb water should there be a leak from one of the pipes or from the rain. The customer can check what material is a better alternative to this should the regular kind is not available.

The sales clerk may recommend the ball insulation sometimes comes with a reflective aluminum facing. This can work instead of fiberglass but there must be some space in between of at least an inch that will increase the amount of thermal energy going back into the home.

Here are a few things people should know about vapor barriers.

1. The vapor barrier must always be installed towards the living space. It doesn’t matter if this is in the attic or the basement because this is the only way leakage can be prevented.

2. The homeowner must never compress or fluff the insulation. Those who fail to heed this warning will decrease the R values and the lower it is, the greater the chances of mildew to cause damage to the walls of the house.

3. When fixing the basement, the vapor barrier has to be installed first before the framing. Again, this reduces the chances of the migration of moisture from the foundation walls from seeping through other sections of the home.

Doing it right the first time will surely save the homeowner hundreds of dollars in repairs. This isn’t that hard to do and those who are unsure can get the help of a specialist who will take care of the rest. For more tips on basement waterproofing, check out www.WaterproofingYourBasement.com.