Insulation Vapour Barrier Installation

When to install a vapour barrier.

Insulation vapour barrier installation.

If you live in a cold climate place the vapor barrier between the interior of your home and the insulation. Consult an insulation professional in your area if you are unsure where or how to install a vapor retarder or consider a vapor retarder that provides some degree of additional flexibility like a smart vapor retarder. This not only insulates the walls but also keeps rising dampness in the concrete from getting into the crawlspace. Water vapor can pass through building materials in several ways including direct transmission and by heat transfer but studies suggest that fully 98 percent of the moisture transfer through walls occurs through air gaps including cracks around electrical fixtures and outlets and gaps along baseboards.

The only exception to this is insulation which is already provided with a vapour resistant layer. When you are insulating the house on the inside a vapour barrier is always required. A vapor barrier is designed to keep moisture in your home from getting inside your walls. Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must.

Whether your vapor barrier is a facing or a film it must be placed on the warm in winter side of the wall. Of rigid moisture proof insulation. The science of moisture movement. Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets.

When installing your vapor barrier it is important not to compress your fiberglass insulation because they need to remain fluffy in order to keep its r value. We used thermax brand available through lumberyards of polyethylene vapor barrier because it doesn t require an additional fire barrier. A smart vapor retarder is able to adapt its permeability to allow the wall to dry should moisture get trapped in the wall cavity. Installing vapor barrier over your head.

Cover exposed foundation walls with 1 1 2 in. Vapor barriers keep the air moisture in your house from condensing in the insulated cavities. In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side. First install the fiberglass insulation between the studs and then apply the vapor barrier over the installed fiberglass insulation.

As mentioned earlier batt and roll insulation come with a vapor barrier attached. This barrier must be applied onto the inner side of the heated zone in order to prevent damp air from penetrating the insulation.