Visqueen Vapor Barrier Basement Walls

Holes in the vapor barrier that allow humid air through may allow a lot more water vapor into an assembly than the vapor barrier is stopping.

Visqueen vapor barrier basement walls.

Unlike cellars basements need to be dry comfortable environments that effectively keep out any possible contaminants. The standard installation of a plastic vapor barrier is between the studs and the drywall but there are some exceptions to this. 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. 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.

As we mentioned earlier the basement is naturally humid because of its lower. 1 on the interior wall between the heated and unheated portion of the basement i would not use with a vapor barrier. The main concerns are condensation and drying potential. Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must.

Plastic will prevent moisture from moving through the wall. Because of this you ve likely asked yourself. A common question people have when finishing a basement is should i use visqueen or plastic sheeting on one side or the other of the framed basement walls the answer is no. In exterior walls that are below grade like basement walls.

In winter the dew point of the interior air is typically about 50 f assuming an air temperature of 70 f and a relative humidity of 50. The science of moisture movement. Making basements appropriate places to live is more complicated than you might assume.