Visqueen Vapor Barrier Basement Walls

Because of this you ve likely asked yourself.

Visqueen vapor barrier basement walls. Making basements appropriate places to live is more complicated than you might assume. A vapor barrier reduces the movement of water vapor by diffusion. Plastic will prevent moisture from moving through the wall. Should i install a vapor barrier in my basement.

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. In exterior walls that are below grade like basement walls. 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.

Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must. 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. Unlike cellars basements need to be dry comfortable environments that effectively keep out any possible contaminants. 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.

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. 1 on the interior wall between the heated and unheated portion of the basement i would not use with a vapor barrier. The standard installation of a plastic vapor barrier is between the studs and the drywall but there are some exceptions to this.