If your home has already been built, such an upgrade is impossible. Under the foundation is the most important place. There are many places in your home that a vapor barrier could be beneficial. You can generally find great vapor barriers at any store that sells concrete supplies. The last thing you want to do is create moisture control problems when you are trying to prevent them.If you want a high-quality barrier that will actually your home's frame from rot and mold, you need to invest in a barrier with new technology. Here in the Bay Area, where it’s cold and moist in the winter, but where many home and business owners use air conditioning in the summer, it becomes especially important to consult with professionals before installing vapor barriers. Because of this, air sealing is more important than vapor retarders. 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. A vapor barrier reduces the movement of water vapor by diffusion.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.A vapor barrier's job is to keep water vapor in humid air from diffusing through one side of a wall and finding a cool surface inside the wall.We appreciate Energy Vanguard’s succinct summary of vapor barrier issues: Wine cellars (again, this is most relevant in below-grade, basement-like cellar spaces).Basements (especially those below grade).The most common locations for Class II or Class III vapor barriers on the interior of a home in the Bay Area are: Once trapped, the same barrier will then prevent these materials from drying on the inside, leading to cumulative structural damage over time. This moisture build up leads to wet structural or flooring components. In an air-conditioned building or below-grade locations, a vapor barrier can actually catalyze the creation of condensation - and then keep it trapped there. Here in Oakland and the surrounding Bay Area, we enjoy the benefits of a Mediterranean climate, and that means we use vapor barriers more sparingly than those who live in more extreme, colder climates. Contemporary homeowners, however, need to be more discerning about how and where they install vapor barriers to ensure their desire to block moisture diffusion doesn’t result in the creation of condensation that never would have developed otherwise. In older homes, vapor barriers were beneficial in almost all of a home’s walls, floors, and ceilings because they prevented water transmission from condensation and into more inferior building materials. Vapor barriers are also a good idea in areas of the home or adjacent to structural assemblies that are most susceptible to direct contact with water, such as the roof, specific areas in the bathrooms and kitchens, greenhouses, basements, etc. Extruded polystyrene or foil-faced foam board insulation.Aluminum sheets or paper-backed aluminum.Vapor barriers, including those used in conjunction with insulation, are typically made from water-resistant materials, including: Learn how vapor barriers work - and where they work best - to protect your Bay Area home and your wallet. That way your home’s contemporary building materials can do the work they were designed to do in terms of moisture control.ĭo not let a greedy or dishonest contractor take advantage of you by convincing you to install vapor barriers where there shouldn’t be any. That said, today’s climate-conscious building techniques and high-quality building materials (such as blown-in cellulose insulation and double- or triple-paned windows) have meant that vapor barriers can do more harm than good when installed where they aren’t needed.Ĭonsulting with experienced Oakland vapor barrier installers (licensed insulation contractors) is key to ensuring you only install vapor barriers in the spaces that need it most. The ultimate goal of a vapor barrier is to keep moisture from coming in contact with structural or insulation materials that are vulnerable when wet, and to manage humidity levels inside the home for improved whole-home comfort and healthier indoor air quality (IAQ).
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