Photo: Damon Hall

Does spray foam act as a vapor barrier?

Spray Foam Insulation Already Acts as a Powerful Vapor Barrier. Among the many benefits of spray foam insulation is that it not only acts as a powerful insulation material, but that it is an effective air, moisture, and vapor barrier as well.

vermontfoaminsulation.com - Do You Need a Vapor Barrier with Spray Foam Insulation?

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If you’re dealing with home comfort issues and high energy costs, you might be looking around for insulation solutions. At Vermont Foam Insulation, we pride ourselves on installing insulation the right way to help protect your home and prevent moisture intrusion. If you’ve done any reading into properly protecting a home against water problems, you may know about vapor barrier installation, which is a home improvement upgrade designed to help keep moisture out of your home. But do you need to install a vapor barrier with every insulation job? Does the answer change depending on what kind of insulation you use, or what part of the house you’re working in? Today, the expert spray foam insulation contractors at Vermont Foam Insulation tackle this common question from homeowners.

Spray Foam Insulation Already Acts as a Powerful Vapor Barrier

Among the many benefits of spray foam insulation is that it not only acts as a powerful insulation material, but that it is an effective air, moisture, and vapor barrier as well. Seeing that most moisture intrusion into a home actually enters as a result of air leaks and not water vapor diffusion through the building materials of your home, spray foam is an all-in-one solution for limiting heat transfer, air movement, and moisture intrusion in your house. Installing vapor barriers on above-ground walls that are insulated with spray foam is usually unnecessary, but there are parts of your home where moisture issues are significant enough that vapor barriers can come in handy...

The Areas of Your Home Where You May Need a Vapor Barrier

One of the worst areas in a home for water and moisture problems in the basement or the crawlspace. Water and moisture can make their way in through cracks in your foundation or as the result of drainage issues around your house that allow rain and groundwater to find a way inside your home. Even with superior spray foam basement and crawl space insulation, you may still need additional crawl space encapsulation or wet basement waterproofing solutions, like vapor barriers, to keep moisture and humidity out of the lowest levels of your home. If the area is only a bit damp, you can sometimes solve it with basement spray foam insulation alone. To deal with increasingly significant water issues in the bottom areas of a home, the experts at Vermont Foam Insulation offer a wide range of basement and crawl space services to address any situation we may find in your home. These solutions can include:

Sump pump installation

Interior perimeter drain installation

Crawl space and basement spray foam insulation installation

Dimple drainage matting

Dehumidifier installation

Vapor barrier installation

Talk to the Leading Spray Foam Insulation Company Near You

Not sure whether your home needs significant crawl space waterproofing and perimeter drain installation or just a dehumidifier? Don’t worry—that’s what Vermont Foam Insulation is here. Reach out today to talk to our team about a free site visit or scheduling a home energy audit, where we’ll take the time to conduct a thorough review and inspection of your home to identify the underlying causes of the problems you may be experiencing, whether it’s water and moisture issues, high energy bills, uneven indoor comfort, or all of the above! Feel confident that the moisture issues in your house are being addressed for good. Call 802-367-3113 or contact us today and tell Vermont Foam Insulation more about the problems you’re facing in your home.

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Do you tape horizontal seams on Tyvek?

I ran across a technical bulletin from tyvek that says that you should not tape horizontal joints because it allows any water that gets behind the foam a way to escape.

greenbuildingadvisor.com - Should horizontal joints on EPS be sealed or not? Tyvek Bulletin

Hi everyone,

Currently residing the house. I am using 1.5″ of EPS (fiber facing), Tyvek (wrb), 3/4 strips; a rain screen, and then the siding. I have taped up all the plywood seams with 3m all weather flashing tape. Then installed my 1.5″ inches of EPS. I then taped up all the vertical joints with 3m flashing tape again. However, I have not done the horizontal joints. I ran across a technical bulletin from tyvek that says that you should not tape horizontal joints because it allows any water that gets behind the foam a way to escape.

So my question is should I follow the bulletin or not?

Link to the pdf is on this page and titles below:

http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/construction-materials/building-envelope-systems/articles/tyvek-fact-sheets.html

Weather Barriers are a Must with Exterior Foam Sheathing TECH TALK

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