Understanding Vapor Barriers
Vapor barriers, or Vapor Diffusion Retarders are materials designed to control moisture in buildings -- but there is a lot of confusion and controversy concerning their proper placement in exterior walls, basements and crawl spaces. This article by Joe Provey helps shed some light.
In basements, vapor barriers help keep the ground water that seeps through the concrete from evaporating into the basement.
This type of material used in basements provides moisture control and helps save energy, reflecting heat back into the basement.
The walls and the floor of crawl spaces should be completely encapsulated with a thick, 20mil vapor barrier, and the vents should be sealed. This way you keep ground moisture from evaporating into the crawl, and outside moisture from being carried in with the air that flows through the vents.
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