Basement Insulation - Best Practice To Prevent Mold

[Music] [Applause] so guys today i want to talk about best practices in basement insulation obviously the goal is to prevent mold a basement remodel project is one of the most popular choices when choosing a home improvement project it's it seems like we get hired all the time to do these in fact you can potentially achieve up to 70 return to your investment when you do it correctly basements have become unique challenges when considering your choice of insulation and that's due to the below-grade nature of basements and the mostly the biggest concern there is moisture and the end result is mold so moisture in basements can be attributed pretty much to a couple or several sources interior sources exterior sources and then obviously water vapor um interior interior sources pretty similar to you know poorly vented water water leaks or dryer vents and stuff like that humidifiers ground water for exterior stuff poor drainage water propagating down towards the porous surfaces or cracks of the foundation improper pitch lack of gutters poorly directed gutters all of that can lead to large quantities of liquid water pooling and going up against your foundation foundation footings or your walls additionally new construction concrete can have a significant source of moisture as well and it can take years to completely reach an equilibrium state depending on climate and conditions and then there's water vapor water vapor is the most challenging to combat it's a gaseous state that can diffuse through solid materials moisture and water movement require the use of proper application of a vapor barrier and that's to prevent moisture movement and prevent that mold growth that we're trying to avoid mold is a microorganism that can grow in almost anything if moist enough so mold spores basically feed three things or or they need three things to thrive to grow and thrive food could be cotton leather drywall wood paper products drywall mostly water obviously moisture and then lastly optimal temperatures temperatures between 30 and 120 degrees fahrenheit that's a huge range and that's the range that we have basements in a lot of times we're heating them take away one ingredient and mold will not grow now dehumidification is a tool that we've seen used in basements for years and it treats the problem but does not solve it so how do we prevent molt well we do it through proper insulation and vapor barriers all right basements have unique conditions when compared to the rest are above ground above ground dwelling right so below gray basements are always subjected to exterior environments like it's got the sand soil and and that area is oftentimes close to 100 humidity vapor will diffuse from an area of high humidity to low humidity and as a result you will get water vapor wanting to basically move into that conditioned basement space this unidirectional movement of water vapor provides a continuously damp environment that's favorable for mold growth hence the need for a vapor barrier so and then this temperature we did we didn't really get into temperature but during the winter months in moist most climates i should say the home the home experience is heat lost through exterior walls from heated interior interior to exterior right cold exterior in a below below-grade basement thermal gradient is almost always directed outside outward as the temperature below the frost line remains relatively constant significantly cooler than the basement space so even in the summer in cooler regions there is a heat transfer from the basement into the ground additionally the basement space typically contains a rim joist up in the in the upper area and and that's above ground that's just above the grade so the rim joists are often overlooked and under insulated and it's a it's an underinsured location in many homes when it's under insulated these areas can develop frost uh from warm air as it condenses on them in the winter time and that's gonna create mold as well interesting fact about rim joists despite it being a relatively small area recent studies have shown that up to 19 of your home's energy costs could be lost to an uninsulated rim joists and the link for that the source for that is in the article here's a great solution to all of these problems guys the best practice here is to use closed cell spray foam now close up spray foam is a mixture comprising of isocyanate hopefully i said that right and polyol resin mix and it all comes out at the tip of an applicator the mixture quickly adheres to the surface that it's sprayed onto and it rapidly expands high density closed cell mixtures have a closed cellular structure that's impervious to water and air movement perfect vapor barrier the foam is rigid once dry and has a fantastic r value it's like r7 per inch due to the closed cell nature of of the foam it acts as a vapor barrier and will prevent humid air from condensing on cold surfaces so this along with roughly the double value of rating the r value is one of the biggest advantages of um spray foam however closed cell spray foam is one of the most expensive forms of insulation on the market and that's the biggest complaint most people have we do not recommend using fiberglass bat or open cell foam in basements both of those insulations require additional vapor barrier applications which can often add to cost but are often not adequate they don't they're not done right rigid foam boards can serve as a vapor barrier and thermal insulation however they can be difficult to achieve 100 coverage between interior construction materials and utilities along the foundation of the wall pipes and electrical boxes and things like that small irregular spaces like rim joists can be extremely difficult to seal with foam board insulation you still need spray foam spray foam can be used to cover all those irregular surfaces they can achieve complete coverage and insulation layers spray foam insulation is a job that's best left for professionals period it's it's becoming for instance those spray foam kits are becoming very popular united states and they're a convenient option for an enthusiastic diy er however the mixture balance between the two chemicals has to be perfect and to an untrained applicator the untrained eye you may not notice an incorrect balance pro contractors who have decided to use spray foam kits they need to learn to recognize improper mixtures of the curing of the foam improper mixing it can lead to prolonged periods of potentially harmful and uncomfortable off-gassing given the cost of materials and unforeseen potential costs of a poor insulation application it's best to leave spray foam to professionals to trained certified professionals let's talk a little bit about best practice installation in a typical basement studded out basement the walls you want to stud those walls one inch off the foundation why one inch because leaving a one inch gap close cell spray foam can then be applied and get between the wood and the foundation wall it's going to create a thermal break and an uninterrupted vapor barrier so you can go more than one inch but one inch is the minimum there are three things to consider when using spray foam spray foam off gases and as a byproduct of that chemical reaction between the two components that mix together so you have to know remember you've got to wear proper ppe you're going to wear an organic vapor respirator and a face shield everybody needs to wear that if you're applying that it is recommended that residents in the home if you're using spray foam they vacate for a full 24 hours after application that's to allow for the off-gassing process to complete also you need to do proper preparation which includes ensuring that the substrate temperature is the proper temperature 60 degrees is great and the humidity levels are perfect in that spray space um can't be too moist and you need to take the time to cover everything so it's not sprayed because the over spray gets everywhere closed cell foam is a high performance solution that seals and insulates the entire building envelope it is energy efficient it doesn't sag in place like fiberglass does over time or others it seals gaps cracks and other surfaces that contribute to heat loss and air leaks it's a vapor barrier and over guys look please check out the article because this video is just a quick summary over the next month we'll have several articles and videos addressing spray foam best practices froth packs rigid insulation rigid board poly iso and insulating rim joists if you liked this video please consider subscribing or give us a thumbs up i'm rob robillard and we'll see you here next time at concord carpenter

Channel: A Concord Carpenter / ToolBoxBuzz

Views: 73,454

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Keywords: diy, how to, step by step, reviews, carpentry, remodel, construction, thermal break, vapor barrier, basement, close cell, spray foam, basement remodel, best practice, basement insulation, mold

Id: Zf5_E9tYXI8

Length: 10min 31sec (631 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 12 2020