New Siding Vapor Barrier

In addition to vapor permeability barricade building wrap provides water and air resistance uv resistance tear strength and temperature resistance.

New siding vapor barrier.

Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors your climate your home and the location of the wall you re insulating. Start your siding project housewrap and your siding. To know if you need a vapor retarder ask yourself a few basic questions. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter.

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. We describe the requirements for house wrap or vapor or moisture barriers beneath vinyl siding and cite u s. The process also helps form an effective air barrier. Preventing the inward flow of moisture through steel siding while still allowing the outward transfer of moisture trapped in a wall system requires a permeable wrb like barricade building wrap.

Housewraps and vapor barriers are usually addressed in local building codes in fact many places require some kind of weather resistant barrier so a professional contractor can also make sure that your home is up to code. Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must. This article includes photographs of leaks on and perhaps into a vinyl sided house wall. Canadian codes sources.

The science of moisture movement.