Attic Insulation Ceiling Vapor Barrier

This barrier is meant to keep moisture from getting to the insulation in the walls and ceilings and it is required by building codes when insulating most houses.

Attic insulation ceiling vapor barrier.

Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets. Not every wall does. A vapor barrier in an attic assembly in a severely cold climate with the absence of an air barrier will likely be ineffective. This acts as a barrier to keep heated moist air from rising up into the attic during cold weather.

If you do there is a chance that moisture that has slipped by the first vapor barrier will become trapped by the second vapor barrier decreasing the value of your insulation. Whether your vapor barrier is a facing or a film it must be placed on the warm in winter side of the wall. Before the introduction of attic insulation attics in cold climates were poorly insulated and plastic ceiling vapor barriers were omitted. If you live in a cold climate place the vapor barrier between the interior of your home and the insulation.

A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side. Attic vapor barrier detail for cold climates the best approach for a vented attic in a cold climate is installing a layer of drywall with a good coat of latex paint the paint creates a semi permeable vapor barrier. The insulation fiberglass or cellulose is then placed on top of the drywall with no vapor barrier above or below.

Attic insulation should always be installed with the paper backing facing toward the living space the ceiling in this case. After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one. On the other hand an air barrier a properly detailed air tight drywall ceiling for example in the absence of a vapor barrier can be effective since it stops the flow of vapor laden air. Now with attic insulation heat is no longer lost from the living space such that.

Whether using loose fill or batts put the vapor barrier closest to the warm side of your installation where hot moist air would get in facing the house s interior in cold climates beneath floor insulation and the attic s interior in hot climates on top of floor insulation. Some regions don t require a vapor barrier.