Insulation in Permanent Wood Foundation?

[novi408]

I recently purchased a house with a permanent wood foundation that was insulated by the previous owner. The fiberglass insulation was installed with the vapor barrier facing the wood, and not towards the room as I would expect. Is there any reason that the insulation would be installed this way in a wood foundation, or was it just done incorrectly? Thanks for the help?

[Wgoodrich]

Their concern was trapping moisture between two vapor barriers. Wood basements are required a plastic sheeting installed over the outside part of all wood basement walls. Then they opted to install insulation inside with a second vapor barrier. The placed the second vapor barrier closest to the outside vapor barrier. This was probably intended to avoid water soaked fiberglass trapped between the two vapor barriers. Though the design still traps the treated wood basement walls between two vapor barriers not being a good thing limiting the ability for those wood basement walls to ever dry out.

The insulation inside should have been friction style without a vapor barrier.

Hope this helps

Wg

[novi408]

Thanks. That makes sense. I did notice this winter that there was some ice (a small amount in a thin file) formed on the wood inside the house where the basement walls are exposed (above ground). It would make sense that I would want that to dry out.

If un-faced insulation should have been used, would no vapor barrier be installed before finishing the walls as well?

[Wgoodrich]

Any moisture inside the walls has to escape. Normally there is a vapor barrier outside but wicking from below gets into the walls that then must breath into the basement through the insulation then through the drywall thus allowing the moisture to escape and dry the inside of that wall by evaporation.

No moisture barrier should be installed inside at all. Moisture barrier should have been installed outside only.

Good Luck

Wg

[novi408]

Sounds good. I think this should be easy enough to fix. Thanks for the help.