Ice / frost behind basement insulation
1/10/2018 at 4:14:03 PM
My house was built in 2011 and my basement is unfinished. Recently with the freeze / thaw we've had in Ottawa I noticed that there are a few spots on my basement floor behind the studs that have some moisture/ water.
I opened up the vapor barrier and removed some of the batting insulation and found that there was a lot of frost and ice on the tar paper covering the foundation. I did the same check in some other locations and also found frost.
I did a walk around my foundation and couldn't see any obvious cracks so this leads me to believe it's a condensation issue. Is this something to be concerned about?
What kind of contractor - basement or insulation should I contact about this or is this something that would be covered by Tarion?
Thanks
1/12/2018 at 7:34:09 AM
Hi Darryl,
You most likely have warm house air making its way through your vapour barrier and insulation due to poor coverage, installation and sealing of the vapour barrier. Any warm air that gets through the wall assembly will condense on the cold foundation walls. If there is enough condensing it will trickle down the wall and as you have seen come out on to the floor.
Definitely let your home builder know. Not sure on the Tarion warranty but here is a link to check.
https://www.tarion.com/cpg/construction-performance-guidelines/browse-construction-performance-guidelines-freehold
A general contractor can repair this with new air barrier, insulation and vapour barrier.
Let me know if you require further assistance
Dave
360renos
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