Should I Vapor Barrier My Garage Ceiling

Without making sure of these components you could end up with a mold and mildew mess.

Should i vapor barrier my garage ceiling.

And the ceiling acts as a enough of a vapor retarder. This will help to exhaust the water vapor that will collect. Insulating an attached garage has some special considerations that you must address differently then a unattached garage. 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.

I am starting the process of insulating my detached 23 x 32 garage in buffalo ny cold lots of snow winters with the secondary goal of having constant natural gas overhead heat keeping. All vented and unvented attics should have an air barrier regardless of climate. Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must. I ve read the articles here and on other sites and it seems like i can t get a final decision.

The most important issue is that attached garages must have a system in place to keep carbon monoxide co from a running vehicle inside the garage from filtering through the walls and ceiling into the house. First of all a garage is not a signicant source of vapor as it is not occupied that much and you don t cook or bath in in it. The science of moisture movement. On the one hand i ve read about how air leakage is the main culprit of transporting moisture so i plan to air seal as best as i can with spray foam and caulk.

I will not be heating in winter live in wisconsin so summers can be hot and winters can cold. Omitting a ceiling vapor barrier by arguing that you have to let the moisture escape or because the house has to breathe out the top is actually sorta kinda correct. In hot dry climates a vapor retarder should also not be installed but attics can be vented. To heck with the experts here s my answer.

I would like to insulate and drywall the walls. To know if you need a vapor retarder ask yourself a few basic questions. If you are going the extra mile to insulate your garage ceiling try to stay away from faced insulation. The ceiling is not insulated and does not have vapor barrier installed.

Plastic vapor barriers should only be installed in vented attics in climates with more than 8 000 heating degree days. Writing to ask if i should using a kraft paper barrier plastic vapor barrier or no vapor in my garage insulation project. You can forego the plastic and use a vapor retarder kraft faced insulation or latex ceiling paint in all other climates except hot humid or hot dry. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter.

I m so confused about vapor barriers. Attached garage not finished except ceiling and walls adjacent to house. 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.