Whether or not you need a vapor retarder hinges on three main factors.
Insulating knee walls vapor barrier.
Knee walls have r 13 fiberglass rolls also called batts in them covered with stapled on reflective insulation.
So before we get into the details there are a few choices to make.
In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side.
Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets.
If you live in a hot humid climate.
I ll deal with double vapor barriers more fully in another post let s take a look at a diagram of a finished knee wall job from energy smart home performance.
After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one.
The number one most important step in insulating and air sealing a knee wall is having a continuous air 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.
Wow there s a lot of new stuff there.
The biggest heat loss problems with knee walls are those gigantic holes in the air barrier.
Not every wall does.
Thus installing vapor barriers on wall surfaces must.
Whether your vapor barrier is a facing or a film it must be placed on the warm in winter side of the wall.
Insulation air sealing.
A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter.
Vapor barriers keep the air moisture in your house from condensing in the insulated cavities.