Is a Capillary break between footing & stem necessary with a slab on grade?
Emel
| Posted in General Questions on
I read in this article that it is advised to use a capillary break between footings and stem wall especially when you have a finished basement. https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/adding-a-capillary-break-to-the-footing#:~:text=A%20capillary%20break%20is%20typically,barrier%20provides%20a%20capillary%20break.
My question is, what if you have a slab on grade and the concrete is your finished floor? Is a capillary break between the footing and stem wall necessary at that point? Would an exterior water proofing membrane over both be enough?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
The word necessary in your question is problematic.
The capillary break is not a code requirement by that definition it is not necessary.
The vast majority of homes seem to do quite well without a capillary break by that definition it is not necessary.
Is a capillary break useful, cost effective or worth fighting my contractor for, could be interesting questions with different answers depending on the cost and climate.
Walta