Has anyone used EcoFoil or radiant barrier/insulation in basement?
Carfar96
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
We are trying to protect our concrete basement from moisture. We were thinking about putting EPS foam on the floors and walls as a thermal and vapor barrier. We still may go that direction, but I am concerned about our daughter’s chemical sensitivities and the flame retardants in the foam. Has anyone used a radiant barrier like EcoFoil on the walls and concrete slab (under laminate)? Here is a link to the product: http://www.ecofoil.com/All-Products/Concrete-Insulation. We plan to insulate the walls with mineral wool batts on top of the foam or foil, so I am not too concerned about it’s insulative value. Thank you!
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Replies
Caroline,
If you don't care about the product's insulative value, why do you want to install it?
If you did care, you might be interested to know that a radiant barrier is useless unless it faces an air space. So if you sandwich it between concrete and a mineral wool batt, it won't help insulate. But evidently you don't care about that.
If you simply want a vapor barrier, it would work. But there would still be problems using an air-permeable insulation like mineral wool in the interior side of this type of vapor barrier -- because the vapor barrier would be cold. That means that you will get condensation on the vapor barrier.
Here is a link to an article with more information on these issues: How to Insulate a Basement Wall.