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dennis23417 Nov 2022 19:34Hello!
I will soon be moving into a house built in 1970. I am considering adding insulation in some areas but am unsure how much this might increase the risk of mold growth. I would appreciate hearing more opinions and will describe the situation in detail:
My son wants to move into a room in the basement (Sketch 1, brown-shaded room). The basement is unfinished. The floor and walls are made of concrete. I have not measured the humidity yet, but I do not have the impression that moisture has been a problem so far. Cardboard boxes and other items have been stored in these rooms for decades and all remain dry. The room in question is located right next to the room with the heating system (oil heating). This heating room is correspondingly warm.
To improve living comfort, I want to insulate the floor. The plan is to install a vapor barrier film. The insulation itself will consist of 10 cm (4 inches) rigid polyurethane (PUR) panels. On top of this will be a dry screed. Although the concrete appears dry, I am concerned that moisture could accumulate between the concrete and the vapor barrier, possibly leading to mold growth. How likely is this? The room will be occupied and heated accordingly. Additionally, the room is not quite as cold as the other basement rooms, probably due to its proximity to the heating. The outside wall (with the window) is not insulated. However, I also want to add wall insulation in the adjacent room (Sketch 1) to reduce further heat loss from the living space. The insulation there is planned the same way as for the floor (without screed).
There is a second situation (Sketch 2): Above the garage is a workspace. The garage has a high ceiling, so I have also thought about insulating the garage ceiling to avoid cold floors in the room above. I assumed that mold growth on the new insulation would be unlikely here, since no warm air flows into the garage. Moreover, the garage is often open, allowing good ventilation. Or do you think mold could still develop here? By the way, the garage has no windows. Walls, floor, and ceiling are all concrete.
I will soon be moving into a house built in 1970. I am considering adding insulation in some areas but am unsure how much this might increase the risk of mold growth. I would appreciate hearing more opinions and will describe the situation in detail:
My son wants to move into a room in the basement (Sketch 1, brown-shaded room). The basement is unfinished. The floor and walls are made of concrete. I have not measured the humidity yet, but I do not have the impression that moisture has been a problem so far. Cardboard boxes and other items have been stored in these rooms for decades and all remain dry. The room in question is located right next to the room with the heating system (oil heating). This heating room is correspondingly warm.
To improve living comfort, I want to insulate the floor. The plan is to install a vapor barrier film. The insulation itself will consist of 10 cm (4 inches) rigid polyurethane (PUR) panels. On top of this will be a dry screed. Although the concrete appears dry, I am concerned that moisture could accumulate between the concrete and the vapor barrier, possibly leading to mold growth. How likely is this? The room will be occupied and heated accordingly. Additionally, the room is not quite as cold as the other basement rooms, probably due to its proximity to the heating. The outside wall (with the window) is not insulated. However, I also want to add wall insulation in the adjacent room (Sketch 1) to reduce further heat loss from the living space. The insulation there is planned the same way as for the floor (without screed).
There is a second situation (Sketch 2): Above the garage is a workspace. The garage has a high ceiling, so I have also thought about insulating the garage ceiling to avoid cold floors in the room above. I assumed that mold growth on the new insulation would be unlikely here, since no warm air flows into the garage. Moreover, the garage is often open, allowing good ventilation. Or do you think mold could still develop here? By the way, the garage has no windows. Walls, floor, and ceiling are all concrete.
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dennis23417 Nov 2022 19:51One more addition: Although I have drawn the car in the garage, we are considering parking the car elsewhere. The garage is very small. Most likely, bicycles will be stored in the garage instead.
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