Understanding the importance of vapor drive in building construction
Proper building temperature controls can lead to high satisfaction among clients who appreciate the energy and cost savings that result from a thoughtfully designed structure. However, too often professionals don’t mitigate building design pitfalls and that can lead to poorly planned projects and unhappy customers.
Reverse vapor drive is a common issue that can easily be avoided. This phenomenon describes the process of vapor movement created by solar heating that typically occurs when combined with naturally porous materials, like stucco, manufactured stone and brick veneer.
What happens is that these types of exterior claddings take in water from rain and, when heated by the sun, creates water vapor that may severely impact the structural integrity of the walls if it meets up with a cooler surface that produces destructive condensation.
Over time, this buildup of condensed moisture can degrade a building from the inside out. The saturation of insulation can decrease thermal protection and the trapped moisture can lead to mold problems.
Vapor drive cannot be taken lightly as it can negatively affect the health of the occupants. Aside from the structural damage that would result from the moisture buildup, mold is a known allergen that can lead to severe illness.
The main factor in vapor drive is the temperature difference between in the inside and outside air. It is important to factor this into the building project and use materials specifically designed to alleviate this process. Such products, like exterior wall insulation would prevent rain from intruding in, perforated vapor barriers that allow both sides of the wall assembly to properly dry, prevent vapor pressure from ever developing in the first place.
Poor quality sub-standard insulation materials that are partially disintegrated with an intact foil vapor barrier on the wrong side of the wall can result in potentially devastating negative consequences, as such buying low quality cheap materials do not really pay off in the long run. Please do remember that price and cost are two different things. Cheap price can result in higher cost in the form of reputational damage, failed projects due to materials not performing up to standards, missing construction deadlines and a slew of things that burden and cause problems in the near or distant future.
Kassel sells a variety of specialized materials that have passed international quality standards. We are about solving problems and delivering results. Do give us a call if you have any project requirements.
