Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Feb 16, 2015 9:32 pm Hi all, I was getting utterly confused about condensation and vapour permeable vs impermeable membranes. The confusion stems from the different recommendations, depending on your climate zone. Condensation is important, because with improved building sealing, interior moisture levels can increase and if trapped within hidden spaces like wall cavities filled with insulation, can lead to mold and mildew and at worst, sick building syndrome. The best document I read about this subject was the non-mandatory guidelines from the ABCB on Condensation in Buildings: http://www.abcb.gov.au/education-events ... books.aspx The 2014 edition is not as prescriptive as the 2011 edition. In the 2011 edition, for temperate climates like Melbourne, where the vapour pressure swings depending on the season, vapour permeable membranes are recommended for sarking/house wrap of the walls. Roof sarking will depend on your roof material. Hope this helps. Cheers David Re: Condensation and Vapour Permeable/Impermeable Membranes 2Feb 17, 2015 7:57 am Thanks David, There are lots of good reads in your link, not just the one about condensation. As they are non-mandatory, most volume builders will probably ignore them, but hopefully some owner builders who are at the planning stage will get some useful information out of them. Re: Condensation and Vapour Permeable/Impermeable Membranes 3Feb 18, 2015 3:40 pm Also, generally speaking the permeable wrap or breather as it is usually labelled would be for cladded houses whereas the impermeable would be for brick cavity as the cavity does form some sort of ventilation Re: Condensation and Vapour Permeable/Impermeable Membranes 4Feb 18, 2015 4:59 pm So if I was to clad my house with Colorbond and use anticon under that I would still need some sort of permeable barrier inside my house? Re: Condensation and Vapour Permeable/Impermeable Membranes 5Feb 18, 2015 6:29 pm The manufacturer of the cladding (in their detailed installation guidelines) specifies exactly what sort of vapour barrier to install and where to fix it. Re: Condensation and Vapour Permeable/Impermeable Membranes 6Feb 21, 2015 7:11 am Probably best to read the document, because it depends on your location and climate conditions. Recommendations are very different for tropical vs temperate regions. I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 9755 OK it's been a little while! I've been busy getting time where I can to work on this. I started by grading a pad (borrowing a… 26 19952 |