Finishing Formerly Wet Basement ?s - Vapor Barrier/Moisture Alarm/Lighting

When I bought my house, had no clue what I was in store for. The short of it is, I live in VA and now have two sump pumps in diagonal corners. They are both tied into the same system and one is on a battery backup. I also have two dehumidifiers. They are both turned off, the humidity goes up to ~50%. With them running, it drops to 30%. Additionally, before I regraded the landscaping and re-did the gutters and downspouts, one of the basement walls had efflorescence (i.e., water pock marks) and bowing. To address the bowing, we installed carbon fiber straps. Since then, the bowing has not gotten worse and we have not seen any efflorescence (even through Snowmageddon). So I think the water issue is "under control." However, I am now concerned because we plan to finish half the basement, so air will not continuously move throughout the basement. Based on this, I have a few questions (sorry if I am so long-winded):

1. When I do the framing, should I put a vapor barrier on the back of the framing? I have read mixed reviews, some suggesting it to protect the drywall and others against it because it will prevent the water from inside the room from escaping (not sure how much sense that makes because we will be tying the room to the HVAC system) and will encourage mold to grow between the outer wall and the framing. Any thoughts? If I should use a vapor barrier, any thoughts on what it should be? I heard of visquin but am not sure what it is or where to get it. Should I apply DryLok to the walls before I have the framing?

2. One of my friends suggested I put a moisture alarm in the wall behind the drywall, so I would know if there is a moisture issue. My concern is what good is that going to do me. I guess it is good to know, but that just means I will need to pull out the drywall. Should I build in an access panel so I can have access to this alarm? Has anybody done this? Any thoughts?

3. For the insulation, should it be faced/unfaced/contained in the plastic bags?

4. For lighting, I am highly considering recessed lighting, but am concerned about the number of cams I will need. The area will be used as a play around for my kids, so it doesn't need to be library bright, but still bright. The ceiling height is 8'. The area is composed of two different "zones." One is 26' x 12.5' and the other is 17' x 12'. Any suggestions on the number of cams and type? Or should I go fluorescent? If fluorescent, how many? (I posted this in the lighting section and currently have 42 views and no replies )

5. Lastly, for the flooring, is there certain padding that is recommended for a semi-wet basement? I am still planning on having a de-humidifier running in the finished portion and it is tied to the sump pump, but I was not sure if there is a certain thickness that I should try to achieve.

Sorry for all of the questions. I'm a little over my head by I think I will be able to get through this with everyone's help.

Thanks in advance.

Kevin

 

No vapor barrier unless you are in a very cold area. No alarm. No Drylock, you want the moisture below grade to dry to the inside. Unfaced insulation, not in plastic bags. Foam board on the walls, a sill sealer under the p.t. bottom plate (capillary and thermal break).
Walls built to Building Science: BSD-012: Moisture Control for New Residential Buildings — Building Science Information

BSD-103: Understanding Basements — Building Science Information

Wet basement floors: BSI-003: Concrete Floor Problems — Building Science Information

No gap at foam/wood studs for a thermal convective loop: Insulating with Fiberglass Batts - Oikos Green Building Library
Code required fire blocking every 10' lineal in wall, as well as at top and bottom.

F.b. on the rim: Insulate Basement Rim Joists | The Family Handyman

And, Welcome to the forum!

Be safe, Gary

 

Gary, thanks for the all of the helpful information. In looking at your reply and the links I think it may be helpful to note that the basement is half-submerged and half-above level (so there is a walk-out). With regards to the coldness, we have snow during the winter, and last winter we had a few feet of it for a few weeks.

Based on this, would you suggest Drylock or a vapor barrier? Just to clarify, I was thinking of putting the vapor barrier between the framing and the outside wall rather than between the framing and the drywall. It seems that some articles suggest vapor barriers and others suggest rigid insulation that can act as a vapor barrier.

Also, what are your thoughts on drywall versus Greenboard?

Lastly, any thoughts on the lighting issue?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

I realize that this post is a bit old, but I can give you some tips on the lighting.

For recessed lighting you usually want to space the lights appart from each other by the same distance that they are off the floor. So since you have 8ft ceilings the lights should be 8ft appart and 4ft from the walls.

So for your room that is 26' x 12.5' you would probably end up with 2 rows of 4 lights each. For the smaller room either 2 rows of 3 lights each or 2 lights each would probably work.

I've got a room in my basement that is 14' x 11' that is plenty bright with 4 recessed lights and I've only got about 7.5' ceilings. I have a larger room that is about 21' x 14' with 2 rows of 3 lights and it is also plenty bright enough.

I'd suggest that you use CFL flood lights in the recessed cans to keep the heat down. If you end up with 8 lights in the big room and 6 in the small room you are looking at 14 x 65W = 910W of heat. You can get some small space heaters that put out less than that.

 

Thanks for the insights as to the lighting. One question though, aren't I better off using conventional lights on a dimmer rather than CFLs? Also, for whatever reason, I have recessed lights in my kitchen and I have already had to replace the CFLs twice while the regular bulbs keep going. I changed which bulbs were in which fixtures so it can't be the fixtures. Thanks!

 

The sites I gave use foam board on the concrete to let the moisture through rather than condense on a v.b. No v.b. -- no drylock that just makes the water go to another easier spot in the wall or under it to surface. Drywall is more forgiving than green board which turns to cottage cheese after wetting. Info-511: Basement Insulation — Building Science Information

Gary

 

When I recently moved into my new house, I had moisture in my basement. Before, I finished it I ran a basement dehumidifier constantly until the moisture was significantly decreased. Sometimes the moisture problem can be an easy fix, especially if the previous owners never allowed any air flow down there. Open the area up and try the simple fixes first. I was able to finish the entire basement without worry. In my experience, the more time we spent down there, the less moisture problems we had. Ever notice how homes that aren't lived in seem to have visible structural problems after a short time? I think it's the same concept for our basements. If we use them, instead of exclude them, they are naturally more user-friendly.