I am finishing a basement wall with 2x4 studs, fiberglass insulation, & drywall. The house is 2 yrs old and the concrete walls are dry. The person that built the walls and put up the insulation, placed a poly vapor barrier between the wall and the insulation. I know the vapor barrier should go between the insulation and the drywall.
Was the initial installation correct or should I remove the vapor barrier between the wall and the insulation?

 

When finishing a basement a "MOISTURE BARRIER" is to go against the concrete from floor to grade level. It should also lay on the floor under the bottom plate of the framed wall. Its purpose is to keep the wood framing & insulation from coming in contact with moisture that may diffuse through the concrete. Moisture barrier material may be poly or felt paper. After the insulation is applied the "VAPOUR BARRIER" is placed, then drywall. The purpose of the vapour barrier is to retard moist air from entering the wall cavity from the interior of the envelope, condensing & wetting the insulation.
The application you have is correct.

 

Go to www.resercon.com and read the articles on insulation, in which he describes the use of vapor barriers and how they work.

 

I have just begun finishing my basement and I am putting up a 6mil moisture barrier. I am attaching it to the sill plate with staples and currently just letting it hang down. But I have a couple questions:

Should I fasten the plastic to the foundation wall with some adhesive (What kind?), or should I leave it hang down and just put the bottom plate on top of it.

Also I am trying to tuck the barrier under the electrical wires that wrap around the top of the foundation wall. Is this correct?

Can I use duct tape to seal the seams between connecting layers?

Thanks!

 

To noelc

The moisture barrier is only required from the grade level to basement floor. It can be attached to the concrete at grade with adhesive or tape. No further adhesive will be needed as the poly will be held in place by the stud wall & insulation. You can seal the seams with duct tape or caulking.
The moisture barrier is meant to isolate the framing & insulation from the concrete. If you can't get the barrier under the wiring, apply it over it.