Moisture Barriers

contents
• Definition
• Necessity
• Problems without barriers
• Purposes of Moisture barriers
• Moisture Transmission properties
• Classification of moisture barriers
• Thickness and installation
• Applications and disadvantages
• Conclusion and references
 What is a Moisture Barrier?
• A Moisture barrier is an impermeable membrane that
blocks the flow of moisture through the building
envelope.

• The American Society for Testing and Materials

(ASTM) defines a vapor barrier as a material with a
permeance rating of 0.1 perms or less.

• To block moisture migration and capillary action under

concrete that comes from ground.
When Moisture Barriers Are Necessary
1. When an impermeable surface will be applied to the
concrete surface, such as sealers or coatings.

2. When goods or merchandise stored on the floors are

moisture sensitive.

3.When moisture on the floor will damage machinery.

4.When installed flooring and adhesives are moisture

sensitive.
When Moisture Barriers Are Not Necessary
1. When building sites are well drained and the
water table is normally well below the ground
surface elevation.

2. When the floor coverings and adhesives are

not moisture sensitive.

3.Where no soil moisture problems exist or

regions where irrigation, heavy sprinkling and
high rainfall are not common.
 Problems without Moisture Barriers

Due to higher humidity levels within the building

moisture infiltration through concrete slabs has
been known to cause

flooring system failures

damage to the concrete slab
 growth of mold and mildew
 Whitening of sealers

molding Moisture transmission

through joints
 Purposes of Moisture barriers
• Protecting the envelope structure and
insulation from condensation damage.

• Reducing air leakage through the envelope.

• Maintaining interior humidification.

Moisture transmission properties of
moisture membranes

1) water vapor transmission rate

2) permeance
3) permeability
 (1)Water Vapor Transmission Rate
• The water vapor transmission rate is the amount of
water passing through a given area of material.
• Result is expressed in terms of grains/(hr•ft2) (SI units
- g/24 hr•m2).
• Water vapor transmission rate equation is as follows=
Water Vapor Transmission (WVT) Rate = G / (tA).
• Where:
• G = amount of water vapor flow (grains),
• t = time (hrs), and
• A = test area (ft2).
 (2)Permeance
• Permeance is the rate at which water vapor passes through
a material under specific conditions of temperature and
humidity.
• expressed as grain/[ft2•in.Hg•hr] (SI units – ng/
[Pa•s•m2]).
• Permeance = WVT / ΔP = WVT / S(R1 – R2)
Where:
• ΔP = vapor pressure difference (in. Hg),
• S = saturation vapor pressure at test temperature,
• R1 = relative humidity at the source expressed as a
fraction, and
• R2 = relative humidity at the vapor sink expressed as a
fraction.
 (3)Permeability
• Permeability is the time rate of water vapor
transmission through a material under specific
temperature and humidity conditions.
• It is commonly expressed in terms of perm-
inches (SI units – g/(Pa•s•m).
• Permeability = Permeance x Thickness.
Classification of Moisture Retarders
• Class I Moisture retarders
(less than 1 perm):

Glass
Polyethylene sheet
Sheet metal
Rubber membrane
Class II Moisture retarders Class III Moisture retarders
(between 1 and 10 perms): (greater than 10 perms):

• Unfaced expanded or • Gypsum board

extruded polystyrene • Fiberglass insulation
• 30 pound asphalt coated (unfaced)
paper • Cellulose insulation
• Plywood • Board lumber
• Bitumen coated kraft paper • Concrete block
• Brick
• 15-pound asphalt coated
paper
• House wrap
 Properties of Barriers
Type of barrier Permeance Tensile Strength Puncture Resistance

Class A 0.1 perms 45.0 lbf/in 2200 grams

(7.9 kN/m)

Class B 0.1 perms 30.0 lbf/in 1700 grams

(5.3 kN/m)

Class C 0.1 perms 13.6 lbf/in 475 grams

(2.4 kN/m)
 Thickness of Moisture Barrier
• The thickness of a Moisture barrier is related
to the tensile strength and puncture resistance
properties.

• Have a thickness of 10 mils (0.010 inch) or 15

mils (0.015 inch), but can be thicker
depending upon the material and the
manufacture.
 Location of Moisture Barrier
• Moisture barriers can affect the behavior of the
concrete slab and significantly influence
finishing time, cracking, and strength.

• The two methods are concrete being placed

directly on the Moisture barrier or on a
granular base placed over the Moisture barrier.
 Placing Granular Base over
Placing directly concrete over
the Moisture Barrier
Moisture barrier
• Moisture reservoir
• Increased Finishing
• Moisture-related
Time and Surface
flooring and health
Defects
problems in the
• Increased Cracking of building.
the Concrete Slab
• Reduced Strength
Placing Concrete On Moisture Barriers
• Place a layer of damp sand over the polyethylene
sheeting.
• Use a concrete mixture with an adequate cement factor –
minimum 5½ .
• Use of small amounts of air entrainment.
• Place concrete at the lowest slump.
• use an accelerator and water reducing admixture.
• Provide an extended period of moisture curing to prevent
surface drying, which may lead to slab curling.
 Moisture Barrier Installation
• Place the concrete slab on top of the vapor
barrier, with or without the subbase below.
• Never punch holes.
• Barrier is sealed and the overlap is 6 inches.
• Run the vapor barrier up onto the footing or
seal it to the foundation wall—or both.
moisture Barrier Installation
Installing boots
Perfectly installed Moisture
Barrier
 APPLICATIONS
 They resists diffusion of moisture through wall,
ceiling and floor assemblies of buildings,
basements ,crawl spaces.
 At Brown fields redevelopment sites .
 To prevent vapor intrusion of volatile organic
compounds into newly constructed buildings.
 Used in high radon potential areas to prevent the
migration and accumulation of radon gas.
 Minimize moisture-related concrete slab and
flooring system failures.
Disadvantages

• Slab warping or curling.

• Plastic and drying shrinkage cracking.
• Alkali-aggregate reactions – pop outs.
• Soft and dusting surface.
• Surface blistering.
• Surface scaling.
conclusion
 A vapor barrier is one of the most critical building
components used to prevent indoor air quality issues
and minimize moisture-related concrete slab and
flooring system failures .
 Proper selection of a vapor barrier based upon the
criteria of low permeance, high tensile strength, high
puncture resistance, and chemical resistance will
ensure that the vapor barrier not only performs as an
effective barrier to moisture and other vapors, but
will also maintain its physical integrity during the
placement of the concrete slab.
 REFERENCES
• www.inspectApedia.com
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.buildingscience.com
• Moisture barriers under concrete slab by Bruce
A. Suprenant.
• Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction using
moisture barriers, ”American Concrete Institute”.
Thank you