Insulation can do more than help control the flow of heat into and out of your home - it also helps control the movement of moisture and water vapor that a family generates during everyday activities such as cooking and cleaning.
During the heating season, this vapor moves from a home's warmer interior to the cooler exterior, where it can condense. Continued or prolonged condensation can cause wood rot and the growth of mildew and mold. It can also lower the efficiency of the insulation.
That’s where vapor retarders come in. With a vapor retarder, moisture doesn't reach cold surfaces to condense. Without a vapor retarder, moisture can penetrate a wall and condense on cold surfaces.
CertainTeed is also the only North American manufacturer to offer even greater moisture control for your home in the form of an intelligent vapor retarder: MemBrain™ – The Smart Vapor Retarder and DryRight™ insulation with MemBrain facing. MemBrain performs like a traditional vapor retarder, but, when needed, it will change in order to “breathe” – allowing damaging moisture to escape rather than trapping it in the wall.