Hole in plastic sheeting in the exterior wall = moisture?

Emara · 2018-01-23T12:25:55+00:00

We have a house with a slab foundation, uninsulated underneath. Studs directly on the slab with wooden shims underneath, pressure-treated sole plates (with a sill gasket between the slab and the sole plate). During the inspection, it was noted as 12% in the sole plate outside. The inspector did not notice any microbial odors or chemical scents during the check. A few days after moving in, we noticed a strange smell near the baseboard in the ground floor bedroom. The bedroom has exterior walls on two sides. It smells mostly in a corner where the exterior and interior walls meet. We had two different moisture meter guys come over for other reasons who didn't think it smelled like mold or treated wood. They thought the smell would improve once we got our mechanical ventilation running (which it hasn't improved). One of the guys measured 9% moisture in the interior wall sole plate. The thing is, we were stressed by the smell, so we decided to cut open a section of the floor and wall behind the baseboard. When my partner made the hole in the wall (exterior wall), he accidentally made a tear in the plastic sheeting behind the thick plywood panel (We don't have drywall...). After a few days of feeling and smelling, we concluded that we didn't see or smell anything that could be mold, everything was dry and fine, and my partner repaired the hole and floor. Now I think it smells more sour in the room, a smell that comes and goes. I wonder if it could be because we pierced the plastic sheeting? That warm air is now meeting cold and the condensation from this is getting into the insulation... My partner thinks I'm being silly because moisture would form on the plastic sheeting anyway based on my claim... and that the plastic sheeting is only there to prevent getting fiberglass on yourself...? He also says that the plastic must have holes in several places, considering there are holes from shelves and paintings, etc. I understand it might be hard to give an answer, but from what I read about plastic sheeting in walls, holes are not good from a moisture perspective, and my partner finds it unlikely.

See original (Swedish)

Page 2 of 2

Emara

#16

Member

· 42 posts

24 Jan 2018 at 7:12 AM

Emara

Member

42 posts

24 Jan 2018 at 7:12 AM

useless said:
If you don't have any intake vents, it's not unlikely that stale air is drawn in through gaps between the floor and the wall. You must have vents that bring in fresh air to replace the air that is ventilated out.

The mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation takes care of this now that we finally got it running!

Hole in plastic sheeting in the exterior wall = moisture?

Emara

Emara

Similar threads

Hål i ytterväggen träfasad pga av vatten från altan

Filling holes in the exterior wall

Seal holes through the exterior wall