SecoAir Systems : Basements

In finished basements, the insulation and wood between the concrete wall and the vapor barrier holds moisture. It's very difficult to manage the air and humidity in this space. Even if you don't see puddles in your basement, the insulation in your wall cavity may be holding excess moisture.

The common method of insulating basements is to frame the concrete wall with wood and place fibreglass batt insulation between the studs. A vapor barrier is then applied over the insulation to prevent air and moisture from passing between the living space and the wall cavity. Drywall is then placed over the vapor barrier to finish the basement walls.

The problem with this method of construction is that the space behind the vapor barrier is inaccessible and the air is stagnant. This allows moisture to easily build up, which contributes to the growth of mold.

SecoAir System™ for Basements

The SecoAir System™ insulates your basement with rigid extruded polystyrene. When the panels are installed on the wall, a gap of ¾ of one inch is created by a composite strapping, made of recycled plastics. Metal furring strips and screws are used to hold the panels to the strapping. The gypsum board/drywall is then screwed into the furring strips, avoiding the need for a stud wall.

A small Air Handling Unit is used to circulate air between the concrete wall and the insulation panels, removing the excess humidity from the moving air and sending it to waste. The Air Handling Unit runs on demand and turns itself on automatically twice a day for 15 minutes to sample the air in the system's cavity.

Energy Efficiency

As an added bonus, SecoAir System™ Basement provides superior overall energy efficiency and is part of a greener home solution.

From an insulation perspective, a concrete basement wall with the SecoAir Basement Wall System slightly outperforms the same basement wall with a conventional frame wall with R20 batt insulation.

The effective R value of basement wall with the SecoAir Basement Wall System panels installed was estimated at R 17.38, while the effective R value for the framed basement wall with R20 batts was estimated at 16.16.

Your fibreglass batt insulation may be R-12, but it is less effective when it is placed between wood studs because heat moves around the insulation through the studs. As a result, insulation is reduced, lowering the overall R-value.

Further, wood studs act as thermal bridges that create cold spots. A cold spot compromises insulation and could lead to condensation problems.