Insulation/Framing Basement

[jjohnston]

I'm still gathering information to make sure I do this right.

In my basement, when we get REALLY heavy rains, and in the spring when all the snow melts, I get moisture on my block walls in the basement, it doesn't run off and get to the floor, but you can see wet spots on the wall itself where water is seeping in.

My plan is to glue 2" rigid insulation to the walls, and tuct tape the seams to create a vapor barrier. Then frame standard 2x4 studs in front of that. Do I need to be worried about that water? I don't want to have mold down there if it can't dry because of the foam boards... Or is that the whole point to the rigid insulation? Would I want to think about the paint on water sealer before the insulation??

Just need some guidance.

 

[nealtw]

You want to solve the water problem first, I doubt there is anything you can do on the inside surface that will help.
Either fix the waterproofing and drainage on the ouside or give the water on the inside a place to go.

 

[jjohnston]

Thanks!

The house is only about 7 months old. I'll contact the builder and see what he will or can do. I know he has suggested gutters before, however, I get water coming through on the side of the house too, and the roof pitch should make the water go to the front and back of the house, not the side...

 

[nealtw]

So the question for him is ,what was done for waterproofing and perimeter drainage and where does that water go. And what if anything is covered by new home warranty.
If he thinks is okay to to finish as is, get him to put that in writing.

 

[jjohnston]

He came over and looked at the basement last night. of corse it hasn't rained like it has the past few weeks, so it was all dry. He said they sprayed a very thick layer of water proofing material to the outside of the block all around. then put up insulation panels outside that and taped it, they used some kind of drain system thing, and I guess under the house is all rock that should hold tons of water, there is a sump pump that will pump the water out if it gets to high in there (it has never turned on). He said based on the description, he thinks when we get 2 inches of rain, it pools near the block as it settles down to below the house. he thinks its the cold water that is making the block cold, and then the humidity in the basement is condensing on the basement wall. and not actually seeping in. he said if it was seeaping in, it would drip down to teh floor, not just make a small part of the wall look wet (small part is roughly 6" x 6" here and there).

 

[nealtw]

That all sounds good
At this thread I gave a run down on building the walls
http://www.houserepairtalk.com/showthread.php?t=20790

 

[slownsteady]

It could be condensation. You can put a dehumidifier down in the basement and see if that changes things.