Around 10 years ago (before the development of the Quik-Therm CIS basement system) I insulated the walls of my basement with a Quik-Therm-like EPS, reflective foil insulation product. While not having all the benefits of the Quik-Therm CIS basement system, such as T & G connections and ready-to-use framing studs, it has done an excellent job of keeping my basement warm and air-tight. Now I have another reason to appreciate my EPS basement insulation; the fact it doesn’t absorb water.
A couple of weeks ago I had a small amount of sewer backup in a, fortunately, unfinished room in my basement. It pooled against the outside wall where there are no studs, only EPS insulation glued to the wall. After cleaning up, I thought about how much worse and more work even this small sewer back-up could have been.
If I had insulated my basement walls the old way by using wooden studs and fiberglass batt insulation, I would have had to remove and replace the messy, sodden fiberglass insulation, and might still be waiting for the wooden studs to dry. However, because I used water resistant EPS insulation, I simply washed the affected walls with a little bleach, turned on my de-humidifier for a day, and voila, everything is dry and there is no odour.
Because of this experience, I will more than ever be encouraging people to use water resistant EPS insulation, like Quik-Therm CIS, in their basements.
