To poly or not to poly

[mrjigger]

My house is wrapped in Tyvek on the outside, and I know there is some debate about using batt insulation, but I used plastic wrapped R-13 batt insulation.

My question is this, do I need to use poly and caulk around all the seems in between the plastic wrapped batt insulation and panelling?

[alwaysonthemove]

absolutley

put it in perspective

poly for house - 150

caulk-50

staples-5

pretty cheap considering what happens after the water vapors get into your walls and rott it out in about three - five years time

[kerryd15]

was the R 13 put in from the inside? The tyvek will breathe. the r13 that is plastic coated if put in from the inside will breath to the outside and you are good to go. the wall must breath.

[mrjigger]

Yes, the plastic wrapped insulation was put on from the inside.

Also, my fish house is an ice castle, the manufacturer put on the tyvek, actually I don't think it is actually tyvek brand, it looks to be a generic type. The wrap looks wooven, similar to one of those blue tarps.

If it makes a difference, the plastic wrapped insulation is open on the top and bottom where you cut it to fit the height of the wall. So the insulation is not completely enclosed.

well, I got one for poly and one for against. I don't want to screw this up. anymore opinions.

[kerryd15]

Tyvek on outside and plastic coated insulation on inside.

You could use plastic tape on the seems, might be easier than caulk. also called house wrap tape.

don't get me wrong, poly on the inside, wall will breath to the outside through the tyvec(vapor barrier)