basement waterproofing

If there is water seeping through foundation walls, or if the source of the moisture is related with outdoor drainage, or with any indoor source, you should fix those problems before installing any insulation.

Structural sources of moisture demand structural approaches. And the best approach to solve structural basement moisture is to…

1 - remove interior moisture sources, if they exist;
2 – fix problems with gutters and downspouts and other surface drainage elements;
3 – install a drainage system around the building;

In some cases these measures are sufficient to solve many basement moisture problems, but in cold-rainy climates they are very probably insufficient.

Indoor Moisture Sources

There are several possible indoor sources for moisture in basements. Some of these sources may involve the basement itself, but not necessarily. Clothes dryers, stoves, kerosene heaters and other appliances are among these sources.

See for tips and details: Internal sources of humidity.

Outdoor Moisture Sources and Waterproofing

Water from snow and rain can be a powerful source of humidity in basements. Drainage of the water through a sloped ground, sufficiently large amounts of gravel and a proper system of gutters and downspouts will avoid many basement moisture problems. See, for tips: Drainage, gutters, downspouts.

But whenever the sources of moisture are at the home foundations (concrete basements, but also crawl spaces and slabs), solving the problem demands waterproofing and insulation of the external faces of the foundation walls. See: Basement Exterior Walls Insulation.