I have never had any previous moisture, condensation, water or mildew problems but I applied 2 coats of latex waterproofing paint as insurance. My framing walls are a green treated 2 x 4 base tap-conned to the floor, 2 x 4 top plate screwed to the floor joists and a 3 ½ steel stud wall in between. I stapled 6 mil plastic to the outside/bottom of the treated base plate and top 2 x 4 plate and applied a heavy bead of 50 year calk to the corner where the concrete block meets the concrete floor. There is a small gap in-between the block wall and plastic, about ¼ to 1/8 inch. I have installed JM comfort-therm 3-½ insulation in-between the steel studs, but have not hung any drywall yet.

The problem is I’ve discovered that in some parts of the wall, particularly where the short block in combination 2 x 6 exterior wall exists, I’m getting condensation on the interior side of the plastic, dampening the plastic sleeve of the insulation. No mold or mildew yet, but I know the condensation I’m seeing now must be addressed in some fashion before I go ahead with drywall. I find it odd that the steel studs seem to have no condensation. It all seems to be on the room side of the cold plastic.

I’ve seen many different opinions on basement vapor barriers but the prevailing opinion seemed to be that it should be against the exterior wall side to prevent dampness from the block. I don’t know how to resolve this problem and I’m reluctant to keep going thinking there’s bound to be a major problem if I don’t resolve this issue now.

What advice do you have or where can I get advice?

Thanks for your consideration of my problem!