Crawl Space Conditioning

[fromchaptico]

Hello all,

My electrician was here doing some work that took him into the crawlspace of my house. He reports that the insulation is wet and falling down I am looking for recommendations - who in the SOMD area does a good job of conditioning a crawl space? Any thoughts on what to do or what to avoid? I have barely started to research this issue. Also, any idea on what conditioning a crawl space might cost?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[StadEMS3]

I was told keep vents open in summer and closed in the winter. I have had no problems with moisture. I have a 6" gravel base with heavy mil plastic over it.

 

[struggler44]

I've seen this .... when the insulation was installed backwards, never on a crawl that was vented

 

[fromchaptico]

I am not sure whether my crawlspace is vented or not - or if anything about it is the way it should be. It is an old house with many quirks. I think I need to take care of this issue, whether with venting or something else

 

[Gilligan]

I was told keep vents open in summer and closed in the winter. I have had no problems with moisture. I have a 6" gravel base with heavy mil plastic over it.

Had major moisture/dampness problems and even mildew up in to the bottom foot or so of the first floor walls until we did the gravel with plastic job. After that...dry as toast under there. Old house but set on "newer" pier foundation in the mid 60s.

 

[BOP]

Hello all,

My electrician was here doing some work that took him into the crawlspace of my house. He reports that the insulation is wet and falling down I am looking for recommendations - who in the SOMD area does a good job of conditioning a crawl space? Any thoughts on what to do or what to avoid? I have barely started to research this issue. Also, any idea on what conditioning a crawl space might cost?

Thank you in advance for your help!

the lowest price I've seen on the interwebz is $8,500.00, and the highest $12,500.00. That's for an encapsulation system with installation.

I'm going to do most of it myself by sealing off the vents, insulating the door, pulling down the batt insulation and covering the ground and the block walls. I'm estimating about a $1,000.00 for materials. then I'll put in a dehumidifier, and that should take care of the problem. Haven't priced the dehumidifier yet, though.

Code is usually a 6 mil vapor barrier on the ground. If I was going to leave the vents open, I'd get some vent fans and recover the ground. that's what I'd do if I was moving out any time soon. Since we're staying for a while, I'm going encapsulate.

 

[BOP]

I've seen this .... when the insulation was installed backwards, never on a crawl that was vented

No one person could have seen it all. I have the problem for the first time this year, probably from all the rain we've had, as well as the humidity. The insulation is installed correctly.

 

[kom526]

I am not sure whether my crawlspace is vented or not - or if anything about it is the way it should be. It is an old house with many quirks. I think I need to take care of this issue, whether with venting or something else

Do you have small vents in the foundation? On my grandparents old place they looked like floor registers for your HVAC.

 

[struggler44]

No one person could have seen it all. I have the problem for the first time this year, probably from all the rain we've had, as well as the humidity. The insulation is installed correctly.

I haven't seen it all but I have seen wet, falling insulation in crawl spaces where the insulation was installed paper out .....

 

[Pyrotech]

I haven't seen it all but I have seen wet, falling insulation in crawl spaces where the insulation was installed paper out .....

Mine is falling out fuzzy side out, and I have a 1000.00 dehumidifier which works really well. Im stewing on taking it all out, seeing as how i have a section that has fallen out anyway and the floors didnt seem very much cooler in the winter. As far as encapsulating, Ive looked into it and its expensive and there no valid proof it does anything at all.

 

[fromchaptico]

Some of my internet research is showing that encapsulation is not a great idea, and is suggesting spray foam insulation instead. Thoughts?

 

[struggler44]

Mine is falling out fuzzy side out, and I have a 1000.00 dehumidifier which works really well. Im stewing on taking it all out, seeing as how i have a section that has fallen out anyway and the floors didnt seem very much cooler in the winter. As far as encapsulating, Ive looked into it and its expensive and there no valid proof it does anything at all.

Falling out because of the weight of the moisture or because of not enough rods on the installation?

I've seen crawls with no insulation between the joists but they had Styrofoam on all the exterior walls; figure you would want some type of barrier between your living space and the OA

 

[desertrat]

the lowest price I've seen on the interwebz is $8,500.00, and the highest $12,500.00. That's for an encapsulation system with installation.

I'm going to do most of it myself by sealing off the vents, insulating the door, pulling down the batt insulation and covering the ground and the block walls. I'm estimating about a $1,000.00 for materials. then I'll put in a dehumidifier, and that should take care of the problem. Haven't priced the dehumidifier yet, though.

Code is usually a 6 mil vapor barrier on the ground. If I was going to leave the vents open, I'd get some vent fans and recover the ground. that's what I'd do if I was moving out any time soon. Since we're staying for a while, I'm going encapsulate.

Not sure I would seal off those vents.

 

[czygvtwkr]

The problem with the vents is the hot, humid outside air in the summer gets into an area where it is cooler, if the dew point is higher than this temperature guess what happens? You have condensation.

The floor should not be insulated, the crawlspace walls should, foam sheeting is good for this as is spray on insulation.

 

[fromchaptico]

Thank you all for your thoughts. There is no way I can do this myself. Any idea who I should call?

 

[desertrat]

Thank you all for your thoughts. There is no way I can do this myself. Any idea who I should call?

No, but mine is a disaster zone. No insulation and no vapor barrier.

 

[desertrat]

The problem with the vents is the hot, humid outside air in the summer gets into an area where it is cooler, if the dew point is higher than this temperature guess what happens? You have condensation.

The floor should not be insulated, the crawlspace walls should, foam sheeting is good for this as is spray on insulation.

I kind of agree with the no insulation thing. I think it keeps my pipes from freezing.

 

[Lurk]

Crap. I thought this thread was about the weight room NHBoy installed in his cellar home.

 

[Goob]

My buddy had crawl space work done by Guardian (they do waterproofing/mold remediation in addition to the pest control they're better known for). He recommended them to me when I needed some mold remediation work in my basement. I was satisfied. So, I recommend calling Guardian in Leonardtown. 1-800-949-0223.

 

[corollinout]

Servpro does it as well.