crawl space insulation
Amy Runestad
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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3 years agodan1888
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
crawl space insulation
Comments (1)Instead of trying to fill in all that space, consider insulating from the outside with 2 ins. of XPS or 4 ins. of EPS foam boards with a protective covering above-grade. First, assuming you can at least get some access, cover the soil in the crawlspace with a min. 6 mil poly. Don't get stuck! Here is a link that might be useful: Insulation...See Morecrawl space interior insulation
Comments (1)Your crawlspace should be vented to eliminate buildup of radon gas if you have a dirt floor crawlspace. Another option is to buy a radon blower kit. It comes with a radon sensor and if it tripps, it turns on a small blower fan that exhausts air through a small duct from your crawlspace....See Moreinsulating my crawl space: spray foam or fiberglass batts?
Comments (7)Try www.buildingscience.com/ for information about vapor barriers. Another good source for local building advice might be your state land grant university. I do not know anything about your floor finish. I guess you will cringe when I mention pre-finished flooring, but keep reading ;-) The spaces between the boards lets moisture through. With finished in place floors (poly finishes) you have a good vapor barrier. I guess that you understand the "sandwich" prohibition now. If you have a vented crawl space, off gassing will primarily be through the crawl. Ignition is a good question. I am afraid that I do not know much about fire and foam. I know that it burns and that crawl spaces raise fire insurance so it is a good thing to look into. Any kind of covering over the underside of your floor is going to increase the risk undiscovered or delayed discovery of rodent and insect damage. That includes batts, foam or boxing-in with rigid insulation. I do not know if there is any hard information about the relative risks of each method. The rigid insulation alternative is not one that has been addressed in this thread yet. It would be less expensive than foam, if DIY, but it is a lot of work. It has to be taped very well. You could take a hybrid approach and cover selected areas with foam board -- under the most troublesome plumbing areas for example. When you get done with that, you foam the rest. Low density foam pulls out pretty easily. I do not know about high density. You would just have to spray some more in after you make repairs. The problem would be finding the stuff that you need to fix. I would considerer tagging stuff before foaming if it will be covered by foam. You could use durable plastic tags in some color code. If you have a leak, water will run right through low-density foam. I do not think that is so with high-density foam. One important feature of spray foam is the air-sealing capacity. Batts will not do that. That is the problem with it where I live in the humid Gulf South. Air gets around batts even when freshly-installed. It is even worse when it sags. Humid air hits the cool floor, water condenses and does not dry well. Floor rot happens. Even with the best batt installation, the joists become the coolest thing under the house. Condensation happens there and then rot happens. These things worked great before AC existed, but not anymore....See MoreDivert soil water away from crawl space & mitigate crawlspace Radon
Comments (3)Once you landscape, you should solve most of your water problem. Adding exterior water proofing and drain tile around the entire foundation to exit on the down hill side will solve the rest of the intrusion into the crawl space.There really are no shortcuts in dealing with active water intrusion into a crawl/basement space. Preventing the water from entering is really the only sure way to maintain a dry space. As for the radon abatement, there are lots of solutions. Passive abatement is the least expensive long term. That means installing a grid of drain tiles(holes downward) and a stand pipe(extending to a height above the roof) under gravel. Then the plastic you mentioned and pour the concrete floor. The passive system is done without the concrete, with the plastic sheeting glued to the foundation walls and any pipes. Pouring a floor over it is fine., but the sealing is still very important, as concrete alone will not effectively seal against the gas. Which is forced from the earth naturally by pressure in the earth. Even though radon is heavier than air, the passive system does not allow the gas anywhere to go save into the piping and eventually up the stand pipe and out into the outside....See Moreworthy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agokevin9408
3 years agoAmy Runestad
3 years agokevin9408
3 years agorobin0919
3 years agoDavid Cary
3 years agoSeabornman
3 years agoSummit Studio Architects
3 years agoAmy Runestad
3 years agoDavid Cary
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoAmy Runestad
3 years ago
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