5 Problems Caused by Crawl Space Encapsulation
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- Опубліковано 21 кві 2021
- Are you considering crawls pace encapsulation. It is a great way to condition your crawl space and research has shown that a properly encapsulated crawl space can make your home more healthy. But...what if you do it wrong or hire the wrong contractor or what can be affected even if it is done correctly?
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I'm in the very first stages of encapsulation. Right now I'm just removing the disgusting amount of trash from under there. I'm also working on the drainage outside because there's practically a river under there when it rains. This is a tough and gross process filled with bugs, mold, dead animals, etc... I have a lot of respect for anyone that does this for a living. If I could afford an expert I'd definitely hire one.
It definitely helps to have a professional encapsulate your crawl space. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for watching! We hope you have a happy & blessed day!
Definitely great video. I've commented on some of your videos before, that being said I have an older house 1956. I am in the process of encapsulating it myself 1600 square feet old bricked styled vents low house about 18 in or less I had to dig it out in multiple areas. That being said I have noticed some spacing in the wood flooring and dips here and there even more than when we first moved in a year quarter ago. That being said I do not have a dehumidifier but it is winter I haven't mostly wrapped but vents are still open. But walls pillars are 98% wrapped. So it has dried out my wood. Of course I work a full-time job so this is taking me several months to actually accomplish especially handling two kids wife and homesteading and running our own business from homesteading. But that being said you are correct sir there have been some things I've noticed in the wood changing since I have I will say encapsulated certain areas, of course lacking the vents but it's helped dry out every area and it went from well at least 20 in the summer to now 10 to 13. Typically if it's 20 in the summer it'll only drop to 14 to 17 give or take elevation grade all that. I do this stuff for a living including termite treatments and only been doing it for a year and learned a lot. I do come from a pest control background as well though. Fun stuff!
This is one of the most informative channels on UA-cam. Excellent information!
Thank you so much.
Great information here. Lots of questions answered. Thank you!
Thank you so much.
Great video pal!
Thank you
Thank you! Good info.
Glad it was helpful!
Michael i have told you several times that no one is better educated than you on this subject. IMHO you are the foremost expert on proper crawl space integrity in America. On top of that you are an educator and a man who walks the walk of a Christian. I have been waiting for you to expand your company to my area. I see that y'all are now in my state. After the first of the year I am contacting your home office in hopes of getting one of your locations to help me with my difficult crawlspace.
Thank you so much for your kind words. God bless.
Your videos are possibly saving me $100,000 in future repairs! LOL - but I’m not kidding!
I used a small fan inlet out like a dryer and it draws air from inbetween the skirting and the incapsulated crawl space out...
I incapsulated the underneat of my mobile home temporary to protect it till im able to do a bric foundation
I have a crawl space in serious need of work , such as installing footers,pillars and drop girders, replace several rotted floor joist and many sections of sub flooring, remove mold before I even get to the encapsulation process. But before doing any of this work I should seal off the vents and run a dehumidifier for a few weeks right?
I encapsulated crawl space last year and before I notice my closet doors and stuff wouldn't shut. Now they shut good. Also some of my floors are creaking now after it has dried out from the dehumidifier.
Thank you for sharing your experience and thanks for watching.
Did you set up a dehumidifier?
Regarding wood shrinkage in the interior space…it reportedly happens when the humidity in that space dips too low for extended periods. Even with our damp crawlspace/earthen basement, the living quarters can have overly dry air in the winter. We have a HVAC humidifier to remedy the issue. Our hardwood floors are fine, but a neighbor who has identical flooring, but no humidifier, experienced unsightly gaps.
Good point. Some regions may need to have both installed to keep the humidity at an optimal level.
All solid wood flooring will gap if the ambient RH gets too low for a period of time ( mostly winter time with a lot of heater usage ). Just like all solid wood flooring will cup if the ambient RH is too high for too long a period of time. Control the inside humidity and your crawlspace humidity won't affect the solid wood flooring.
So you have a dehumidifier and a humidifier??!
We bought a home with a crawl space. We have zero knowledge on them. The crawl space is completely sealed. There are no vents anywhere on the outside walls.
There are 2 vents in the crawl from our heating / air conditioning. Last winter my husband went to check on the sump pump in the crawl and said the crawl was hotter than the house because the heating/air vents were open fully. So he closed them 3/4 of the way. He went to check the crawl again today and said there is some condensation on the “gravel” (dont know what it is) he said not much but there is a line from the pipe condensation.
Our question is, should these 2 heating/ cooling vents be open/closed, seasonal? Thank you.
Closed yes, Open vents can invite humidity in.
in stall a system humidifer in hvac system /this will help in winter
Yes it sure will, local HVAC contractor should be able to assist with that. Thank you.
Hi thanks for the great content!!! I was commenting on here because we had our crawl space encapsulated about two years ago and I went under the home the other week and there was mold growing underneath the vapor barrier itself and some on top. Anyway I’m not really sure what to do with this situation. There wasn’t any mold before we had the crawl space encapsulated or at least what I could see when doing the plumbing when we moved in. I traced all the lines and haven’t found any leaks so I’m not sure exactly where the moisture has came from to reach this bad of a problem. I don’t want the mold to keep growing , but I also don’t want to pull up the barrier and cause spores to go throughout our whole home. Is there any advice In you could recommend.? Thanks in advance! new subscriber. God bless!
Mold spores thrive in environments that are moist and warm, so when they land on a damp spot, they begin to grow. Molds can grow on a variety of different surfaces, including fabric, paper, wood, glass, and plastic. If you have mold growing on both sides of the vapor barrier, there is somewhere in the crawl space that moisture is intruding into it. It would be beneficial to consult a mold specialist to determine how to remove the vapor barrier without dispersing the mold and making it airborne.
I like the exit vent fan concept to remove radon but isn't there a need to provide air supply? With everything sealed up, seems this would put a strain on the vent fan, especially running constant?
There will still be air intrusion. It’s pretty impossible to fully seal a crawl space
I know of a house that had shrinking floorboards after getting the humidity under control - seems like a small drawback compared to all the benefits, though. I did wonder about the potential effect on concrete walls - could trapped moisture accelerate corrosion of the steel reinforcing?
I agree, the benefits of crawl space encapsulation far out weigh the negatives. Thanks for the comment.
I would be devastated if I spent five to $15,000 on encapsulating my crawlspace and then had to replace some hardwood floors because they were drying up. Lol.
Out of curiosity, have y’all ever seen a house with small cracks in the ceiling and/or wall after encapsulation? Nothing major, just hairline cracks at the top of crown molding or where two pieces of Sheetrock meet.
I personally have not seen this happen immediately after encapsulation but have noticed this in homes with foundation problems and new/old homes that settle.
Michael, you are the guru! When you coming to Virginia??!!! :)
Hopefully, in 2024. I'll announce it in a video if someone opens a franchise there. Thank you so much.
How do you attach the foamboard insulation to the concrete blocks. Do you use construction glue or some kind of screw?
You can use tap con or Masonry nails. We typically use a Hilti gun and foamboard nail. diy.crawlspaceninja.com/wall-insulation/
I'm in a dry climate and want to keep the vents to the outside open...only problem is how do I keep the dust out?
Are there crawlspace vent window filters or something to keep the dust out but allow for ventilation.
I'm sorry, we don't know of any.
Is a product like BORA-FOAM insulation good for crawlspace walls? If so, how far should the vapor barrier plastic overlap the wall insulation/foam board? I'm just confused if I should use foam board or rock wool. Anybody know?
Jessica - we don't have any experience with bora-foam, so we couldn't say one way or another. You should leave a 3-inch termite gap at the top. Due to its complete permeability to moisture, rockwool is less likely to suffer damage during installation or use. Since it is hydrophobic (meaning it won't absorb water and moisture), it can get wet without being damaged. The original R value will be retained once it dries. Insulated slab forming and below-grade applications are excellent for rigid foam insulation boards. Moisture cannot damage rigid foam, but a certain amount can pass through it. For continuous and resilient building insulation, rigid foam insulation makes the most sense per dollar and environmentally in certain situations. Thanks for watching and we hope you have a happy & blessed weekend.
Will encapsulating the vertical walls with vapor barrier send more moisture into the wood that rests on top of the foundation walls (and cause rot), since the moisture has nowhere else to go now?
I would think If the wood isn't pressure treated you can use products like (copper coat or end sealer) on it. I think you can use a Wagner sprayer to apply it. Or just a brush and roller depending on how much wood is down there. I'm not a professional installer but as an avid DIY are working on my crawl space that's what I would do.
Dehumidify the space and get moisture out of the wood, Sodablast the wood, treating with anabec, follow the test of his steps no worries
We have not seen any issues based on the encapsulation process we follow. Certainly dehumidifiers and pressure treated lumber along with sealed top block may be why we don't experience this. Thanks for question. Should make a great video topic. Have you seen moisture build up in wood after installing plastic? I have seen rim joists and sill plates rot from outside water, especially where a deck or porch meets or door leaks and not properly flashed or sealed.
What is the average cost for encapsulating a 16 x 80 mobile home?
And is this still you recommend.
I have been in my mobile for 15 years, stucco skirting never had any problems with mold or any other problems.
How would this be beneficial or not?
Dorian - actually, we don't service mobile homes, so we couldn't give you a fair estimate.
Just added a room on to our house and already smells musty. The builder didn’t put down a vapor barrier. There’s 4 small vents - one in each side. I’m very allergic to mold. How do I fix it?
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There is an old bent water pipe in my crawl space so I think I'm dealing with an abandoned well.....
Crawlspace ninja has helped me so much learning about my crawlspace. I was hoping you would clear up my last question before encapsulating my crawlspace. I have a 2200 sq ft house with roughly 3/4 being crawlspace. It’s connected to my basement. I have a tankless water heater that pulls a little air in to heat up the water. Can I seal my crawlspaces 2 vents putting one vent fan in? Will this create any issues or should I be fine?
You will be fine! Sealing the crawl space vent and using a ventilation fan is typical. Even in situations like yours It will get the job done!
If you plan to use our DIY Store. Here is a link to that vent fan - diy.crawlspaceninja.com/lomanco-pcv1-foundation-vent-fan/
Thanks! I plan on dealing with some water first, then encapsulating the crawlspace, sealing the rim joist, and installing a dehumidifier. Thanks so much for all you do.
Hello! We've had a high radon test, fungus, and moisture issues in our crawlspace. How would encapsulation affect radon levels inside the home?
Hey Timley, Check out this video "Will Crawl Space Encapsulation Control Radon"
ua-cam.com/video/kpyXrm_VodU/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching and have a blessed day.
I brought up radon to the company who did ours and they laughed at me in my home. Also told us the RH in home and crawl would always be only 3% variable. Definitely not the case. Especially in on particular corner where NO leak exists.
I have a question related to the metal, copper.
Copper is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial. I’m wondering if there is a way to use copper granules mixed with pea gravel under the vapor barrier in order to act as an additional layer of protection against the spreading of mold and such UNDER the vapor barrier.
Copper is commonly used in water pipes and in general isn’t known to be harmful to humans (although that isn’t totally the case with everyone).
In a case where the crawl space is dry, encapsulated and not in a position to “leech” into well water (say in the case of a home in town) couldn’t the addition of copper granules be beneficial at least in the effort of mitigating any bacterial or fungal growth under the barrier?
I’ve seen how mold spreads and it often seems to sort of spread out much like a spider web…..connecting to other spores/parts of mold. If it can’t spread since a bunch of kryptonite (aka copper) is in its path then wouldn’t it fail to spread? It seems like this would be something “the industry” would be looking into…..that or maybe antimicrobial/antifungal infused pea gravel that is “green”/non-toxic that could be spread under a vapor barrier when leveling the crawl space and allowing for drainage. Seems like a few “outside the box” ideas could benefit systems and procedures already being implemented.
That is some great outside the box thinking, and hopefully, some of these gravel companies can look into it. Our mold prevention product we apply on wood is infused with silver nanotechnology. Silver is another great antifungal. Thanks for sharing.
Does encapsulation reduce noise from outside sources?
The way we encapsulate does reduce outside noise because we focus on insulating the foundation walls air sealing the subfloor and even installing rim joist when possible so yes it can reduce outside noise.
My floors squeak now. We have carpeting. How do we fix that?
breakaway screws
You would need to contact the person who handled the flooring!
Have you seen crawlspaces with cement curtains? Any issues encapsulating in those cases?
Can you send me a link of what you are referring to?
I’m having trouble re-finding it - our crawl space is under an addition done to the house in the 90’s.
The 3 exterior walls are just like a half-inch thick cement over a mesh (“cement curtain”). They look nailed into beams at intervals and even has a few gaps where the top of the “curtain” meets the house. Is that something you’ve heard of?
Crawl Space Ninja , Just had a company come over to the house told me they don't like to encapsulate because they still find mold. I am from the Pacific NW. Any thoughts on this?
JackFlip4877 - We agree, you would just be making things worse if you didn't address the mold before encapsulation.
not needed at all. remove old clear vapor barrier. clean crawl space floor. get 10/13 mill solid white plastic.. tape seams.
So, with LVP floor, none of that would be a issue ?
You may not experience any issues with gaping as long as it was installed well, but you could still have some squeaks from the subfloor and floor supports needing to be adjusted.
Smells like something died in my crawl space.
Where is the evidence that a vapor barrier itself can generate cat odor? There are others who claim this claim is completely inaccurate. Your other claims are plausible but this claim about the barrier ITSELF being a source of odors is completely speculative and thus unhelpful unless you have actual EVIDENCE.
ua-cam.com/video/dpIFVyawFek/v-deo.html