TOO MUCH HUMIDITY IN CRAWL SPACE
THE PROBLEM
Moisture in my crawl space. How to remove moisture from my crawl space. Hint: Crawlspace encapsulation IS NOT the answer.
Due to limited funds, I bought my home as a fixer-upper. I had no experience or knowledge about how to “fix” anything, but with the help of God, the library and the internet, I managed to get stuff done.
In 2013, I did a major renovation where central heating and air was installed along with a kitchen remodel. How exciting! However, a few years later I noticed my floors were beginning to bulk. To make a long story short, my crawl space was holding humidity!
As my normal response to anything, I jumped into research mode. The only solution that I could find was to have the crawl space encapsulated and a dehumidifier installed in the crawl space.
After more internet researching, I finally located a company (Foundation Supportworks) that appeared to be my best bet. Their website gave the impression they knew what they were doing. They had a dealer in a town nearby, so I scheduled an appointment for consultation. The guy was nice and gave me a thick, glossy brochure explaining what would be done. $8000 later, I was set – for about 2 years. Then the humidifier stopped working and I was unaware until the floors started bulking again. So, I tried to contact the local dealer. They had gone out of business. I contacted Foundation Supportworks and they said they were not responsible for the local dealer’s work. (I had someone who works under houses tell me they did not encapsulate my crawl space properly. It was not sealed.)
On advice from several different handymen, I tried some “low cost” solutions. Nothing worked. I knew I could install another humidifier, but that would mean I would always have to rely on a mechanical solution which was going to use electricity, meaning a constant cost. It would eventually have to be replaced as well. I could spend thousands more and get it properly encapsulated. (How do you know what is properly encapsulated if you know nothing about it? Yes, I had checked the Better Business Bureau and still wound up with crap!)
I knew there must be a better way.
THE SOLUTION
Closed-cell insulation. After more researching I ran across this paper from Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.
You know how, when you are outside in the summer, enjoying a glass of iced tea, and the glass has condensation? There is condensation on the glass because the outside of the glass is hot (crawl space) and the inside of the glass is cold (inside air conditioned house). All I needed was a koozie!
I found someone to spray closed-cell insulation under my floor and voila! Problem solved. I have had no more issues! This solution cost me $3600 (~1200 sq ft in 2020). This is a one-time cost for a forever solution. I don’t have to ever worry about it again. Nothing mechanical to fail or maintain.
I live in the Deep South. At the time of this post, it has been three years since spraying the insulation. I am enjoying a cool interior (68° F) and my crawl space is dry. My floors have flattened out to almost their original state. As normal, I open the crawl space vents during the summer.