In the process of purchasing a home in NE Pa. This will be first home with crawl space.Currently the space has pea stone and the insulation between rafters is exposed. My thoughts are to cover insulation with 6 mil plastic, do not know if I should cover the stone.Also intend to cover all exposed pipes with insulation ie: pipe wrap of some sort. Should I invest in a dehumidifier for the space. I am no expert but do know the moisture could coming from improper installed downsouts and /or lack of same. Must get this corrected to get rain from the base of house.Am I on the right track?
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We also just bought a house with crawl space. Our home inspector said that we should put the vapor barrier on the ground, not on the insulation. I called Johns-Manville with some insulation questions and they confirmed that the vapor barrier should be on the ground. If the vapor barrier is tacked against the insulation on the floor joists, it will trap moisture.
Jason
Jason
Insulating the pipes and covering the floor made a huge moisture difference in my crawl space. You'll likely not feel the need for a dehumidifier.
Hi Power,
Cover the FLOOR of the crawlspace w/6 mil plastic. Don't go stapling it to the bottom of the joists (where moisture would get trapped.) The Vapor Barrier, (as the plastic is referred to), should be NEAREST to the heated space (i.e., just under the sub-floor.) If the insulation is matted or bad, it should be replaced with Kraft-sided Insulation (which is installed with the Kraft side up against the heated floor.) DON'T go compressing the insulation in between the joists! It looses its R-value if you do so. Once it's loosely installed, then you can hang chicken wire under the joists (using staples), or criss-cross some NYLON string (not cotton string because it will rot) from joist to joist. It, too, can be stapled in place.
If you have vents under there, make sure they're not closed off. Make sure the plastic is 'held down' by something like pea gravel or pressure-treated lumber all around the edges. And lastly, insulate your pipes with the Pipe Insulation that's sold in the Home Centers. Make sure the 'seam' is facing DOWN (in case any condensation on the pipes needs to 'drip out'.) Do this first BEFORE you do the R-30 insulation installation. Remember, if the pipes are kind of in the way of the main insulation install, 'cut out' or 'slit' the necessary part of the main insulation to 'accommodate' the pipe. Then, if necessary, 'fill' the cavity with insulation. Batt Insulation needs to be 'loose' in order for it to work.
My best to ya and hope this helps.
Jay J -Moderator
