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anna_schor

newly encapsulated crawl space question

7 years ago

Wondering if someone can answer this question for me. We had our crawl space encapsulated by a reputable company back in December 2018. They insulated the walls, sealed the outside vents, and layed down vapor barrier. The floor above the crawl space is freezing and inside the crawl space it is pretty cold too. My understanding was that the crawl space becomes a conditioned space so the floor above it, is going to be warm. I am also not seeing any reduction in energy bills, the company boasted up to 40% reduction in gas/electric use. the air in the house is defenetly better after the encapsulation, and I am not seeing any bugs, so I don’t regret doin it. However, should the floor above this crawl space be cold, or does it sound like something was done wrong?

Comments (7)

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Something is not right, I would call them and check.

  • 7 years ago

    No insulation in the floor joists. They insulated the walls of the crawl space.

  • 7 years ago

    If the crawl space has no heating vents then it is still unconditioned space. If you want the floor to be warm then you will have to add insulation.

    A company that states there could be up to a 40% reduction in energy bills with this type of work is not reputable in my opinion.

  • 7 years ago
    I studied this before doing mine and asked a lot of questions which resulted in a lot of opinions. I had mine done two years ago and it’s just as warm in the crawl. I took out vents, & access points and replaced with concrete blocks. Laid heavy plastic vapor barrier, hard spray foam on all exterior walls all way up onto plate between joist to better seal from outside air in crawl. I cut a round hole in the main trunk at the far end from my outdoor entry called the “turtle” into the crawl. I put a damper on the hole so I could adjust the amount of flow from conditioned air into crawl. Also, I put a Santa Fe crawl space dehumidifier to avoid moisture that I run in warm months for two purposes. 1.) protect my hardwood floors so I don’t end up with gaps & 2.) protection from mold growth.
    I didn’t do it but was given the advice that air going in had to escape so they said to put a hole in foundation as far away as possible from where conditioned air entered crawl space so it would create good air flow as it left crawl space. Being an older home I felt there were plenty of small gaps to rise into home.
  • 7 years ago

    The part missing from your description is how they insulated the floor of the crawl space, and whether they installed active ventilation.

    I have a new addition in progress and the architect specified 2" R10 rigid foam under the crawl space floor, with EPDM waterproofing and 1/4" drainboard under the foam and up onto the walls. The walls have 1.5" rigid foam insulation, 1/4" drainboard and EPDM waterproofing over 12" thick block walls. There is no insulation in the floor joists.

    The city also required 1 sq ft of cross flow ventilation area in/out of the existing conditioned area, with a continuous ventilation fan that flows 1 cu ft /minute of air for every 50 sq ft of crawl space. I plan to use a Panasonic fan that is rated for continuous operation at 10 cu ft/minute.

    The use of the term "conditioned space" is not consistent across the industry. For example, a basement with no heat or A/C vents is usually considered to be conditioned space. If the crawl space is not vented to the exterior, then my city requires it to meet the requirements for conditioned space.

    Bruce

  • 7 years ago

    ^^^^^^

    Correct conditioned crawl.

    put a hole in foundation as far away as possible from where conditioned
    air entered crawl space so it would create good air flow as it left
    crawl space

    Then it's not a conditioned crawl.


    "Crawlspaces should be designed and constructed as mini-basements.
    Crawlspaces should not be vented to the exterior (see FAQ on Crawlspace
    Venting). They should have their floors uninsulated, the ground vapor
    sealed, their walls insulated and air sealed, and their air conditioned
    with indoor air."

    Building Science Corp.