CRAWL SPACE

[theo]

My crawl space is damp and am worried about mushrooms comming up and contaminating the air in the rest of the house , I ve already seen some white stuff and am assuming it is mold , what steps should i take to clear the matter up, someone told me to spray ant fungal spray on all the wooden beams and they to lay down thick plastic all over the floor and walls of the crawl space. Also the ground is sloped to one side of the basement and towards the sump pump.

[tbasc]

Here are some things to consider: The surface of the ground around the building should slope so water runs away from the building. Water from the roof should be kept away from the building as much as possible. The surface of the crawl space should be at the same or higher level as the ground outside. If the ground is generally wet in the area, perimeter drains may be needed to keep the crawl space dry. Ventilation is needed to keep humidity as low as possible.

6 mil poly sheets should cover the floor of the crawl space. Lap the edges 4 to 6 inches and seal with mastic. Lap the poly 6 to 8 inches up piers, pipes and other interruptions and seal.

TB

[stretch]

Theo,

I agree with this post by t...@bellsouth, except for the ventillation part. The air outside often has more moisture than the air in the crawlspace, and ventillating the crawlspace can ADD moisture. It depends on your climate and the time of year. I am including a link to an article I wrote on drying crawlspaces. The procedure used will enable you to determine if ventillation is right for you.

Crawlspace problems :

Stretch Kevin O'Neill

843-385-2220 sixfoot7 @ sccoast . net (remove spaces to email)

[tbasc]

Sealed, insulated, conditioned crawl spaces are gaining acceptance. Building codes have, until recently, required ventilation. Codes now allow sealed crawl spaces if design is documented by an engineer. In addition to the site stretch gives, the Building Science Corporation web site has useful info. Since theo's crawl space has moisture problems, I focused on drying it out. TB

[John‰]                      Â]

John