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Looking for preferably first hand experience and opinions. Remodeling a house and need to reinsulate crawl space. It’s about 3ft high has moisture barrier on the ground, but will be replacing it as well. What are pros and cons? | ||
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I had it done in the 100+ year-old section of the house. Crawl space is a get-down-on-your-belly crawl space, dirt floor, stacked-stone foundation. The contractor did the foundation from the dirt floor up to the underside of the floor. Not only did it massively improve the comfort level of the house, it also slowed the mouse and snake traffic down. It was done 25 or so years ago. I know of no disadvantages at all. 10 out of 10. The daughter also did it on her house 12 years ago, also a dirt floor situation. In her case, they had the contractor do the underside of the main floor. Again, 10 out of 10, enormously cut her heating bill. === I would like to apologize to anyone I have *not* offended. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly. | |||
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Check with your insurance co., down here in the Low Country(high humidity), they will cancel or nor write if you have spray foam in the crawl space. It doesn't breath well enough and will actually retain moisture causing rot. It also blocks termite inspectors from being able to spot early signs of infestations. NRA Life Member | |||
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| Get my pies outta the oven!  |
You need to encapsulate the entire thing, not just put a moisture barrier on ground and spray foam. We had a crawl space done 5 years ago and they put several layers down with the final layer being a very thick plastic barrier then all walls got thick foam board and spray foam. Everything is also sealed with a special tape. | |||
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I had it done when building the house 23 years ago. We didn't cover the walls because I wanted to be able to keep an eye out for any moisture coming through or termite tubes but covered from the sill plate up, under the floor, and all the metal ductwork. It's nice having a floor that's not cold in winter.  No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride. | |||
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| As Extraordinary as Everyone Else  |
Keep in mind there are two types of foam insulation… Open Cell that can somewhat breath and has approximately the same R Value as fiberglass insulation and Closed Cell that has roughly twice the R value and completely seals the surface it’s adhering to. Both have pros and cons depending on their application. ------------------ Eddie Our Founding Fathers were men who understood that the right thing is not necessarily the written thing. -kkina | |||
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I have heard that it retains moisture. | |||
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So spray foam is upc 500 rated for crawl space use. Open cell. I have insurance through travelers, called them today and spoke they couldn’t find anything that would disqualify a house with spraying insulation | |||
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My first home I had foamed had a nasty old basement. We foamed the brick from just below ground level up over the sill to the bottom of the floor. Incredible difference in heating. You will never regret it. _____________________ Be careful what you tolerate. You are teaching people how to treat you. | |||
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Honky Lips |
The trouble with anything permanent like that, is it's a real SOB to get out if you need to, do you think you'd need to? _____________________________________________ Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways." | |||
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We recently purchased this house and doing a full remodel. We will do all plumbing work before installation. | |||
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Mixed feelings on spray foam as it does work really well. However, there’s always a catch… the stuff is a nightmare to remove, I’ve taken out more than my fair share and we’d hit a water line or electrical line 50% of the time. If it burns there are nasty chemicals released for those cleaning up afterwards. If there is a moisture issue you probably won’t know about it until it’s way too late - mold, rot will certainly be there. Lastly, it’s causing issues in the UK for a lot mortgage lenders as the hidden damages are not seen during inspections. It’s just my opinion, but I would not be surprised if lenders and insurance companies start to take a different stand on spray foam down the road. | |||
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Some great info and things to consider | |||
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Which state are you located in? Are there sources of water nearby i.e., underground streams, lakes? Depending on your climate and external water sources, a proper encapsulation of your crawlspace may be a much better option. | |||
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I in upstate South Carolina. Very small river 2-3 miles away, no lakes nearby. City water. Also I should add, per the insulation guy. They only spray between the joists. Because the warmer climate, foam will be 4 inches. Most of the joist will be exposed, none of the pipes will be sprayed. My HVAC ductwork is in the attic. | |||
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Closed Cell foam repels water, Open Cell foam will absorb water. Both off-gas VOCs for years and will burn in a fire. There is a paint like material that can be applied to the foam that is a fire retardant if that is a concern. Rock Wool is fire proof as in it will not itself support burning, bug proof, water proof, etc. It is also relatively heavy. However, I have seen massive aircraft hangars and homes insulated with it. Find another product that has these benefits. I don't know of any. Aeroseal is not an insulation, but it will find and seal every crack and crevice where air is leaking through your structure. It is aersol based and applied by pressurizing the space. May be worth considering. ---------- “Nobody can ever take your integrity away from you. Only you can give up your integrity.” H. Norman Schwarzkopf | |||
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UK housing consists of a *lot* of old solid masonry structures with little to no insulation. In an effort to assist, the government offered incentives to add insulation and a lot of companies sprang up to insulate these old houses and many insulated (including spray foamed) stuff incorrectly. For instance covering the underside of attic roofs (unconditioned areas) that had old tile roofs that seeped water. It's cold and very damp much of the year and due to the high cost of energy they tend to keep the inside cool so a lot of moisture builds up looking to condensate on cold outside walls and attics. There are horror stories everywhere, including the US, of all types of insulation done incorrectly causing rot and mildew but that's the exception rather than the rule. My personal experience having lived in many houses over the years, mostly old ones that I insulated when remodeling, but two brand new, is spray foam is simply more effective than batts of fiberglass or wool because it completely fills in and blocks air infiltration. Go to most any new construction right after it was insulated with traditional rolls of rock wool or fiberglass and inspect it closely. You'll find a lot of little gaps where cold will come in, ends that were cut short or crooked, creases and wrinkles, gaps behind receptacles not completely filled in, little misses around corners, windows and doors, etc. I'll just say that after doing it both ways I'll never go back to rolled insulation.  No car is as much fun to drive, as any motorcycle is to ride. | |||
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Much quieter too when you foam the walls. _____________________ Be careful what you tolerate. You are teaching people how to treat you. | |||
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| Member |
Thanks for info and picture! | |||
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