Have been in some cold crawlspaces and utility rooms during these hot days. This double reflective attic insulation is clean, easy to install and very effective. Here is the ideal installation to preserve conditioned air throughout your house. All the outgoing ducts are insulated so no cool or warm air is wasted in the utility room or inside the walls. After construction is complete your only option is to cover the exposed outgoing ducts in the basement or crawlspace. This w

Don't give it up to other creatures: mold, termites, vermin! Current science indicates that crawlspaces perform better when treated like indoor spaces: mini-basements, if you like! The old way was to leave vents open and insulate the floor with fiberglass batts (unfaced is best: I often see the vapor barrier on the wrong side). This allows for drastic fluctuation in temperature and moisture and many openings for critters. Today's solution is to insulate the walls with fi

If your crawlspace is unvented then it is being treated like an indoor space and may be adding too much moisture to your basement. This inexpensive device will tell you how much humidity it's causing. If the humidity is consistently high (over 40%) consider improving the moisture barrier and ventilation: see other posts with "crawlspace" tag. Of course it will also tell you if there is risk of frozen pipes also! Click on image for link. #crawlspace

If the sump pump doesn't work then your primary defense against basement flooding is lost. If the sump is sealed tight and the cover is opaque, neither you nor inspectors can easily tell if it's doing the job or not. This lexan cover will let you see clearly now the drain is gone (cue Johnny Nash). Click on image below for link. #drainage #crawlspace #plumbing

It responds to temperature based on different expansion rates of two metals fused together and opens automatically in the summer and closes in the winter without motors or electricity! The general rule is to have one square foot of venting for every 150 square feet of floor space. Click on image for link! #crawlspace #ventilation

​Putting that dehumidifier in the basement will use a lot of electricty and only remove the water from the air, not mold spores, dander, dust and dirty sock odors. It makes much more sense to move the bad air out. There are many ways to do this...you can just install a regular bathroom fan and attach it to a humidistat switch as found previously in Quick Tips. There are also fancier options like: http://www.wavehomesolutions.com/ventilation/ : Wave Solutions. But this li

When the ground near your crawlspace vent is graded toward your house, runoff can go right in your crawlspace vent! One rebuilt house I inspected actually had the whole yard graded so it would dump into the neighbor's crawlspace vents! These crawlspace wells can help. This site also has customizable powered vent fans. Click on image above for link. #crawlspace #ventilation #drainage

Durable, antimicrobial, white--so you can see down there! Click on image for link. #crawlspace