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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Ed, I'm a young contractor, and I built my first house for a client that has a crawl space instead of a basement. Since I poured a full concrete slab for the floor of the crawl space, I wanted to button up the space as tight as possible. I sealed it up completely by insulating it and closing in the foundation vents to keep it as warm as possible in the winter. It's been over a year, and my client tells me that everything down there is wet (water lines, insulation, etc.), and the crawl space will not dry out. Is this really a big issue since a crawl space is not a living area anyway? Ken (Kansas)
A: Ken, take it from someone who has a crawl space of his own with a poured cement vapor barrier for the floor. Most crawl spaces get very wet from moisture rising up from the ground, and many crawl spaces need to be vented or conditioned per local codes so fresh air can remove a lot of that moisture.
The first thing you need to do is remove the insulation blocking the vents and let the vents do their job. If you are worried about water lines being exposed to some cold air, insulate the water lines with pipe covering. This will also protect the water lines from sweating in the summer months when things get really moist down there.
After opening the vents back up, if there is still a moisture problem you may have to add a dehumidifier to really dry out the space. A dehumidifier with a condensate pump to automatically remove the water is a good option for a crawl space, since it may be tough to go in there and empty buckets.
Finally to answer your question: Yes. It is very important for every home to have a dry basement or crawl space. As I just wrote in my new book Ed Del Grande's House Call: Creating a dry moisture resistant basement or crawl space can add up to 10-15 percent more value to a home. Your client will love you for that!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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