crawl space under house
#1

This is a question that I need an answer too. We have a crawl space under our house. One person told us not to put plastic down on the floor because we would be asking for trouble and another person told us that we would be asking for trouble if we didn't. Does anyone know what we should do. Thanks.
#2
JLane,
The truth is, it should be used BUT this is determined by your local codes. Making a simple call to your local building officials office will provide you with accurate information and prevent you from making mistakes by listening to rumors or so called myths that many want to give.
Crawl space insulation will reduce the amount of heat your home loses through the floor. It can be a very effective energy-saving measure in cold climates. Crawl space insulation can be installed directly beneath your home?s floors, or at the perimeter of the crawl space on the inside of the foundation walls.
It's also a good idea to install a heavy 6 Mil plastic ground-moisture barrier that covers any bare ground in the crawl space. This will prevent moisture from rising out of the ground and damaging the home or saturating the insulation. Check with your local building authorities to confirm any such requirements.
Whether you insulate the floor or foundation wall, you should insulate the rim joist at the same time. The rim joist pockets, formed where the floor meets the foundation, are a large source of heat loss and air leaks. Again, fiberglass is most commonly used here, but moisture often migrates behind the fiberglass and condenses on the cold rim joist, causing damage from mold or rot.
Source: Saturn Resource Management (www.residential-
energy.com)
http://www.srpnet.com/businessenergy...y/BUILD005.asp
Hope this helps!
The truth is, it should be used BUT this is determined by your local codes. Making a simple call to your local building officials office will provide you with accurate information and prevent you from making mistakes by listening to rumors or so called myths that many want to give.
Crawl space insulation will reduce the amount of heat your home loses through the floor. It can be a very effective energy-saving measure in cold climates. Crawl space insulation can be installed directly beneath your home?s floors, or at the perimeter of the crawl space on the inside of the foundation walls.
It's also a good idea to install a heavy 6 Mil plastic ground-moisture barrier that covers any bare ground in the crawl space. This will prevent moisture from rising out of the ground and damaging the home or saturating the insulation. Check with your local building authorities to confirm any such requirements.
Whether you insulate the floor or foundation wall, you should insulate the rim joist at the same time. The rim joist pockets, formed where the floor meets the foundation, are a large source of heat loss and air leaks. Again, fiberglass is most commonly used here, but moisture often migrates behind the fiberglass and condenses on the cold rim joist, causing damage from mold or rot.
Source: Saturn Resource Management (www.residential-
energy.com)
http://www.srpnet.com/businessenergy...y/BUILD005.asp
Hope this helps!
#3
Crawl space
We had plastic in our crawl space because of the city code and also I think it is a good idea. Because of water problems in our crawl space and the fact we wanted to use this area as storage I had to put drain tile and a sump pump in it, I also venilated house air into it to keep the air moving and it has worked out well as storage area. Also put in a wood floor.