Gravel crawl space...damp and musty

We live in a home that was built in 1955, we have been here 5 years. The problem is we have a gravel crawl space under most of the house. That is where our sump pump is. It is very musty smelling and you can smell it in the house. We have laid the plastic down, but it is not helping with the oders. Any suggestions to get rid of this musty smell?

 

Better ventilation of the crawl space would be a good starting point. Are there vents around the perimeter to the open air?

 

Yes we do have vents, but only 2 and they are in the front of the home. How many should we have? We had major remoleling done here last summer, so we can't afford to spend alot of money at this point. Is there something that can be put down there besides the plastic? I also heard that calcium cloride can be used. Is that the same thing as lime?

 

Lainey,

Crawl space vents keep moisture from building up under homes and damaging building materials. Don't be tempted to seal them to save energy. Sealing them could cause costly moisture damage.

Foundation vents for the crawl space should be located on every wall, close enough together that there is at least one square foot of free vent area for every 25 linear feet of foundation. Free vent area is that area unobstructed by screens, louvers, or other materials. Heated crawl spaces and basements do not need vents. It is a good idea to cover earth floors with a moisture barrier like plastic to lower moisture levels. In an existing home, only about 80% of the exposed ground should be covered initially, to avoid problems caused by the home drying out too quickly.

Take a look at this...

http://www.usinspect.com/Ventilation...tsAndCrawl.asp

Calcium Chloride is made with lime but they are not the same.

Hope this helps!