Dehumidifier for crawl space
#1
07-07-17, 10:30 AM
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 39
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Dehumidifier for crawl space
My 900 Sq ft crawl space get floodeds during the winter - mild climate in California. I put a sump pump in there, not sure yet how much good it's gonna do.
I had a Westinghouse 70 pint dehumidifier in there for years. It didn't seem to help, but maybe just enough to deep the air from saturation. It died, and when I went in there after all the heavy rains, the place was a mess. Fiberglass insulation on subfloor above was completely saturated and dripping water.
Was thinking about putting another dehumidifier down there. I see store bought models for $200 or so. Just read about crawl space dehumids for over $2,000. How can there be that much difference? Would this be worth it
I had a Westinghouse 70 pint dehumidifier in there for years. It didn't seem to help, but maybe just enough to deep the air from saturation. It died, and when I went in there after all the heavy rains, the place was a mess. Fiberglass insulation on subfloor above was completely saturated and dripping water.
Was thinking about putting another dehumidifier down there. I see store bought models for $200 or so. Just read about crawl space dehumids for over $2,000. How can there be that much difference? Would this be worth it
#2
07-07-17, 12:54 PM
Group Moderator
Of course the first step would be to see what you can do outside the home to prevent water from getting underneath. I would look at crawl space encapsulation, laying plastic down on the ground or increased ventilation before paying to operate a dehumidifier in a crawl space.
#3
07-09-17, 07:34 PM
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 39
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
High water table
It's extremely muddy, and I noticed running water coming down a gentle slope. I followed it and came to a spot in the middle of the house. I didn't know where it was coming from. I dug down about five inches and hit water. I could see it coming in from somewhere, but can't trace the source. I figure there's a high water table here; could be an underground spring. In that case, I don't know if anything trying to prevent it from coming in from the outside would do anything at all
So I put a sump pump at the lowest point where the water was coming from. I wonder if this is the best place for it after it dries up a little.
A contractor quoted me $10,000 to correct the problem with a trough along the perimeter of the northside of the house outside. He ended up charging $18,000 and didn't correct the problem at all.
The ground underneath the house is very rough terrain. I guess someone threw this place up in a hurry. There's very little room to literally crawl in there - and one 90 sq ft section is two feet between the ground and joists - no room to get in there at all. There's a concrete perimeter foundation, but posts and piers support the middle of the house. I just noticed one of the piers is cockeyed - sank into the mud at a 30 degree angle - looks really weird, but somehow the post is straight.
So I put a sump pump at the lowest point where the water was coming from. I wonder if this is the best place for it after it dries up a little.
A contractor quoted me $10,000 to correct the problem with a trough along the perimeter of the northside of the house outside. He ended up charging $18,000 and didn't correct the problem at all.
The ground underneath the house is very rough terrain. I guess someone threw this place up in a hurry. There's very little room to literally crawl in there - and one 90 sq ft section is two feet between the ground and joists - no room to get in there at all. There's a concrete perimeter foundation, but posts and piers support the middle of the house. I just noticed one of the piers is cockeyed - sank into the mud at a 30 degree angle - looks really weird, but somehow the post is straight.
