Insulate between the trusses under the house or not?
#1
04-15-16, 10:55 AM
Insulate between the trusses under the house or not?
Recently, I remodeled my bathroom and installed electric heated floor coils and tile. It seems like insulating the space underneath would make sense. The crawl space is cover with 6ml plastic and the ground under it gets moist. There is no mold issues or condensation seen. There are areas where the distance between the trusses exceeds 24" so i thought about spraying in insulation, but that seems to get mixed reviews. If I use matting where can i find really wide matting? Also is it a good idea to do it at all. I live in Northern California so we see some 30deg weather in the Winter, but nothing severe. The other thought is the grout will allow moisture through to the sub-floor and trap moisture in the insulation cause a problem? Any help appreciated.
Thanks,
J
Thanks,
J
#3
04-15-16, 05:43 PM
Member
That grout should be sealed, moisture from above is not an issue.
The fact that you still have a moist crawl space is.
It can cause mold and fungus to form.
This can be caused from several reasons.
No gutters, or down spouts just dumping the water close to the foundation.
No grade way from the foundation.
Foundation below grade was never sealed before it was back filled.
Mulch pilled up against the foundation, flower beds forming ponds.
Just to name a few of the most common issues.
The fact that you still have a moist crawl space is.
It can cause mold and fungus to form.
This can be caused from several reasons.
No gutters, or down spouts just dumping the water close to the foundation.
No grade way from the foundation.
Foundation below grade was never sealed before it was back filled.
Mulch pilled up against the foundation, flower beds forming ponds.
Just to name a few of the most common issues.
#4
04-19-16, 09:03 AM
One last question
The moisture under the house is just the dirt is damp. The dirt is adobe and all around the outside of the house it's the same way. There is heavy plastic over the dirt. If the moisture down through the grout in the tile is not a problem then the only question i have left is the usefulness of the insulation and what type is best. Matted or spray in. It seems like the spray in will be easiest,but will it absorb what moisture may be under the house? The matted will be harder to to get up in place. There are some areas under the house that have 47" between beams. Any ideas or suggestion welcome.
J
J
#5
04-19-16, 09:11 AM
The moisture under the house is not really as damp as I may have lead it to seem. There is heavy plastic on top of the dirt and the dirt is adobe that is always kinda damp(Summer or Winter) But the insulation idea is really what i need help with. The spray in seems O.K because of the wide span between supports, but the matting seems easier to remove if problems occur. Will the heat from the coils under the tiles try to go up into the room or into the crawl space below. Any ideas or any of these thoughts would be appreciated.
J
J
#8
04-19-16, 12:39 PM
I was planning to use the cans of spray foam.
If you want to do a full foam treatment then you need to use the two-component packages available over the Internet or from larger builder supply stores. (I've never seen them in a homecenter.) These two-component packages have the same instant rise foam that sets in 90 seconds or less that the biog time insulation co0mpanies have on their job trucks. I'll admit that there IS a learning curve and also that it is quite expensive but it is also fun to see that stuff spray on like thick paint and then almost instantly fill the entire space. It is EXTREMELY sticky and done correctly it will harden in place before it has a chance to sag.
Will the heat from the coils under the tiles try to go up into the room or into the crawl space below.
I personally would NOT use fiberglass in the crawlspace unless your utility is paying for it and you don't expect much of an improvement.
