- Placing vapour barrier in the crawl space

Dear Shell,

We have purchased a 1940's bungalow with a crawl space. The house inspector advised us to place heavy plastic over the crawl space to act as a vapour barrier. There is a build up of water in the low corner of the crawl space. We are currently having a drainage company work on the drain tiles to alleviate the drainage problem. There does seem to be a mold and dampness problem in this area of the house. My question is, should we have put down the plastic in the crawl space. Would this be causing the mold problem, not allowing the water to evaporate?

Thanks, Wendy and Dale

Dear Wendy & Dale,

Vapour barrier should be placed over the crawl space substrate and sealed up against the foundation wall and pier footings. Insulate the concrete walls with rigid foam (1 ½ ”) Insulation. Place insulation between the joists and secure vapour barrier over top. Consider installing a Humidex in the crawlspace area to keep it well vented. Call 1-888 215- 9023 for Humidex information. I would suggest that you order the free booklet called “Keeping the Heat In” by calling 1-800-387-2000. It is full of great information.

It's just that easy.

Article courtesy of: Shell Busey