Hello
My crawlspace is pretty smelly- there doesnt seem to be any visible
mold but there is plenty of efflosescence. I also noticed some water on
the vapor barrier. I am looking into various ways of dealing with the
problem and want to do the right thing. But till then I have noticed a
number of openings
a) between the interiors wall and the stairs that run over the
crawlspace
b) the heating returns metal and the dry wall.
c) the edge of the floor boards and the banisters for the stairs. I
have a vapor barrier on the floor boards and laminate flooring, but
some of the smell seeps in through the edges.

a lot of the smell of the crawlspace comes in from there. The heating
ducts run through the crawlspace and when its on the whole house smells
like the crawlspace - so I dont turn on the forced air at all.

How would you recommend to seal these openings ?

Thanks

Caulk the small openings for the most part, expanding foam for bigger voids
and (real ASTM rated) duct tape on the sheet metal to prevent air exchange
with the HVAC. I assume air is sucked in the returns as the output ducts
would be under pressure WRT the crawlspace and vent outward.

Also make sure the crawlspace itself is properly ventilated. Sometimes
people pile stuff outside their homes that impeed airflow into the vents on
the perimiter of the house. An active fan in this area (on one or more vent
openings) will accelerate the drying and abate the smell it appears to me.
A few hours running an ozone generator in the crawlspace might also reduce
the smell if it is a mold. If you have condensation on the vapor barrior,
it is a safe bet ventilation is insufficient.

A carbon (charcloal ) filter on the HVAC might also help with the smell.





wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello
My crawlspace is pretty smelly- there doesnt seem to be any visible
mold but there is plenty of efflosescence. I also noticed some water on
the vapor barrier. I am looking into various ways of dealing with the
problem and want to do the right thing. But till then I have noticed a
number of openings
a) between the interiors wall and the stairs that run over the
crawlspace
b) the heating returns metal and the dry wall.
c) the edge of the floor boards and the banisters for the stairs. I
have a vapor barrier on the floor boards and laminate flooring, but
some of the smell seeps in through the edges.

a lot of the smell of the crawlspace comes in from there. The heating
ducts run through the crawlspace and when its on the whole house smells
like the crawlspace - so I dont turn on the forced air at all.

How would you recommend to seal these openings ?

Thanks

A quick sealent that I like to use is GreatStuff(tm). You do want to
get rid of the moisture first but if there are signs of mold it may be
a good idea to look into getting an in-home fungiside agent to prevent
further damage.

HVF

Check out the information at
http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildi.../crawl_spaces/

I sealed my crawl space per Advance Energy advice you'll find at their web
site and placed a de-humidifier in the crawl space. Took the smell
completely away.



"PipeDown" wrote in message
k.net...
Caulk the small openings for the most part, expanding foam for bigger
voids and (real ASTM rated) duct tape on the sheet metal to prevent air
exchange with the HVAC. I assume air is sucked in the returns as the
output ducts would be under pressure WRT the crawlspace and vent outward.

Also make sure the crawlspace itself is properly ventilated. Sometimes
people pile stuff outside their homes that impeed airflow into the vents
on the perimiter of the house. An active fan in this area (on one or more
vent openings) will accelerate the drying and abate the smell it appears
to me. A few hours running an ozone generator in the crawlspace might
also reduce the smell if it is a mold. If you have condensation on the
vapor barrior, it is a safe bet ventilation is insufficient.

A carbon (charcloal ) filter on the HVAC might also help with the smell.





wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello
My crawlspace is pretty smelly- there doesnt seem to be any visible
mold but there is plenty of efflosescence. I also noticed some water on
the vapor barrier. I am looking into various ways of dealing with the
problem and want to do the right thing. But till then I have noticed a
number of openings
a) between the interiors wall and the stairs that run over the
crawlspace
b) the heating returns metal and the dry wall.
c) the edge of the floor boards and the banisters for the stairs. I
have a vapor barrier on the floor boards and laminate flooring, but
some of the smell seeps in through the edges.

a lot of the smell of the crawlspace comes in from there. The heating
ducts run through the crawlspace and when its on the whole house smells
like the crawlspace - so I dont turn on the forced air at all.

How would you recommend to seal these openings ?

Thanks