Need suggestions on crawlspace.. help

[1st choice restoration]

We have a loss ice maker leak... went to crawlspace. Here's my problem crawlspace has no vents and the only entry is in basement mechanical room in which the rest of basement is finished theater room. Pulled flooring upstairs and can't cut a access hole due to in floor heating. Give me ur thoughts

 

[Desk Jockey]

You have some problems. Ducting is going to be your best friend. I would use layflat and duct out the crawl space air though the finished basement and out a window or bathroom exhaust fan. I'd make sure that you have a slight negative pull. Not too much but enough so you don't allow any organisms like fusarium from the soil into the living space.

I'd duct in hot dry air but with a CFM lower than the exhaust you are pulling out. Too much will positively pressurize the crawl space and you'll get more air than you want from the space.

I'd use a manomenter to make sure you're not pulling too many pascals of air into the home.

 

[1st choice restoration]

No windows in the basement either

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not too many choices. Walk away or get creative.

I think I'd build a contaiment chamber sectioning off a portion of the room with 6 mil sheeting. Run a air scrubber inside and outside the chamber. Do all your drying from inside the chamber.

The contaminated air will remain inside the chamber and not out into the finish side. You can duct the dry air in and allow it to passively exchange with the contaminated side of the chamber.

Its less than ideal but you have few options. I'd get the client to acknowledge that and give approval.

 

[dealtimeman]

We just had this issue

We rented a jack hammer.

We diamond cut a 20 by 14 inch hole in foundation wall and placed our frost fighter propane 400000 btu heater outlet ducting in there with a small 4" piece of 2x4 with a bottle jack in the middle to support the base plate of The structure.

You need to pick a place on the foundation wall that the joist are running parellel to and not perpendicular as there will be more stress/load on the perpendicular sides.

I know I have some pics will have to Upload them.

Also cut a 12x12 in the Front of house to exhaust using a man hole vent fan system to pull air once it gets to 95 degrees and it turns off and turn back on when it gets down to 80 degrees.

 

[1st choice restoration]

We're cutting holes in brick to use to dry crawlspace and then have vents installed which they need anyway. Now unfortunately all I have is E Tes heat to dry and not a diesel fired heater

 

[1st choice restoration]

Update. So homeowner didn't want to cut vents so we dried it by ducting exhausting into a exhaust fan in a bathroom and we only used 4 air movers to limit cfm air flow underneath there and ducted heat from dehumidifier and also ran an air scrubber. Took us 2 1/2 weeks to dry it like this. Probably be a fight with insurance right??

 

[Desk Jockey]

Depends on their experience with crawl spaces. Drying conventional like that is slow drying. You did the best you could given the limitations.

Drying with heat isn't cheap either, hopefully they recognize its a wash. Pay a lot for a few days or a little for several weeks.

 

[1st choice restoration]

Almost 7k just to dry crawlspace. It's higher then average but not much choice

 

[Desk Jockey]

We would have been at least 5 depending on the size.

 

[Cleanworks]

Just tell them that you are a premium restoration service, not like that cheap ass Chavez guy.