Replies

1. 
   DanH | Jan 02, 2015 11:13pm | #1

   Unless the soil is muddy/boggy wet, this is not an abnormal situation.  The floor of the crawl should probably be covered with plastic, to reduce the amount of moisture getting into the house, but likely nothing else is needed.

   As to insulation, yeah, there should probably be some in the floor.

2. 
   calvin | Jan 03, 2015 05:12am | #2

   Londor

   Do you have gutters on the house?

   do downspouts enter the ground to a drain tile or dump out on the surface?

   Does the ground around the foundation slope down and away?

   was there a period of rain before you checked the crawl?

1. 
   londor | Jan 03, 2015 07:56am | #3

   There was no rain and the house has no gutters. My worry is that the wood part is wet as well and not just the concrete.

1. 
   DanH | Jan 03, 2015 08:27am | #4

   What do you mean by "the wood

   What do you mean by "the wood part"?

   And is this crawl enclosed (and presumably open to the basement), or is it vented to the outside?

1. 
   londor | Jan 03, 2015 07:52pm | #5

   the wood part refering to the joists and plywood.  It is vented to the outside only.  Not open to the rest of the basement.

1. 
   DanH | Jan 03, 2015 08:01pm | #6

   Any wood should be well above ground level and should not get wet.  If it's getting wet you need to investigate why.  It may be you have leaks in the roof or siding.  Or, in colder weather, the moisture can be due to condensation from moisture in the inside air.

   What is above this crawlspace?  Is it a regular room or a "sunroom" or what?  Why is its foundation separate from the rest of the house?

   And why is there (apparently) no insulation?

2. 
   londor | Jan 03, 2015 08:51pm | #7

   Normal rooms and no water coming from above.  Ive only noticed the moisture in the cold months but have not checked in warmer months.  The floor is about 2 feet above the dirt.  I assume it was an addition to answer why its seperate. And no idea why no insulation.  Looking for tips and advice to fix or what could be causing it.

3. 
   DanH | Jan 03, 2015 09:10pm | #8

   Give us a description:

   You have soil.

   There is a foundation wall.  Is this poured concrete, concrete block ("CMU") or something else?  How tall is the wall?  (How far above soil level is the wood resting atop the wall?)

   On top of the wall there should be a treated wood "sill plate".

   On top of the sills plate should rest the ends of your floor joists.

   How could the wood be getting wet?  Some moisture will "wick" up through the concrete, but that should only (at worst) get the bottom of the sill plate wet.  (And the sill plate, if made, as it should be, of treated wood, should be able to stand being a bit damp.)  The joists should not get wet.  So where do you think the water could be coming from?

4. 
   londor | Jan 03, 2015 11:12pm | #9

   I was thinking it may be condensation from the cold air outside and warmer air in the crawl space.  My other guess is vapor coming up from soil.  It is build as you describe.  PT sill plate doubled up then joists on top.  Wall is about 16" to the bottom of the joists.  I dont see any standing water or any leaks.  Nothing above it is wet at all.  Seeing it only on the edges made me think condensation.

5. 
   DanH | Jan 04, 2015 07:11am | #10

   Yes, given the layout you could have moisture rising out of the soil and condensing on the cold rim joist.  This would be aggrevated by the lack of insulation.  You also could easily have moist air from the house descending into the crawl and condensing.

   The first step would be to cover the soil with plastic, ideally securing/sealing to the sidewalls using caulk as an adhesive.  Next would be to get some insulation into the floor, so that the crawl is kept cooler and less apt to cause soil moisture to evaporate.

   If the problem is moist air descending, though, you have a bigger task ahead.  First make sure that the room above (if heated by forced air) has adequate "cold air" returns, so that there isn't pressure in the room forcing air out.