Crawl space design

[John Dirks Jr]

Hi Gentlemen,   Can you recommend good articles on crawl space design?  Preferably to include differences between conditioned and unconditioned spaces 

[Bill Kibbel]

Search for papers or articles by Dr. Joe Listurbek (sp?) of Building Science Corp.

[John Dirks Jr]

Lstiburek  or so I found. 
 

Excellent recommendation Bill, thanks. 
 

https://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-009-new-light-in-crawlspaces

Edited July 14, 2022 by John Dirks Jr

[John Dirks Jr]

So vapor drive is the key.  Easy to decide if your way down south or way up north.  
 

But what about those “in between” climates?

[Marc]

I'd imagine that, in temperate climates, moisture propagation isn't so big an issue.

[Bill Kibbel]

23 hours ago, John Dirks Jr said:

So vapor drive is the key.  Easy to decide if your way down south or way up north.  
 

But what about those “in between” climates?

Mid-Atlantic - invite the crawlspace to be part of the house.

[John Kogel]

On the Wet Coast, we add heat and ventilation. Usually a small electric baseboard heater on a thermostat, a few passive vents, and a good vapor barrier on the floor. The thermostat can be left at about 45 F to save money.

Sometimes an exhaust fan is installed on a humidistat. I'm not giving an opinion on any of it, just saying that's what I see and what the Codes call for. Hydro-electric power used to be cheap here, so electric heat is pretty common.

If they've installed furnace or heat pump ducts, that an alternate heat source.

The best vapor barrier includes a concrete skim coat. Add a chunk of old carpet and it is quite pleasant down there.

[John Dirks Jr]

On 7/14/2022 at 7:32 PM, Marc said:

I'd imagine that, in temperate climates, moisture propagation isn't so big an issue.

Hi Marc.  I don’t consider Maryland as having a temperate climate.   Maybe a little bit in the spring and fall.  Otherwise we get pretty hot and humid in the summer and pretty cold and dry in the winter.