Solving the Mystery of Cat Urine Smells in Crawl Spaces

Can you imagine your crawl space emitting a smell so pungent that it rivals the odor of cat urine? Get ready to uncover the shocking truth behind this common issue in our latest installment of the Crawl Space Misconception series. Michael Church of Crawl Space Ninja reveals the hidden dangers lurking in cheap, manufactured reinforced vapor barriers that could be the real culprits behind that unmistakable ammonia scent. Michael discusses his findings and shares a real-life story from a homeowner in North Carolina, emphasizing the importance of choosing high-quality materials for your crawl space encapsulation.

Check out Michael's book, "Crawl Space Repair Myths-Busted" now available on Amazon!

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Join us as we debunk myths and clarify the difference between soil gas odors and those arising from substandard vapor barriers. Michael explains the structural flaws of these problematic barriers and why his team opts for solid vapor barriers to effectively combat this smelly issue. Learn about the only foolproof solution to eradicate the odor and why investing in superior materials can save you from a costly and unpleasant experience. If mysterious odors in your crawl space have ever puzzled you, this episode is essential listening.

At Crawl Space Ninja, we are dedicated to providing top-notch solutions for crawl space encapsulation, insulation, and moisture management. Our goal is to help homeowners create healthier living environments through expert advice and high-quality products. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and take the first step towards a healthier home.

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Ensure your crawl space is properly maintained and your home is protected from humidity-related issues. Listen now and take control of your crawl space's health today!

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Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Hey, michael Church, crawl Space Ninja. We are continuing our Crawl Space Misconception series and today I want to talk about cat urine odors. All right, most people out there, especially in our industry, are under the assumption that cat pee smells only come from soil gases. Is that true? Okay, so many years ago I found out that some of the vapor barriers being used in our crawl space encapsulations actually were emitting basically an ammonia smell that can be likened to a cat urine or a cat pee smell. Okay, so I started doing a little bit of research and started finding that certain cheap, manufactured reinforced vapor barriers were at the root cause of this situation. So I did a couple of videos about it. They're kind of old if you want to find them. I even had a gentleman from North Carolina, I believe it was, that came and did a talk with me about it just so you didn't think it was me making this stuff up and he said that when he had his crawl space encapsulated he could literally smell. They were outside cutting the plastic outside in his yard and he was walking around just kind of seeing what they were doing and he could smell a cat urine odor outside coming from the vapor barrier. Well then all these vapor barrier manufacturers started writing blogs and saying things that I was crazy and all that kind of stuff, and they started contributing the cat urine odor to soil gases. And I just want to be clear about something there are soil gas odors, there's methane and there's different things, and I'm not even saying that there couldn't be a cat urine odor coming from the soil and I'm not saying that all crawl space reinforced vapor barrier creates a cat urine odor. All I'm trying to come across is that if you're using a very, very cheap reinforced vapor barrier and if you're not familiar with what that is, it's basically two pieces of plastic with a nylon cord that goes through, typically in a diamond pattern. They glue those together and that's a reinforced vapor barrier.

Speaker 0: 2:08

We at Crawl Space Ninja do not use reinforced vapor barrier. We use a solid piece because we believe that if it's made solid and doesn't have glues holding it together, first of all it can't delaminate, it can't separate, it can't trap moisture. So that's why we use the solid vapor barrier. But if moisture gets between those glued layers and gets embedded in those nylon cords, that nylon can start to give off an ammonia or a cat urine type odor.

Speaker 0: 2:38

And, man, if you've already paid a lot of money to install that in your crawl space, the only fix for that that we have found is to rip it out and put in new vapor barrier. We've tried ventilating it. We've tried putting in sub membrane depressurization systems like they do for radon. Nothing helps, and I had this lady tell me once I'd rather smell mold than cat pee. So if you're like me and you are like her and you'd rather smell mold than cat pee, then don't invest in a cheap reinforced vapor barrier that has the potential of smelling like cat urine. I hope that helps everybody out there. I'm Michael Church Crawl Space Ninja. We hope you make it a happy and blessed day. See you later.