DIY Crawl Space Guide: Removing Wet Insulation Week 2

Moisture problems lurking beneath your home can lead to serious structural damage and health issues if left untreated. Discover the critical second phase of our Crawl Space Repair Challenge where we tackle two foundational steps that make all the difference in creating a dry, healthy crawl space environment.

Removing damaged insulation and sealing foundation vents might seem like simple tasks, but they're absolutely essential for addressing crawl space moisture at its source. When damp or mold-infested insulation remains against your floor joists, it traps moisture and prevents proper drying. Foundation vents, contrary to popular belief, actually introduce humidity rather than reducing it in most climates.

This detailed guide walks you through exactly when insulation removal is necessary, the proper safety equipment required (don't overlook the full-face respirator!), and best practices for removal that protect both you and your home. We show real-world examples of our Crawl Space Ninjas tackling these projects, demonstrating proper techniques for dealing with even the most challenging situations. You'll learn why trying to dry wet insulation in place is ineffective and how specific tools like professional spray foam guns make vent sealing more efficient.

Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or simply want to understand the process before hiring professionals, this information empowers you to make informed decisions about your crawl space remediation. Ready to transform your damp, problematic crawl space? These critical first steps create the foundation for everything that follows. Watch now, and take the first step toward a healthier home from the ground up.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Repair Challenge Week 2
• 0:43 Tools and Equipment Overview
• 2:06 Why Remove Insulation First
• 2:57 When to Keep Existing Insulation
• 4:51 Insulation Removal Best Practices
• 7:20 Proper Vent Sealing Techniques
• 9:19 Final Tips and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Hey there, michael Church, crawl Space Ninja. We are on Crawl Space Repair Challenge Week 2, and today we're going to talk about removing insulation and sealing the vents. If you have not had a chance to watch Repair Challenge Week 1, we cover how to inspect your crawl space. Make sure you check that out. The reason why we focus on removing insulation and sealing the vents is because many times, crawl spaces are very, very damp and this is a great first step in addressing your crawl space. So let's get started. Believe it or not, we did not start removing this insulation. This just happens to be what one of the crawl spaces we repaired looked like when we found it. Quick overview of what we're going to discuss today. We're going to go over the tools needed for removing insulation and sealing the crawlspace vents. Where to get those tools? Why this should be part of a phase one process. This is very important. You can do things out of order and mess up things. We consider sealing vents and removing insulation part of the phase one. Now, that doesn't mean that you can't do multiple things in a day. I just wanted to make this as simple as possible. And this is day two of the challenge insulation removal and sealing the vents. We're going to talk about best practices for removing that insulation, some safety tips and whatnot, and also best practices for sealing the vents, and I'm going to show you some video of the ninjas getting down and dirty and doing both of those things. So some of the tools you're going to need for taking that insulation out of the crawl space you're going to need 50 gallon garbage bags, a headlight, a razor knife, some Tyvek suits, a respirator, gloves, boots, painter's hoodie. This is one of those things where you do not want to overlook safety. The work comp insurance cost for insulation removal is out the roof, so it is a big deal. If you've never removed insulation before, then you're in for a treat. Some things you're going to need for sealing those vents are a spray foam gun, spray foam, acetone, razor knife, some foam board and a tape measure.

Speaker 0: 2:02

What is the point of removing the insulation and sealing the vents first? It has to do with drying the crawl space. When we seal those vents, remove that subfloor insulation, it gives us the ability to get that crawl space dry. Whenever a homeowner calls us out, it's because of high humidity, dampness, condensation, standing water, mold, insulation that's falling out of place. Those are all symptoms of a moisture problem. In order to get that crawl space dry, we've got to remove that insulation, get rid of that subfloor insulation, seal those vents so when we install that dehumidifier the crawl space can begin to dry. That's why it's so crucial to make this part of the phase one process. I have more videos to come to show you how to dry out. That's why it's so crucial to make this part of the phase one process. I have more videos to come to show you how to dry out the crawl space. But before we can do that, we need to tackle this step first. I get this question a lot Should you always remove insulation from the crawl space?

Speaker 0: 2:57

No, you shouldn't always remove it. But if you're calling someone like us, that's gotten wet. So here are some reasons why you wouldn't move it and some recommendations. First, no sign of mold. If you don't see any mold on the wood of the crawl space, you may not need to remove the insulation. But remember that mold can be undetected by the eye. So if the wood is wet, then assume that mold is present. Also, insulation is in good shape. If you just had it installed and the insulation looks great, there's no mold. You might want to leave it in place. If you do find out that there was mold behind it or the insulation has gotten wet after you installed it, you may want to go ahead and remove it, because insulation can lose its R-value after it gets wet.

Speaker 0: 3:38

Also, the wood moisture level is low. This is a snapshot in time. Just keep that in mind, that whenever you go to check the wood moisture level, as I talk about in the first inspection video that we did, you want to make sure that wood moisture level is below 15%. Well, if you're checking the wood moisture level in the middle of winter, there's a good chance it is below 15% because the wood started to dry out already. But if you're checking it in July or August and you're running your AC and it's 90% humidity outside, then chances are that wood moisture level is going to be moist. So make sure that you take that into consideration. What time of the year are you doing this project? Is there evidence of mold or wood moisture or things like that? And then, finally, the last thing is new construction. How long did it take for the home to be built? Was the humidity controlled in the space the whole time? If it was, then there's a good chance that that fiberglass or subfloor insulation can be left in place. But if any of these things are red flags, then I would go and dispose of that insulation because it could be trapping a huge problem and it would be nice to go ahead and see that now and address it, versus waiting until later and then you got to redo it or maybe fix an encapsulation or whatever in the future.

Speaker 0: 4:47

Now I want to get into some best practices for removing insulation. I always want you to wear a proper PPE, but especially a full face respirator. That is so important. Insulation can get in your eyes, ears, mouth and more. It is itchy and can damage lungs if breathed While pulling insulation. Pull the insulation down and try to look above the insulation as you're pulling it out of the subfloor. This way you can see any hidden critters that might be there. Never lay under the insulation. Pulling insulation down while you're positioned under it can allow those hidden critters to fall on you.

Speaker 0: 5:22

And, of course, wet insulation oh my, if you've never dealt with wet fiberglass, it is ridiculous, but it has to come out. I wouldn't let it drop directly on wet ground If you could keep from it. Try to keep that vapor barrier in place if possible, and drop that insulation down on top of that. Of course, the vapor barrier can have water all over it too, but try to keep it as dry as you can. And the thought of drying out the crawl space before you remove wet insulation we've looked into that too. It takes forever to dry out. Imagine a comforter that is six inches thick. How long it would take for you to dry out a bed comforter? Well, insulation R19, is six inches thick, and if a 1,500 square foot crawl space, that's a lot of moisture trapped in there. So you might as well just go ahead and yank it out, so that way the wood can begin to dry out faster, versus you having to try to dry out the insulation and the wood remain wet.

Speaker 0: 6:13

So now let's watch a ninja take the insulation out. As you can see, he's pulling it down and kind of away from him, looking above the fiberglass as he does it. Be mindful of wires and different things up in the insulation. Sometimes those insulation hangers can grab things. Just be real careful. Look at all that dust that's getting stirred up. There was probably some debris. Looks like a newer home, Probably some construction debris or sawdust up in the fiberglass, not a whole lot of mold on there, but still had to remove the insulation in order to address a moisture problem. Plus, we're going to be insulating the foundation walls.

Speaker 0: 6:47

As you can see now, the ninja's bagging it up. You drop it to the ground. Bag it up instantly. Don't get it all dropped to the ground then bag it up like these guys do. If you're doing this by yourself because they got a couple of people pulling it and then bagging it, I would recommend you do small sections at a time, because if not, you're going to get tired quick. Look at all this dust. This is what I'm talking about wearing proper PPE and making sure that you've got those lungs protected while you're down there pulling that fiberglass and bagging it up.

Speaker 0: 7:17

Let's talk about best practices for sealing vents. I would recommend you always use a long razor knife to cut the foam board. So using a long this is a DeWalt 25 millimeter it helps cut evenly through the foam board. This is important because the flatter that foam board is when you push it into that opening, the easier it's going to be, the less frustrated you're going to get. Always leave a quarter inch to a half inch gap. Concrete can be uneven and leaving a gap will give the foam board easy access into those openings. Then of course, you can fill that with spray foam.

Speaker 0: 7:51

I recommend you always use a spray foam applicator like a gun, because those straws that come with the cheaper spray foams. Once that spray foam gets in there, it's going to take you time to seal a vent and then you're going to have to crawl over to another vent and if that's five, 10 minutes, that foam has already sealed up that straw. So a spray foam applicator gives you the ability to close the gun so that way the foam stays fresh and it helps you to easily control how much foam comes out, versus a straw that's just going to like spray a bunch of stuff out. So I really like the spray foam applicators. We've got them available on our DIY store. If you'd like to check one out, use good foam Some of those foams out there. You spray it on and it immediately starts to fall out of place. The foam that we have on our DIY store is great. It stays where you put it.

Speaker 0: 8:45

Now let's watch the ninjas do a video and you can see exactly how they seal a vent. This is pretty straightforward. You can see we've got the foam board, cut into the vent opening and now the Ninja is spraying carefully the spray foam around it to air seal that gap that is between the foundation wall and the foam board. And there's that gun. I was talking about the foam that I was talking about. This gives a lot of control to the ninja so that they can fill those small areas and those large areas as needed.

Speaker 0: 9:19

If you are planning on tackling your own crawl space, I highly recommend you check out our Crawl Space Repair Myths Busted book. It's been out about a year. It's got some great reviews on Amazon. You can get it on amazoncom Also. I appreciate you liking this video and commenting down below if this has been a help to you and hopefully you'll subscribe to our channel as well. And, of course, if you'd like to do a one-on-one consultation with me, we've got that available on buymeacoffeecom and I'm going to put a link to that down below so you can just click on there. And I'm Michael Church with Crawl Space Ninja. I hope you make it a happy and blessed day and we'll see you later.