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.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Hey there, michael Church, crawl Space Ninja.
We are on Crawl Space RepairChallenge Week 2, and today
we're going to talk aboutremoving insulation and sealing
the vents.
If you have not had a chance towatch Repair Challenge Week 1,
we cover how to inspect yourcrawl space.
Make sure you check that out.
The reason why we focus onremoving insulation and sealing

(00:22):
the vents is because many times,crawl spaces are very, very
damp and this is a great firststep in addressing your crawl
space.
So let's get started.
Believe it or not, we did notstart removing this insulation.
This just happens to be whatone of the crawl spaces we
repaired looked like when wefound it.
Quick overview of what we'regoing to discuss today.

(00:43):
We're going to go over thetools needed for removing
insulation and sealing thecrawlspace vents.
Where to get those tools?
Why this should be part of aphase one process.
This is very important.
You can do things out of orderand mess up things.
We consider sealing vents andremoving insulation part of the
phase one.
Now, that doesn't mean that youcan't do multiple things in a

(01:05):
day.
I just wanted to make this assimple as possible.
And this is day two of thechallenge insulation removal and
sealing the vents.
We're going to talk about bestpractices for removing that
insulation, some safety tips andwhatnot, and also best
practices for sealing the vents,and I'm going to show you some
video of the ninjas getting downand dirty and doing both of
those things.
So some of the tools you'regoing to need for taking that

(01:28):
insulation out of the crawlspace 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 thingswhere you do not want to
overlook safety.
The work comp insurance costfor insulation removal is out
the roof, so it is a big deal.

(01:48):
If you've never removedinsulation before, then you're
in for a treat.
Some things you're going toneed for sealing those vents are
a spray foam gun, spray foam,acetone, razor knife, some foam
board and a tape measure.
What is the point of removingthe insulation and sealing the
vents first?
It has to do with drying thecrawl space.

(02:09):
When we seal those vents,remove that subfloor insulation,
it gives us the ability to getthat crawl space dry.
Whenever a homeowner calls usout, it's because of high
humidity, dampness, condensation, standing water, mold,
insulation that's falling out ofplace.
Those are all symptoms of amoisture problem.

(02:29):
In order to get that crawlspace dry, we've got to remove
that insulation, get rid of thatsubfloor insulation, seal those
vents so when we install thatdehumidifier the crawl space can
begin to dry.
That's why it's so crucial tomake this part of the phase one
process.
I have more videos to come toshow you how to dry out.
That's why it's so crucial tomake this part of the phase one
process.
I have more videos to come toshow you how to dry out the
crawl space.
But before we can do that, weneed to tackle this step first.

(02:52):
I get this question a lotShould you always remove
insulation from the crawl space?
No, you shouldn't always removeit.
But if you're calling someonelike us, that's gotten wet.
So here are some reasons whyyou wouldn't move it and some
recommendations.
First, no sign of mold.
If you don't see any mold onthe wood of the crawl space, you
may not need to remove theinsulation.
But remember that mold can beundetected by the eye.

(03:15):
So if the wood is wet, thenassume that mold is present.
Also, insulation is in goodshape.
If you just had it installedand the insulation looks great,
there's no mold.
You might want to leave it inplace.
If you do find out that therewas mold behind it or the
insulation has gotten wet afteryou installed it, you may want
to go ahead and remove it,because insulation can lose its

(03:35):
R-value after it gets wet.
Also, the wood moisture level islow.
This is a snapshot in time.
Just keep that in mind, thatwhenever you go to check the
wood moisture level, as I talkabout in the first inspection
video that we did, you want tomake sure that wood moisture
level is below 15%.
Well, if you're checking thewood moisture level in the
middle of winter, there's a goodchance it is below 15% because

(03:57):
the wood started to dry outalready.
But if you're checking it inJuly or August and you're
running your AC and it's 90%humidity outside, then chances
are that wood moisture level isgoing to be moist.
So make sure that you take thatinto consideration.
What time of the year are youdoing this project?
Is there evidence of mold orwood moisture or things like
that?
And then, finally, the lastthing is new construction.

(04:20):
How long did it take for thehome to be built?
Was the humidity controlled inthe space the whole time?
If it was, then there's a goodchance that that fiberglass or
subfloor insulation can be leftin place.
But if any of these things arered flags, then I would go and
dispose of that insulationbecause it could be trapping a
huge problem and it would benice to go ahead and see that
now and address it, versuswaiting until later and then you

(04:42):
got to redo it or maybe fix anencapsulation or whatever in the
future.
Now I want to get into some bestpractices for removing
insulation.
I always want you to wear aproper 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 damagelungs if breathed While pulling

(05:05):
insulation.
Pull the insulation down andtry to look above the insulation
as you're pulling it out of thesubfloor.
This way you can see any hiddencritters that might be there.
Never lay under the insulation.
Pulling insulation down whileyou're positioned under it can
allow those hidden critters tofall on you.
And, of course, wet insulationoh my, if you've never dealt

(05:25):
with wet fiberglass, it isridiculous, but it has to come
out.
I wouldn't let it drop directlyon wet ground If you could keep
from it.
Try to keep that vapor barrierin place if possible, and drop
that insulation down on top ofthat.
Of course, the vapor barriercan have water all over it too,
but try to keep it as dry as youcan.
And the thought of drying outthe crawl space before you

(05:47):
remove wet insulation we'velooked into that too.
It takes forever to dry out.
Imagine a comforter that is sixinches thick.
How long it would take for youto dry out a bed comforter?
Well, insulation R19, is sixinches thick, and if a 1,500
square foot crawl space, that'sa lot of moisture trapped in
there.
So you might as well just goahead and yank it out, so that
way the wood can begin to dryout faster, versus you having to

(06:10):
try to dry out the insulationand the wood remain wet.
So now let's watch a ninja takethe insulation out.
As you can see, he's pulling itdown and kind of away from him,
looking above the fiberglass ashe does it.
Be mindful of wires anddifferent things up in the
insulation.
Sometimes those insulationhangers can grab things.
Just be real careful.
Look at all that dust that'sgetting stirred up.

(06:31):
There was probably some debris.
Looks like a newer home,Probably some construction
debris or sawdust up in thefiberglass, not a whole lot of
mold on there, but still had toremove the insulation in order
to address a moisture problem.
Plus, we're going to beinsulating the foundation walls.
As you can see now, the ninja'sbagging it up.
You drop it to the ground.
Bag it up instantly.

(06:52):
Don't get it all dropped to theground then bag it up like
these guys do.
If you're doing this byyourself because they got a
couple of people pulling it andthen bagging it, I would
recommend you do small sectionsat a time, because if not,
you're going to get tired quick.
Look at all this dust.
This is what I'm talking aboutwearing proper PPE and making
sure that you've got those lungsprotected while you're down

(07:14):
there pulling that fiberglassand bagging it up.
Let's talk about best practicesfor sealing vents.
I would recommend you alwaysuse a long razor knife to cut
the foam board.
So using a long this is aDeWalt 25 millimeter it helps
cut evenly through the foamboard.
This is important because theflatter that foam board is when

(07:35):
you push it into that opening,the easier it's going to be, the
less frustrated you're going toget.
Always leave a quarter inch toa half inch gap.
Concrete can be uneven andleaving a gap will give the foam
board easy access into thoseopenings.
Then of course, you can fillthat with spray foam.
I recommend you always use aspray foam applicator like a gun
, because those straws that comewith the cheaper spray foams.

(07:59):
Once that spray foam gets inthere, it's going to take you
time to seal a vent and thenyou're going to have to crawl
over to another vent and ifthat's five, 10 minutes, that
foam has already sealed up thatstraw.
So a spray foam applicatorgives you the ability to close
the gun so that way the foamstays fresh and it helps you to

(08:20):
easily control how much foamcomes out, versus a straw that's
just going to like spray abunch of stuff out.
So I really like the spray foamapplicators.
We've got them available on ourDIY store.
If you'd like to check one out,use good foam Some of those
foams out there.
You spray it on and itimmediately starts to fall out
of place.
The foam that we have on ourDIY store is great.

(08:43):
It stays where you put it.
Now let's watch the ninjas do avideo and you can see exactly
how they seal a vent.
This is pretty straightforward.
You can see we've got the foamboard, cut into the vent opening
and now the Ninja is sprayingcarefully the spray foam around
it to air seal that gap that isbetween the foundation wall and

(09:07):
the foam board.
And there's that gun.
I was talking about the foamthat I was talking about.
This gives a lot of control tothe ninja so that they can fill
those small areas and thoselarge areas as needed.
If you are planning on tacklingyour own crawl space, I highly
recommend you check out ourCrawl Space Repair Myths Busted
book.
It's been out about a year.
It's got some great reviews onAmazon.

(09:29):
You can get it on amazoncomAlso.
I appreciate you liking thisvideo and commenting down below
if this has been a help to youand hopefully you'll subscribe
to our channel as well.
And, of course, if you'd liketo do a one-on-one consultation
with me, we've got thatavailable on buymeacoffeecom and
I'm going to put a link to thatdown below so you can just
click on there.
And I'm Michael Church withCrawl Space Ninja.

(09:50):
I hope you make it a happy andblessed day and we'll see you
later.