Thanks in advance for anyone who can help! :thumbsup:
I purchased a house in central NC at the end of January 2012. During home inspection, we discovered a mold problem on the floor joists. We had a professional company come in and treat, kill, clean, etc. the mold. We also had a conditioned, sealed crawl space installed. The installer used a 20 mil vapor barrier and Thermax(TM) board insulation for the walls of the crawlspace. There are vents and returns along the main trunk line as required by code. The installer placed a humidity monitor in the crawl space that I can check and everything seemed be correctly done.
Now for the rest of the story and my reason for posting...
The next three days after the sealed crawl space was installed was horrible inside my house. There was an extremely strong odor like an earthy, musky smell. The installer thought that it was off-gassing from the materials in the crawl space and possibly the moisture that remained. "Give it a week."
A week goes by and the odor remained. I then placed a squirrel fan at the crawlspace door blowing out. The fan remained for about 5 days and the smell seemed to lessen. The installer placed a dehumidifier in the crawl space and said give it a little while longer.
Two more weeks, the smell lessened more but still was noticeable. As it was an unusually warm March in NC, we moved our stuff in the house and opened the windows to air it out. The heat was off during this time. Meanwhile, the installer taped the crawl space vents shut and installed a vent fan blowing out of the crawl space. Over the next few weeks, the odor appeared to be getting better. However, when a cold snap came through, the windows had to be shut and the heat turned on. The smell returned. The installer made sure all HVAC ducts were taped, the vapor barrier was rechecked, and the floor vent boots were sealed with a puddy that hardens from the crawl space side of the boot to limit leaks into the house.
The smell is still very noticeable inside my house. If you go to the vent fan blowing out, the smell is much stronger due to the concentrated air blowing out of the crawl space. We have triple checked the floor joists and they are bone dry (no moisture problem there). The humidity levels inside the crawl space and house are normal if not a little on the dry side (around 30-40 RH). We cut a small place in the vapor barrier and checked the soil under it, it too is dry and does not smell out of the ordinary. The HVAC ducts have been fogged, cleaned, and the coils cleaned on the unit. There is not any standing water anywhere in the crawl space.
I am my wits end here! Here are the facts I can tell you:
1. The floor joists had mold on them before the sealed crawl space was installed but there was never any smell inside the house before the conditioned crawl space was installed.
2. The HVAC ducts remained after the cleaning of the mold and were not replaced.
3. The odor was the strongest 1-4 days after the install but still remains.
4. To the best of my knowledge, there is NOT a moisture problem in the crawl space.
5. We have tried HEPA filters and an Ozone generator inside the house but not in the crawl space.
6. The installer did a follow up air quality test and there was less than the average household mold or spores in the air.
7. The odor seems to be worse when the heat is turned on.
8. The vent fan outputs this strong smell whether the HVAC is on or off.
9. We have taken samples of the vapor barrier, Thermax, and floor joists; none of which seemed to produce a smell when placed in a container and allowed to heat up with outside heat.
10. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!!! :furious:
Thanks for taking the time to read, please let me know if you have had a similar experience or can offer any suggestions!
Gary
I purchased a house in central NC at the end of January 2012. During home inspection, we discovered a mold problem on the floor joists. We had a professional company come in and treat, kill, clean, etc. the mold. We also had a conditioned, sealed crawl space installed. The installer used a 20 mil vapor barrier and Thermax(TM) board insulation for the walls of the crawlspace. There are vents and returns along the main trunk line as required by code. The installer placed a humidity monitor in the crawl space that I can check and everything seemed be correctly done.
Now for the rest of the story and my reason for posting...
The next three days after the sealed crawl space was installed was horrible inside my house. There was an extremely strong odor like an earthy, musky smell. The installer thought that it was off-gassing from the materials in the crawl space and possibly the moisture that remained. "Give it a week."
A week goes by and the odor remained. I then placed a squirrel fan at the crawlspace door blowing out. The fan remained for about 5 days and the smell seemed to lessen. The installer placed a dehumidifier in the crawl space and said give it a little while longer.
Two more weeks, the smell lessened more but still was noticeable. As it was an unusually warm March in NC, we moved our stuff in the house and opened the windows to air it out. The heat was off during this time. Meanwhile, the installer taped the crawl space vents shut and installed a vent fan blowing out of the crawl space. Over the next few weeks, the odor appeared to be getting better. However, when a cold snap came through, the windows had to be shut and the heat turned on. The smell returned. The installer made sure all HVAC ducts were taped, the vapor barrier was rechecked, and the floor vent boots were sealed with a puddy that hardens from the crawl space side of the boot to limit leaks into the house.
The smell is still very noticeable inside my house. If you go to the vent fan blowing out, the smell is much stronger due to the concentrated air blowing out of the crawl space. We have triple checked the floor joists and they are bone dry (no moisture problem there). The humidity levels inside the crawl space and house are normal if not a little on the dry side (around 30-40 RH). We cut a small place in the vapor barrier and checked the soil under it, it too is dry and does not smell out of the ordinary. The HVAC ducts have been fogged, cleaned, and the coils cleaned on the unit. There is not any standing water anywhere in the crawl space.
I am my wits end here! Here are the facts I can tell you:
1. The floor joists had mold on them before the sealed crawl space was installed but there was never any smell inside the house before the conditioned crawl space was installed.
2. The HVAC ducts remained after the cleaning of the mold and were not replaced.
3. The odor was the strongest 1-4 days after the install but still remains.
4. To the best of my knowledge, there is NOT a moisture problem in the crawl space.
5. We have tried HEPA filters and an Ozone generator inside the house but not in the crawl space.
6. The installer did a follow up air quality test and there was less than the average household mold or spores in the air.
7. The odor seems to be worse when the heat is turned on.
8. The vent fan outputs this strong smell whether the HVAC is on or off.
9. We have taken samples of the vapor barrier, Thermax, and floor joists; none of which seemed to produce a smell when placed in a container and allowed to heat up with outside heat.
10. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!!! :furious:
Thanks for taking the time to read, please let me know if you have had a similar experience or can offer any suggestions!
Gary