We have 2 rental properties that have excessive moisture building up in the crawlspace. In both houses, it's causing the laminate flooring to expand and push up in several areas. So far we have put in a 6 mil plastic vapor barrier on the ground and are increasing the number of vents around the house. When it drys out, I plan to apply a borate mixture to the underside of the subfloor to prevent mildew.
Our friend has the same with much worse results. The original, old wood floors between the subfloor and the laminate have wrapped and buckled. It was bad enough that he thought there must be a broken hot water line under the house. There was not & the sandy soil underneath is dry.
One common denominator is that all these tenants keep the AC very low. One tenant says she keeps it at 65 at night and 69 during the day. The windows and doors are dripping with condensation and beads of condensation were forming on the underside of the subfloor before we installed the vapor barrier.
After we get the problem under control, would it help to spray the underside of the subfloor with foam insulation? Assuming I can afford it & find someone to do it, are there potential problems that it could cause?
Also, we (& our friend) have owned these houses for several years and this is the first time this has occurred. Granted, it seems like we've had more rain & humidity than ever before. Could it be an issue with the vapor barrier between the laminate floors & the original floors? This is happening with both click vinyl & engineered wood laminates.
Obviously, we can't control the temperature for our tenants. Hoping to figure it out, remedy the problem & prevent it on our other properties.
Our friend has the same with much worse results. The original, old wood floors between the subfloor and the laminate have wrapped and buckled. It was bad enough that he thought there must be a broken hot water line under the house. There was not & the sandy soil underneath is dry.
One common denominator is that all these tenants keep the AC very low. One tenant says she keeps it at 65 at night and 69 during the day. The windows and doors are dripping with condensation and beads of condensation were forming on the underside of the subfloor before we installed the vapor barrier.
After we get the problem under control, would it help to spray the underside of the subfloor with foam insulation? Assuming I can afford it & find someone to do it, are there potential problems that it could cause?
Also, we (& our friend) have owned these houses for several years and this is the first time this has occurred. Granted, it seems like we've had more rain & humidity than ever before. Could it be an issue with the vapor barrier between the laminate floors & the original floors? This is happening with both click vinyl & engineered wood laminates.
Obviously, we can't control the temperature for our tenants. Hoping to figure it out, remedy the problem & prevent it on our other properties.