Any carpenters here know how to fix a rotten door?

Does anyone have any ideas how to get into this rim joist for insulating? It runs the length of the joists. There's like a 1" gap that somebody somehow previously put fiberglass insulation through. I'm thinking I'll just pull it out and will have to hire somebody to spray foam? Idk how an HVAC duct will even get up to that wall without removing the joist?

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I have an exterior spigot with copper piping to it. It's T'd right off the main line from the water tank. I discovered a shutoff inside the crawlspace for it just after the T. The pipe slopes from the spigot down into the crawlspace to the shutoff (the shutoff is lower than the spigot). So there's no easy way to drain it. It obviously hasn't burst since being installed but now that I'll be insulating the rim joists properly I'm wondering if it hasn't actually frozen solid in the past and now it might?

Would replacing a section of copper pipe with pex alleviate this concern?
 
toximus said:
Does anyone know what this "vent" in the plumbing is for? It was installed a few years ago when we had a washer machine drain installed. It doesn't smell so hopefully safe to leave?

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It's an air admittance valve used to prevent the P-trap from being sucked dry and allow sewer gas into the house through the washing machine drain.
 
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I did a lot of research on this a few years ago... There's two options when it comes to crawl spaces.

1. You want airflow. lack of air flow (like closing all of the vents that should be built into your foundation) can actually cause condensation and moisture, especially in the summer. It's OK to close them for a few months during the winter dry air time, but they need to be re-opened every spring, which is a total PIA, and something I would forget, plus I live in a mild winter climate... so I leave mine open year round.

2. Fully close off the crawl space. This means all of the vents closed and a really good vapor barrier wall to wall on the GROUND, and you have to run a good dehumidifier 24/7 that will pull all of the moisture out of the air. The PIA problem with this is emptying the system or running a drain line for it.

Also through my research, with both options, NEVER install a vapor barrier against the floor joist, this is almost guaranteed to trap humidity/moisture, and create mold.

Something else to look at. We have a termite bond on our house, these things cost a couple grand to have done now a days, so since it came with the house purchase, we pay the company like $100/yr to do a new inspection and check out the house/foundation. A couple years ago, our moisture level went from like a normal 12% (range should be like 10-16%) to like 25%. Huh. That's weird. I did a bunch of crawling around but couldn't find anything... my wife just so happened to turn the dryer on and poof. Huge plume of moisture where it had come loose at the floor seam. I fixed that, replaced all of the 15+ year old hose and when they came back the next year we were back to like 13%.
 
Amber Fire Sport said:
I did a lot of research on this a few years ago... There's two options when it comes to crawl spaces.

1. You want airflow. lack of air flow (like closing all of the vents that should be built into your foundation) can actually cause condensation and moisture, especially in the summer. It's OK to close them for a few months during the winter dry air time, but they need to be re-opened every spring, which is a total PIA, and something I would forget, plus I live in a mild winter climate... so I leave mine open year round.

2. Fully close off the crawl space. This means all of the vents closed and a really good vapor barrier wall to wall on the GROUND, and you have to run a good dehumidifier 24/7 that will pull all of the moisture out of the air. The PIA problem with this is emptying the system or running a drain line for it.

Also through my research, with both options, NEVER install a vapor barrier against the floor joist, this is almost guaranteed to trap humidity/moisture, and create mold.

Something else to look at. We have a termite bond on our house, these things cost a couple grand to have done now a days, so since it came with the house purchase, we pay the company like $100/yr to do a new inspection and check out the house/foundation. A couple years ago, our moisture level went from like a normal 12% (range should be like 10-16%) to like 25%. Huh. That's weird. I did a bunch of crawling around but couldn't find anything... my wife just so happened to turn the dryer on and poof. Huge plume of moisture where it had come loose at the floor seam. I fixed that, replaced all of the 15+ year old hose and when they came back the next year we were back to like 13%.
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The PO left the vents open and there's evidence of moisture issues in the past. Ever since I've lived here I've kept it sealed and dehumidified.
 
toximus said:
The PO left the vents open and there's evidence of moisture issues in the past. Ever since I've lived here I've kept it sealed and dehumidified.
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Can you tell if there's any areas where water is running in under the foundation? That can sometimes happen... It might only be during really bad storms... tough situation :(
 
I'm inspecting all the way around currently. Some water leaked around the bathroom and has been hidden by insulation packed tightly around in. I'm going to leave all of that insulation around plumbing removed from now on for easy inspection.
 
Dead ants and evidence of condensation in this one. The one next to it was super clean so maybe the ants went after the condensation? It's nearly impossible that water wicked up this high in the outside.

I'm thinking spray foaming each box and under the joists between them will solve this.


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toximus said:
Does anyone know what this "vent" in the plumbing is for? It was installed a few years ago when we had a washer machine drain installed. It doesn't smell so hopefully safe to leave?

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That is a one way air admittance vent - also called a Studor- to allow the drain water not to be affected by vacuum.

Its a good thing- normally done when they can’t get up to the roof with one.
 
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Get a hand foam gun
toximus said:
Does anyone have any ideas how to get into this rim joist for insulating? It runs the length of the joists. There's like a 1" gap that somebody somehow previously put fiberglass insulation through. I'm thinking I'll just pull it out and will have to hire somebody to spray foam? Idk how an HVAC duct will even get up to that wall without removing the joist?

View attachment 309188

View attachment 309189Get a hand foam gun. $40 at Lowes/Depot
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Taking a lunch break now and doing some more research.

I'm starting to think spray foaming before HVAC ducting is put in will be the better order of things. That way the registers don't create pockets that can't be accessed. If the foam is in the way of the hvac installers they can chisel it out. But at least there will be as much as possible in there.

I've figured out why one window is so drafty in the house. The foam board on the concrete is glued on which caused a gap behind it. I can feel a draft coming up from behind the foam board, rolling over the band and up the penetrations for wiring. It must be coming out at the trim around the window or out through the roof.
 
If you dehumidify you can usually close off the crawlspace - an economical moisture meter would be good to have-

In the southeast 13-18 percent is normal- but 8-12 is awesome and likely you can achieve and maintain that.

Regardless of the set up- keep water away from a house.


I like your approach - things you are catching tell me a lot - Having seen what you can do in the shop- tells me I’d love to have you as a neighbor. You are a sharp guy.
 
toximus said:
Dead ants and evidence of condensation in this one. The one next to it was super clean so maybe the ants went after the condensation? It's nearly impossible that water wicked up this high in the outside.

I'm thinking spray foaming each box and under the joists between them will solve this.


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That looks like treated rim joist sitting on top of block or concrete wall. The bottom is wet. It’s probly coming down some sort of siding which isn’t flashed correctly/caulked and wicking in. Waters crazy it’ll go down and behind your siding then run up a little and do that. Seen it. Make sure everything is terminated flashed/ caulked. Don’t spray anything on the inside of your foundation to stop water. It’ll just move to next easiest area. Ya got stop it from the out. That’s what 28yrs in residential housing supply has taught me. I average around 200+ house/jobs a year in Nwa.
 
toximus said:
Taking a lunch break now and doing some more research.

I'm starting to think spray foaming before HVAC ducting is put in will be the better order of things. That way the registers don't create pockets that can't be accessed. If the foam is in the way of the hvac installers they can chisel it out. But at least there will be as much as possible in there.

I've figured out why one window is so drafty in the house. The foam board on the concrete is glued on which caused a gap behind it. I can feel a draft coming up from behind the foam board, rolling over the band and up the penetrations for wiring. It must be coming out at the trim around the window or out through the roof.
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To give you an idea, cumulative air loss is the number one enemy of energy efficiency - Most insulation does not have the true R value because of air leakage - Sprayfoam really does not have great R-value but it stops air transfer and it is massively more effective because of that reason.

You can make traditional insulation perform far far better but you’ve got to close every possible penetration- As far as making a house too tight it’s not likely it’s going to happen.

The average 1960’s rancher has the equivalent of two doors standing wide open in cumulative air loss throughout the structure- When you think about how much harder this makes the air conditioner have to work because it’s cycling colder air plus the condensation caused by the differential in air temperature that causes mold- And the fact that once you cool or heat a structure it requires less energy to maintain that - You have all the dynamics for lousy energy efficiency working in unison.

It really isn’t that today’s methods are so superior it is just the fact that we have accepted such low standards for so long.
 
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AndyG said:
To give you an idea, cumulative air loss is the number one enemy of energy efficiency - Most insulation does not have the true R value because of air leakage - Sprayfoam really does not have great R-value but it stops air transfer and it is massively more effective because of that reason.

You can make traditional insulation perform far far better but you’ve got to close every possible penetration- As far as making a house too tight it’s not likely it’s going to happen.

The average 1960’s rancher has the equivalent of two doors standing wide open in cumulative air loss throughout the structure- When you think about how much harder this makes the air conditioner have to work because it’s cycling colder air plus the condensation caused by the differential in air temperature that causes mold- And the fact that once you cool or heat a structure it requires less energy to maintain that - You have all the dynamics for lousy energy efficiency working in unison.

It really isn’t that today’s methods are so superior it is just the fact that we have accepted such low standards for so long.
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in fayetteville ,ar where I’m at they make the residential builders do blower door test. a big sideways attic fan thingy at the front door to measure what your talking about. Hers rating. Not sure what the acronym is. Measure whole house air intake. Pretty stiff code.
 
Cptnmurica said:
in fayetteville ,ar where I’m at they make the residential builders do blower door test. a big sideways attic fan thingy at the front door to measure what your talking about. Hers rating. Not sure what the acronym is. Measure whole house air intake. Pretty stiff code.
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They are starting it here to- plus a lot of new changes due to code revisions - it is going to be an interesting year- I think the production builders need to get 1 guy to manage their energy compliance- It would really help them manage the process- there are so many critical points, such as pre insulation, to address things.

For me as a remodeler of mostly older homes, understanding it a little gives me an edge.
 
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