Crawl Space Repair - How to Ruin a Rim Joist -- Island Basement Systems on the Job

Christian Schmidt, owner of Island Basement Systems, is an expert in both crawl space and basement environments. His company specializes in basement waterproofing and crawl space repairs and has been helping homeowners throughout Vancouver Island since 2005! Chrisitan's crawl space repair services extend to the the greater areas of Victoria, Langford, Duncun, Bowen Island, Langford, Campbell River, Duncan, Port Alberni, Squamish, Esquimalt, Courtenay and beyond.

In this video, Christian explains the disadvantages to fiberglass batts and why insulating a rim joist with them can be disastrous. Unfortunately, for local homeowners, fiberglass insulation is a practice that is quite popular throughout the Vancouver area, even in new construction -- often resulting in unfavorable consequences.

Crawl spaces are typically humid and moisture filled environments, with ground water being a constant threat to the structure. Also, because of the way crawl spaces are built, the temperatures inside remain pretty constant year-round. In the summer, the crawl space is usually cooler than the outside, and in the winter, it is usually warmer than the outside.

The lightweight and permeable fiberglass insulation, not only allows air penetrations but also moisture to pass through its porous material. When applied directly against the rim joist of a crawl space, fiberglass will not be able to prevent moisture from entering the environment, passing through the insulation material and resulting in disastrous effects. The wood will soak up that moisture, and just as you'll see happen in this video, mold will begin to develop, which can lead to dry rot and structural decay.

To make matters worse, when fiberglass insulation gets wet, it loses its R-Value, becoming a virtually useless insulation material.

If you want to insulate your crawl space or basement, and permanently solve moisture and mold problems, trust Island Basement Systems: Vancouver's experts in All Things Basementy!