I live in the Great Northwest where the weather runs from 20-40 degrees (F) in the winter months. My problem is the insulation in the crawl space. It is beginning to hang and drop throughout most of the area. It has been there for about 18 years. QUESTION: Should the insulation be; 1. removed and replaced, 2. restrung to keep it in place, 3. or removed completely. Or? The height of the crawl space is about 18 inches………
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At a minimum it should be secured better. You can use the spring wires, or put a nail in the bottom of the joists about every 12-18", standing proud 1/4" or so, and zig/zag back and forth with light piano wire or dacron cord.
Brute-
I would think that if the existing insulation was not wet I would try to use it. We had a similar situation. I attached solid styrofoam sheets to the underside of the joists. The room above is much warmer and less drafty. I recommend the following reading.
Johnny
http://www.buildingscienceconsulting.com/resources/mold/Read_This_Before_You_Design_Build_or_Renovate.pdf
Hand it back up, there is a poly netting you can use to hold it up. If it does not fit well Yu could tear it all out and stretch insulation fabric and blow it tight with cellulose,
The foam board idea also works well if you can get sheets into the crawl without cutting them up too much. Foil tape of gun foam the seams.
Stop that air infiltration and you will notice a big difference, while your down in the crawl you can seal around the sill plate and bond/band/rim joist and ony plumbing, electrical and mechanical penetrations.
Good luck
Garett
Yeah, you can also use house wrap to support the insulation, and the house wrap will cut infiltration dramatically.
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