While doing some insulation improvements in my crawlspace, I noticed that I have no termite shields on the top of the block below the treated sill plate. I also have no termite shields on top of my piers. Is this a major issue and, if so, does anyone know of a product that could be installed? Is it advisable to lift to house slightly at each of the piers to install metal termite shields? I’m thinking the shields would assist as part of the moisture barrier as well.
Thanks in advance.
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Replies
Well, it depends a lot on your location. Your handle suggests you're in Alabama, but kinda hard to tell from here.
Certainly metal or rubber separators between masonry and wood framing are recommended in virtually all parts of the country, to prevent moisture transport as well as bug entry, but whether termite shields are needed depends on whether you're in "termite territory" and, to a degree, on the type of wood (treated?) and other factors.
I have seen several homes in coastal MS that appear to lack anything resembling a termite shield (and found a lack of any suitable shield material at the "big box" stores there), so it's not clear that it's a general necessity in the South.
I'm in Huntsville, AL. Termites have been an issue in 2 of the 3 houses I've lived in around this area. I have a Sentricon bait system with a damage-replacement bond with careful 90-day monitoring. I am pretty comfortable with this protection from termites.
I'm working on a total crawlspace encapsulation, so I'm thinking the missing shields, especially the ones above the piers, will yield an incomplete encapsulation since moisture can gather inside the piers.
Moisture movement through footing
Sorry, I must have been drinking when I posted my initial response and missed you second post about the Sentricon system. Disregard what I said before.
Since you are currently under an inspection program with them I would probably let them know what you are going to do and make sure that it will not void any of your rights... It would be much eaiser to findout anything special they need you to do beforehand.
I tend to agree with Snort about the moisture movement through the piers. The Piers are on footings and that will hamper moisture movement. Since the foundation wall is similar construction you will have the same situation there.
Anyway, when you seal a crawlpace you don't go al the way up to the termite shield (if one is installed) you need to leave a gap at the top.
There is some pretty good information on sealing crawlspaces over at Advanced Engergy . It is for North Carolina but should still be helpful.
Steve
Has the house been treated?
I'm in Tennesse and I would be a little concerned if this were my house. They make people get Termite letters here when houses are sold for a reason. They are a real problem - but usually easily managed if caught in time.
How old is the house and do you know if it has every been treated with termiticide?
It would be pretty easy to slip shields on the piers but the mudsill would be a real pain. How high is the structure off the ground?
You could treat the sills and wood around the piers with a borate based termiticide like Bora-Care. Wouldn't do much for any moisture problems but it would reduce the chance of the termites getting into the structure in these areas.
Steve
Yes, it's a concern, but.....
Born & raised in 'bama. Owned several houses there, but that was long ago, so I'm not familiar with latest practices. In general, I think it would be best to talk to some local GCs & pest specialists. More than likely the local Extension Service can point toward some good info, too.
Just sort of thinking out loud here. IIRC, for the termite shields to be effective, they have to be pitched at specific angles & extend out some minimum distance. Sounds like you're adding insulation to the interior of your crawl space. Depending on the thickness, you might be negating the effectiveness of the metal shields even if they were installed. Of course, if you're going to retrofit you can make allowances. However, I'd think that retrofitting metal shields would qualify as an "extreme" measure and would rarely be justified.
The first thing I would do is talk to your pest control people. Make sure they're aware of the situation & that the pesticide maintenance and repair warranty you are paying them for adequately covers your case. If so, just keep make the payments, getting the periodic inspections done, & forget adding the shields. That's what I did with the houses that I owned there.
Ed
The piers should be solid,
and if laid well, shouldn't have any inside access for termites. You say the termite service has given you a policy, so I'd talk to them about shields.
If you are going to insulate the interior of the crawlspace walls, you'll need to leave a termite inspection gap at the top of the foundation. It's 3" here in NC, but I would talk to your termite control people about what they want.
If you are worried about moisture, by conditioning your crawl properly, that should be a non-issue.