I called a residential insulation company and got some info. The installer said it is common to insulate the perimeter of the crawlspace on the inside with R-11 batts including covering the vents for the crawlspace. I guess it wouldn’t make sense to let the wind blow through.
It keeps the pipes from freezing and keeps the hvac ducts warmer. Our plumbing in the crawlspace and the ductwork is un-insulated.
We live in Northern Colorado. I guess it doesn’t get that cold and it is CHEAPER just to insulate the perimeter. It’s also a dry area so moister isn’t a big issue.
It almost always comes down to the $.
I’m going to call a few radon guys and get quotes. I don’t like it but I’ve got other things to do that are way more fun. I don’t like the idea of a fan running 24/7 for the rest of the life of the house. If it could be done passively it wouldn’t involve any machines or electricity. But with an active venting it is a slam dunk.
At least it should be.
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If understand your scenario I think I'd go with vent pipes under a plastic floor liner, the vent then run up the side of the house passively. If that doesn't suffice, then it's easy enough to add an inline fan to the pipe up the side of the house (if planned for in advance).
That's a good idea. The radon guy might not go for it though. He would want a positive outcome as soon as possible so he can move on.
I could just nix the motor after the fact. But then I would want to monitor the radon levels over a period of time with it passively venting. I will be running the vent up the side of the house that faces southwest. So the pipe will be warmed just about every day. That is where all the utilities come into the house so I don't mind another pipe.
It's the same as most other projects. I don't have the one machine that makes it all come off. The machine that monitors the radon levels.
I'm going to call a few guys and see what's up. If they monitor before and after and for how long.
Those kits you buy to monitor radon are reasonably accurate. They have a small charcoal cannister or some such that you expose for several days, then mail in to the lab. Doesn't give you an instant reading, of course.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Hey, I'll tyr it! Thanks!