I was thinking of asking for advice. I have a cabin I heat year-round that has an uninsulated foundation with only construction foil against the ground. The problem is that I have a water pipe running under the floor, and during winter, the temperature drops towards zero despite shoveling snow around the foundation and closing all vents during winter. Would it work to use a fan to blow indoor air into the crawl space? I was thinking of drilling a 100 mm pipe through the floor in a closet with a fan. That way, I could maintain a few degrees above zero, but the question is whether it could be harmful in any way with possible condensation or moisture as a result.
Yes, the warm indoor air risks creating condensation. Can you run an electric cable around the water pipe?
It clearly resembles the warm foundation that Smålandsvillan uses. The foundation is completely sealed and insulated. A duct fan in the foundation blows out air, and new air is taken from inside. A thermometer with full measurement that logs is installed. It shows a constant humidity below 20% (guessing the humidity is lower than what the meter can measure) and a temperature of 13-15°C.
It is a very bad idea to start blowing damp indoor air into the crawl space.
Insulate the pipe and use a heating cable.
Insulate the pipe and use a heating cable.
It is possible to retrofit heating cable inside the water pipe if it is sufficiently wide.
Then you need to heat the entire foundation. You do this best with a small heater in the foundation.
What type of heating do you have in the house?
What type of heating do you have in the house?
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Is it not possible to place a self-regulating heating cable around the pipe on the outside, then insulation on top?
Does Smålandsvillan really direct the exhaust air down into the foundation? We almost bought such a house, but it didn't feel right and seemed a bit like just a summer cottage.
Does Smålandsvillan really direct the exhaust air down into the foundation? We almost bought such a house, but it didn't feel right and seemed a bit like just a summer cottage.
Do you mean it's better to have a heater in the crawl space than to send indoor air down there? The indoor air should be dry as I always have at least 12 degrees heated with an oil element and electric radiator with a fan, when I arrive at the cabin I heat it with a wood stove.tommib said:
The problem is that I can't get down to the crawl space, maybe it would be possible to push in a heating hose into the pipe 50 mm where the water pipes are installed.H Husqvarna220Ac said:
But the idea was also to heat up the crawl space a few degrees so I would also get warmer floors inside
I think you risk getting into trouble if you increase the heat level too much down there - and leave it at that. If you start heating generally down there, you probably also need a dehumidifier, such as a sorption dehumidifier.
When you increase the heat, the air carries more moisture without precipitating it. But if the warm air is cooled by colder parts down there (e.g., the foundation wall, protruding stone, or similar), the water precipitates there.
When you increase the heat, the air carries more moisture without precipitating it. But if the warm air is cooled by colder parts down there (e.g., the foundation wall, protruding stone, or similar), the water precipitates there.
It is normal physics. If you blow warm air into a cold space, you may potentially get condensation because warm air can carry more moisture. It can be done safely, but you need to have very good control over the parameters (dew point and RH) in the spaces and stop the fan under unfavorable operating conditions. It is quite tricky to do. Hence the recommendation to instead just heat up the existing air in the crawl space.
If you cannot access the crawl space properly, you should start by solving that problem. Sooner or later you are likely to have a pipe that freezes, and then you need to get in.
If you cannot access the crawl space properly, you should start by solving that problem. Sooner or later you are likely to have a pipe that freezes, and then you need to get in.
No no, be careful about pushing indoor air into a cold crawl space/cellar foundation. It's almost a guarantee for mold problems. The reason has already been explained by tommib.
Possibly, possibly if you simultaneously run a dehumidifier down in the foundation, the problem is that you can never be sure the dehumidifier manages to dehumidify the entire air volume, so there can be a mold hotspot locally in some place.
Possibly, possibly if you simultaneously run a dehumidifier down in the foundation, the problem is that you can never be sure the dehumidifier manages to dehumidify the entire air volume, so there can be a mold hotspot locally in some place.
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Is this the first year you have water? Or how did you do in previous years?
If you can't install a heating cable in any way, that's clearly the best solution, is there no hatch or something to get under the house? Otherwise, there's no crawl space
If you can't install a heating cable in any way, that's clearly the best solution, is there no hatch or something to get under the house? Otherwise, there's no crawl space