Asked on Jan 16, 2018
How can I seal the edges of my crawl space access panel?
by
Shivany Lane
+3
My mater bedroom closet has a wooden panel that lifts up to provide access to the crawlspace under the house. The floor of the crawl space is just dirt. In our area that means a red clay like substance. Whenever it rains, even though we seem to have good drainage and the water does not collect under the house, the dirt still gets wet. When it gets wet it emits an odor. This odor then makes it's way into the house through the small spaces between the panel and the floor. The space is about 1/4" or less.
I have thought of just covering the area with a heavy area rug but that is just a band-aid type of fix. I would like to use some kind of weather stripping to actually create a seal that would also prevent critter access.
As a side question, is there anything non-toxic I can use on the dirt under the house to deodorize it? It doesn't smell moldy, it just smells like our regular dirt, just concentrated in one area. Though I suspect there may be some kind of fungi under there since it is dark all the time and we do get heavy rains. We have tried to seal any other place in the house like where the cable wire comes in. (The past owner did some hinky stuff with running cable and phone wire under the house).
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
I don't have any encouragement Shivany. Yes, you could put foam weather stripping around that hatch, but the moisture in the crawl space really needs to not happen. The critters that are making the scent will also be attacking the structure of the home. You need to find the source of the moisture and divert it so it does not come into your crawl space. Need to also make sure that there is really good cross-flow ventilation through the space to keep natural moisture that will come up through the ground even when it's dry from staying around.
You can insulate by putting the narrow foam strips around the edge of the panel. The same strips you use for sealing off drafts in doors and windows. Purchase at your hardware store.
Ken and Joychevi have the best solution. Even still the odor can migrate through floorboards and any small crack and crevice. What you can do is use rigid foam insulation and insulate the joists in the crawl space. Fill any spaces with expanding foam insulation. Cross ventilation is a big plus to prevent any mold from growing.
Is there opening with little grates on the outside of your home to help with moisture if not that is the problem.
Weather strips, maybe? Im not sure. Maybe find a way to air out that area.
You probably should cover the dirt with heavy plastic that will curve up on the foundation walls. You will have to have some sort of ventilation unless your heat/AC is conditioning the space. You might google the question and see if some site will come up with suggestions. I used to read a newspaper column that answered all kinds of questions like this but it's no longer available to me and I don't remember the man's name. The vents should definitely have both a grate and a screen to keep out critters and bugs. And if that's not sealed around the edges you can seal that up with any one of a number of products that are available at a home store or Walmart.