You should REMOVE ALL OF THE DAMP/WET INSULATIONS, FIND AND SEALL ANY AND ALL LEAKS, DEHUMIDIFY THE PACE WITH FORCED-DRAFT BLOWER BEORE STARTING ANY REBUILD!

Informative reply. I have a chimney inside my house that weeps water from the face of the bricks about midway from the opening and the ceiling. It's intermittent and cannot locate the breach. Very weird to see... I want to experiment with different dyes to find the breach. 😂😂😂

​@@patrickbass3542You need to move this post to the main comment section for the OP to find. 👍

Listen to the Inspector! And the mold warnings

@@randallsmerna384I need an update on your chimney 😅

I'm in Texas. I'd love to have that!

Two passageways into that space would make it safer for fire reasons. Most rooms you want two egress paths. (Usually, windows can work for that in a pinch.) A trap door in the floor (with a ladder of course) definitely makes sense.

@@fitybux4664 When a tornado is barreling down on you, just being in a safe place is the first thing on your mind.

My first thoughts also, root cellar type storage & fallout shelter from storms... 🌹

So are you in a tropical area were all the duct work is used for is air-conditioning or do you have seasons were you need heat if so than what you have is condensation it builds up over time and as with all standing water stagnate over time for health reasons you need to clean it with bleach to kill any mold and mildew any time you have a crawl space that's the first thing that you need to check out before buying a house can be so many things wrong with an area over a crawl space the worst is rotting joists and supports also foundation problems as well good thing the worst is a pipe full of stagnant water and the insulation being compromised at least it an easy fix

You could also make a hidden door in the floor with a ladder to descend. Then and put a rug over it and use it as a safe-room for the family to hide in or weather out a tornado.

Exactly what I was thinking right away. Maybe they already have tons of other basement storage space, but it seems like wasted space to me. Maybe make a door from the other basement into this space?

Thanks for the advice. Had it been me doing this, I might not have thought of that - unless it was blatantly obvious there was bad air or something leaking in there.

I too was concerned (MOLD POSSIBLY, ANIMALS, ETC...)!

Waaa. Just how do you go about that?

Just enter with a torch instead of a flashlight. If there is not enough good oxygen, the torch will begin to dim down. This will serve as your warning.

Wear a mask!

I don't know where this is but encapsulation is preferred in the Southeast.

@@ibrewhaha with modern tech encapsulation is useful everywhere

Yes, Steve is correct, you must have vents ( 2 should be fine for that space on either side if possible ) to allow air flow and get moisture out.

@@ibrewhaha That would be a waste of money in that crawl space area. It's well below the grade outside and those blocks have moisture coming through. That would indicate there is no waterproofing done on the outside. He should just vent on all sides and get airflow in there.

Agreed. There's no waterproofing on those blocks from the outside. Easiest solution is to vent out and get some air moving.

He may need a Little Giant installed. But that was my thoughts also.

or armoury

A great place to hide the bodies.

That is condensate and that ductwork needs insulated properly and a U.V. light needs to be put in your air handler/furnace to kill mold and bacteria so no more smells form as easily. You need to clean out the duct with smelly water.

Wasted space. Definitely could have been used as a storage room etc.

It is a mystery as to why it was not made into a basement? Could of been that the original approved building plan did not have a basement and the inspectors and other contractors wanted to charge for change of plans and the general contractor backed out and just borded it up as it was found? Seen stuff like that happen before.

Had the same thought l work on houses jack of all trades master carpenter

Able sounds like your father should go up and have a look lol

A typical a/c makes over 10 gal of water a day.

@@todd4335 technically the AC doesn't MAKE the water. What ACTUALLY happens is that the molecules of cold air are closer together than the molecules of warm air. Air acts like a sponge, absorbing water vapor the way a sponge absorbs water. But when the air cools down, the molecules get closer together, and like when you squeeze water out of a sponge, the water vapor gets squeezed out of the air. So it comes back together and forms droplets of water. It's the same process that causes water to condense on the outside of a cold drink. And, fun fact, it's the same process that causes DEW to condense on the grass as the air cools overnight. It's also what causes it to rain at the spot where a cold front and warm front meet. And when so much water is squeezed out that it can't really GO anywhere, that's what causes fog and clouds (fog is just a cloud on the ground).

@@juliebaker6969 so what took the heat out of the air? A/C huh.

5. dig up dead body 😒✔

@@jonnyfatboy7563 LOL!

@@casid9929 was a whole year up and noone finished ur list bud I was astounded hehe ❤

I was thinking hatch door inside to keep as a tornado shelter

Hinged stairs are a fun idea.

I know that this is one year too late, but I absolutely agree! That flexible duct is junk! A glorified dryer vent with a garbage bag around it. It sags and pinches, has terrible air flow, leaks air due to its flimsy nature, gets clogged with debris and can't be cleaned easily, and molds and degrades quickly. A rental house we used to live in had that; some rooms had weak airflow to them, some didn't even get any heat at all. Keep in mind these rooms were the closest ones to the furnace! Air flow is really important in saving your furnace from overworking itself and maximizing you heating output. It is also very important to have the same CFM for both the air leaving the furnace, and the air returning. The returning air has to be at least, or greater than the outflow, otherwise you risk overheating the furnace. From what I have read, not many professionals follow this practice. Tons just use that flexible duct in order to save time, effort and money. That or the dreaded sheet paneling! That is the worst you could ever do to yourself. Wood moves, shifts and twists over time, creating huge gaps in the paneling that air flows right out of. Not to mention that you do NOT want moist air flowing through your floors/walls. Think of what it does to the wood and/or sheet rock! And your health! From what I've read (professional HVAC installer guide) a lot of people really miss the boat on the return CFM, shortening the life of many furnaces. When we built our house we got a quote from an HVAC company. We were tired of doing all the work for ourselves and hadn't installed an entire HVAC system before, so we thought maybe just this one time we will have someone else do it. They wanted a whole lot for the junky stuff and refused to go up to the third floor. When we insisted that we wanted sheet metal they said that they would have to get someone else to do that as they didn't know how to. How crazy is that! Some other guy showed up to give us a separate quote for that extra work. Then the HVAC company couldn't even cut the holes for the floor registers and said a carpenter would have to do that! Well, after that we were like....Yeah, not happening.... So we did our research and found that round galvanized steel duct pipe is the best. For corners you wanted to have curved angles. Second best was rectangular duct work. We literally spent months planning out which pipes to use and where, calculating which diameter we needed both for the pipe and the registers, the CFM the furnace could handle and how much each room needed, how much CFM flowed through each pipe and register, and where best to place the return air in order to get the best circulation in our home. We practically wiped out the local FW Webb's entire inventory of galvanized steel duct multiple times. It worked out great! The over 5,000 square foot house has a furnace that only needs to heat for about 3 minutes every half hour or so during the winter time (granted the insulation plays a huge role in this). Keep in mind this furnace was made for a 3,500 square foot house. The air flow is amazing and the dirt either stays near the vents, or makes its way to the filter near the furnace for easy cleaning. A couple of booster fans ensure that the heat reaches the furthest parts of the house. Yes, using galvanized metal is expensive and time consuming, but it is worth it. Many might not realize it, but equalized temps, air flow, heat times and cycles, furnace lifetime, air quality, humidity levels, the air pressure in each room, etc., depend on the quality of the work and materials.

​@@Nessy-of-the-Lynn In this rental, rats have completely stripped the old fiberglass wrap insulation off these galvanized ducts. The thought of trying to re-wrap them is daunting, (cramped, rat poop, and cholla cactus spines dragged down by the rats). The rats have been dealt with but the problem persists. I'm sure it is costing more to heat and cool without insulation. I get all itchy just thinking about having to wrestle the pipe insulation - wrapping and wrapping and hugging that crap... I thought about spraying the ductwork with foam insulation from a small kit. I would think the accumulated dust would have to be wiped off prior to spraying for good adhesion. I'm not even sure what the required amount of foam would be... I can figure out the surface area of the multiple "cylinders" are and combine them and then figure out the thickness of the foam. I suppose getting a quote from a foam company couldn't hurt either but I bet it's in the $1000s!

I'm in Florida. I was thinking of a hurricane safe room. Doesn't look like flooding is an issue. This room is a huge bonus if access was a bit easier.

Good idea.

The "bye forever" comment made me laugh

It did make me laugh after the fact! Glad it wasn't edited out.

@@annierae6355 children are so hilarious! Especially when they have sudden epiphanies! I just love them to death! And old people! They're so matter of fact, or they just laugh at you and say, just you wait! You aint seen nothin yet!

Hilarious!

They cracked me up. Kids, especially girls, are so dramatic. Cute.

In otherworldly, just tare it down.

Not on duct work.

constant heat and cold, on the popes 24/7 or at least when the heating on, you could fill buckets with drips, question is how good the floor, in that secret room, is water seals some how, it cool dark place no air movement, anything that puddling on the floor just going to stay there?

Or use FSK BLANKET INSULATION,

I think the Kraft paper is supposed to be a vapor barrier that should be against the ceiling and the ducts, meaning it was installed upside down. The insulation got soggy due to moisture condensation from summer air conditioning, and it dropped off over the years. Mold growing in that stagnant water probably caused the odor you spoke of.

that would work if you didn't have sub zero temperatures or lots of snow...

@@elainemarten2147 we often get cold weather here

@@dshe8637 Not like in some places. Your trains shut down when thered's a little bit of snow. Think way below freezing, high winds and snow up to your knees

@@pazza4555 Not a very deep frost zone

Put a dehumidifier down there and plumb it out. Definitely has a micro climate issue. Wouldn't hurt sealing the block off with a vapor barrier too.

saved me the trouble of typing that 👍

They are the just the skins that the spiders shed as they grow, and mold grows on that old skins they left behind.

Interesting! I thought it was maybe just the shed skin

@@amandaradford6999 sadly no, they live like that until the fungus eats enough of their joints and tissue so that they cannot move, literally entombed in their own bodies like living mummies, as the fungi feeds off their soon-to-be corpse. Nature is really messed up.

@@Burger_pants damn that’s brutal!

Bleach will corrode the metal duct work. There is a reason for those other correct products. The ducts need to be professionally cleaned or replaced and insulated.

Agreed. Maybe rock wool due to the tendency toward dampness and proximity to the hearth footing.

Condense is proper.., condensate is a syllable too much,but we knew what you mean.

Yes condensing not condensating. Condensation is a noun derived from the verb to condense.

Well I guess technically I am an hvac tech just a retired one:)

@@SSLFamilyDad I am just saying to get a HVAC tech bc I don’t understand how it can be a plumbing problem if the water is in the ductwork. Do you have plumbing pipes that go through the ducts and could be leaking?

@@SSLFamilyDad maybe all that water is accumulating over the winter when the hot air is running through cold pipes in the basement.

Need a foundation company to come out and remediate that room. Looks like it needs a French drain and a pump along with a vapor barrier and all new insulation and probably mold treatment! Good part of that water I'd say is condensation being that the duct is metal and there is a foundation vent right near it.

If you have enough overhead in the space, you can finish the space for storage. Clean and paint the area, sealing any holes and place some type of door so you can get in and out to build shelves/ for canned food storage or small seasonal equipment storage. Sq footage is sq footage, do not waste it!

@@route66paul don't forget to make it accessible. Somehow, make it so you wouldn't notice there's a door there, and make sure it can be opened and locked. A wireless camera down there would help you secure your storage. (And know about any kids who might try to use it as a play area and hurt themselves.)

@@fitybux4664 Yep. And you don't want to make the neighborhood passion pit for teens. Anyone who had a camper, trailer, utility room or loft in a garage could be a go to for teens when I was young.

Mold doesn’t grow on fiberglass. It can on the paper backing. This crawlspace does not have enough ventilation.

0000009ip0pl

My thoughts exactly. Sewer gas is really horrible. I would check for that. But I’ve never seen this much water in duct work. I would get to the bottom of that fast.

That house in Amityville had a basement with a well that was filled with smelly demons or something 😳

Maybe need some duct cleaning and sterilization.

I believe you are right

As soon as he went in I said root cellar for sure. Put in bigger door for sure.

@@jimputnam2044 That is what I was thinking too.

This is the likely problem. The condensate from the air conditioning is finding it's way into the ductwork. This could be a very expensive problem if the heat exchanger is rusted out.

Asbestos is very dangerous. You need that removed. I would suggest by professionals.

All very good ideas!

When you dig out around the outside, do you also need a French drain, to divert water?

Good idea.

If you put a sump pump in, make sure the floor is slanted toward the sump pump. Mine is slanted down to wrong end of the basement so as I'm using brooms, squeegee mops trying to get water down coercion right back where I swept it from! And it takes forever for the water wate basement has had deep flooding for the past 26 yrs. of living in the dump I bought, seller never disclosed flooding!!

Remember when he was getting ready to take off the cover he found a big long piece of drain pipe from the gutters that was disconnected. That was the wall with the moisture on it. It shouldn't be too difficult to connect the gutter and that piece to send the water away from the foundation.

Just use a shop vac to remove spiders

What is a bug bomb

Are you expecting an apocalypse?

black mold can kill you.

me too, and is really bothering him, he should really use a full respirator.

that will dry out if he rather then putting that board back up puts something that will allow for air flow should help dry that room out

@@Nmccarville it's dangerous, the hyphae goes deep into the wood, need to be replaced, but agree the air must flow thru that room

@@CherishedChristianLife once its dry I would myself go in an spray with straight bleach I also lived in a Apartment building that used to be a farm hand house (so no modern fire regs) an their was black mold through out the building I stayed for a while as it was 750 all inclusive for a two bedroom in the city I was in that was a bargain

Nope the leaking faucet he had in last video leaked water into vent.

Looks like a great place for a grow room . Humidity is already high.

@@todd4335 something tells me that's not this family's focus.

@@kirsten4896 idk dude looks and sounds like a stoner.

Good call!

And, why it didn't stink until after he did it.

Weird. You said a lot, but you didn't say: "The condensation pipe might be clogged" (Which happens VERY VERY frequently, especially if you don't put one of those tabs in your condensation pan every few months.) What happens often is that the drain pipes get totally clogged, then the pan overflows to everywhere the water shouldn't be. (Through the ceiling if it's a ceiling mounted AC. Or through pipes it shouldn't go/etc.)

He’s probably good at other things

My dad actually asked one of us down (us being my two brothers and me the middle child and only girl), I said yes because heck yes adventure and they were grossed out. I went twice so far to clean the sink pipes, next time my dad will be too old to go I think, so I will be going for that adventure on my own.

@@MsWatismyname I'm sure he appretiates your help, and most of all, your bravery to go into the trenches.