Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - dirt floor dangerous?

I live in a 1967 wooden frame, cedar-shingled house in the bay area. Our basement is completely unfinished. The floor is dirt. Should I be concerned? Should the dirt be covered with something?

Dirt floors are not dangerous. The concern today with dirt floors is the moisture associated with them. This by itself is not the problem. Because of the cost of energy these days, people are making their homes more energy efficient. Making our homes more energy efficient reduces the air exchange in the house. This reduced air exchange increases the probability of Indoor Air Quality problems. Most Indoor Air Quality problems are associated with moisture. Hence the concern with dirt floors. So covering dirt floors with sheets of plastic is a preventive measure.

If you live in an area of higher radon levels, a dirt floor in a basement is

sure to increase the amount of radon actually entering the house. Before

putting the vapor barrier down, I would suggest testing for radon. If radon

levels are too high, you will need to put perforated plastic tile on the bare

ground before placing the vapor barrier down. The tile system can then be

connected to a commercially available fan module which will vent to the

outside. The VB should then be taped and caulked to minimize air leaks.

Also, lots of houses with dirt basement floors are very damp. The moisture

permeates the house, making paint peel on the exterior and causing

moisture problems in attics.

I've never researched it, nor care to; but how many people do you know or have ever heard of getting sick or dying from "radon" poisening.

I've got my own opinions about the whole ordeal and think I'm missing out on a big market share. Buddy had a home inspector come into a house he was buying, "tested for radon" said levels were too high and had his son who is a contractor licesened to deal with radon come in and fix the problem to the tune of $2200 and took all on 6 hrs to do it. :rolleyes:

http://www.epa.gov/radon/index.html

This is a government site on Radon. Just like moisture in our homes, Radon gas was not really a concern until we started making our homes more energy efficient. While neither Radon gas nor moisture by themselves have been directly pointed as the cause of Indoor Air Quality problems, they have been found to have some relationship to it. In other words, by controlling the amount moisture and Radon gas inside our homes reduces the probability that an Indoor Air Quality problem could occur.

How much you spend on controlling the amount of moisture or Radon Gas inside your home depends on the individual. Far too often people are misled on the actions that must be taken to accomplish the reduction of both Radon gas and moisture. From expensive Depressurization methods to Sub-grade mechanical drainage systems.

With moisture usually providing good drainage around the perimeter of the home addresses most moisture problems in crawl spaces and basements. For Radon gas and dirt floors found in basements and/or crawl spaces taping the seams of the plastic will dramatically reduce the amount of Radon gas entering the house.

Keep in mind that it is the concentration of these objects in the air that determines the conditions we wish to avoid, which is usually measured in parts per million. To illustrate this is a leaky faucet that lets one drop of water drip once a second. If the drain is open, the water just goes down the drain. If you were to close the drain, eventually the sink would fill and overflow. Though crude, it does illustrate the difference between a very drafty old house and a new energy efficient house. If we are to save energy to lower our energy bills and increase our comfort, then we have to control the amount of things that enter our home naturally, that may harm us.

Again, how much it costs to do so depends on the individual and how well informed that individual is.

Francis R. Lazaro
NJ Certified Energy Conservationist Auditor/Inspector
NJ Radon license # MET11803
NOT AN INDOOR AIR QUALITY SPECIALIST

Having the inspector's son do the mitigation work is a conflict of interest

regardless of how much it cost to do. Radon mitigation work is very

competitive pricewise , in these parts. I've never heard of paying over

1/2 of the price mentioned above.

Radon is not measured in parts per billion. It has been measured in pico

curies per liter for approx. the last 100 yrs. since discovered and researched

by Madam Curie. The results of radon exposure have been documented in

underground miners for most of the last century. It has only been in the

last 10 or 15 yrs. that research revealed the same hazards can exist in

some basements. Whether a person gets sick and dies doesn't have anything

to do with getting ripped off by some shysters in the inspection and

mitigation businesses, it depends on long term exposure, in this case, to

elevated levels of radon in the home.

I hear of people getting ripped of by other unscrupulous contractors, like

roofers, but I never heard anyone debate whether a roof is actually

necessary. ( Just my opinions )