Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Vapor Retarder Up or Down in this Crawl Space?

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davefinn
10-18-05, 09:43 AM
I have a 5-foot crawl space with crushed rock for a floor. It is ventilated to the outside, and not heated. Several times a year I get enough water under there for my sump pump to kick off.

I'm in New England so heating season greatly outweighs cooling season.

When I bought the place I noticed the insulation above the crawl space was installed between the joists with the vapor barrier down, and then they stretched a poly sheet over it. Of course there was condensation above the poly and damage to the insulation. I stripped it all out and gave the wood the summer to dry off. I see no damage to the wood and now need to re-insulate.

1 - Should I install faced insulation, forcing the facing up against the underside of the sub-floor?

2 - I assume I should leave the exposed part of the insulation open to the crawl-space air. Is this correct? Even though it's a very damp space?

Any advice is appreciated.