Wet foundation footing in crawl space

Question

I am cleaning out my crawl space so I can get it encapsulated. I was thinking of putting up foam board insulation on the foundation walls to help make heating and cooling the space more efficient. But one corner of the foundation footing seems to always appear wet. I'm trying to figure out if that is something to be concerned about. I'm not even sure why that area is wet.

My concrete driveway runs against the house along this side. I do have an issue with pooling water on the driveway which is being addressed right now, but that spot is probably 20 feet down the driveway from this area. It also hasn't rained in over a week, but it still appears wet.

There are also some sort of pins that stick out every couple feet, not sure what the purpose of those are or if it's safe to cut if I put up insulation boards. I'd like to make it a conditioned space to isolate it from the ground and to make it better for storage. My workstation is also in the basement against a wall between my living space and the crawlspace, so I can really feel the cold in the winter. Here are some pictures.

Wet Footing

Wet Footing

Close up of footing

Close up of footing

Close up of pin

Answer 1

Something must have been fastened to the concrete at some stage. You can cut them off.

Answer 2

Cheapest solution: Only isolate the ceiling and keep the place aired. Do not put isolation on the walls!

To isolate the walls:

You need a moisture meter to meter how wet the wall is. Usually concrete is moisture resistant. It looks as if the concrete wall has been built on an older foundation.

If the concrete itself is dry you might can seal the wet places from the inside with special paint.

Perfect solution: Dig up the outside, drain the water (drainage pipes & gravel, drainage stones), put the water resisting paint on the outside, put the isolation on the outside (between wall and drainage stones). Make a floor out of concrete in the inside to avoid humidity coming up, if you want to close the space and air cannot circle anymore.

Professional advice on-site avoids expensive mistakes here, as not everything is visible on photos.