Addressing Moisture Issues in a Hardyville, VA Crawl Space
Challenge
This homeowner in Hardyville, Virginia called us at The Drying Company to discuss possible issues within their crawl space and solutions to help fix them. We sent one of our Home Performance Advisors to evaluate the situation and draw up a conclusion.
Upon inspection, we noticed that their foundation walls were lined with open vents. This allows outside air and moisture to freely enter the crawl space and raise the relative humidity. Moisture can also seep its way through the porous cinderblock walls and affect the environment of the crawl space.
We also noticed that the dirt floors of the crawl space were uncovered in many places. A 6-mil vapor barrier was present in a few areas of the crawl space but there were gaps where it meets the walls and piers. With moisture rising from the earth, the relative humidity is increased and the dirt flooring becomes messy and muddy.
We then turned to the floor joists of the crawl space and found mold and mildew growth in many places. This is the result of the foundation walls and dirt floors not being insulated and sealed off from outside influence. Mold and mildew growth will occur on any organic materials when the relative humidity reaches above 60% during warm temperatures.
The last thing we noted was that the fiberglass insulation batts hanging within the floor joists were damp and delaminating. The fiberglass absorbs the moisture from the air like a sponge, which pulls apart the fibers. Eventually, with the added weight of the moisture, the fiberglass will begin to sag and fall out of place. With just a little moisture in it, the effectiveness of fiberglass insulation is greatly diminished leaving floors cold in the winter.
This crawl space was suffering from many moisture issues stemming from uninsulated and unsealed floors and walls. We wrote up a proposal that would help to rectify these issues and protect the crawl space from future problems.
Solution
The first thing we did was remove the existing vapor barrier, as well as any debris and trash littering the dirt floor, from the crawl space. Then we focused on mold remediation on all the floor joists that were affected by mold and mildew growth. An antimicrobial, called Shockwave, was applied to all affected surfaces, killing the mold.
Once the mold remediation was complete, we moved on to covering the dirt floors. We installed a 20-mil CleanSpace vapor barrier over the crawl space floor, which will protect it from the moisture rising from the earth. The liner was wrapped around all piers, mechanically fastened to the foundation walls, and sealed using a 4” vinyl tape. An antimicrobial called UltraFresh is built into the material to help prevent mold growth on the liner itself.
Once the CleanSpace was installed, we then focused our attention on the foundation walls. The first step was to cover the open vents lining the walls. Foam board insulation was placed over the vents and sealed with can foam. Then our installers covered the foundation walls with an R-10 value of closed-cell spray foam. This will act as an air barrier and vapor retarder against the outside influence and will insulate the crawl space.
The last step we took was to install a SaniDry Sedona in the crawl space. This high-performance dehumidifier helps to regulate and control the relative humidity in the crawl space while circulating dry air to all the open spaces and corners of the crawl. A hygrometer was given to the homeowner to monitor the relative humidity and temperature of their crawl space and inside their home with a base unit that can be placed anywhere in the home.
With the crawl space now sealed and insulated, the homeowner should experience a decrease in their energy bills and can have the peace of mind knowing that their crawl space is now clean and protected.
If you are experiencing any of the same moisture issues in your crawl space, then please give us a call at 1-757-566-8622. We will help to keep the outside, outside!
