Mold & Mildew
The white spots on the wood are microbial growth. Sometimes you'll see black or brownish spots as well. This growth occurs on organic material when temperatures are warm and the relative humidity is about 60% or higher.
Signs of Crawl Space Moistre
One thing we often see in crawl spaces that have been impacted by moisture is these rusty rods. They are the rods that are used to hold the fiberglass between the floor joists. As the insulation absorbs moisture, it holds it against the rods and they rust, eventually they break, no longer supporting the insulation which falls from between the floors.
Falling Insulation
Even before rods rust and break, moisture is causing damage to the fiberglass under your floors. Once it's damp, the effectiveness of your insulation diminishes. In addition, the moisture causes the material to delaminate, pulling apart from itself and falling away causing it to look like it's dripping. The added weight of the moisture also contributes to the sagging of the bats.
Moisture Infiltration & Vapor Barriers
This 6-mil vapor barrier doesn't fully cover the ground and isn't sealed allowing moisture from the earth to rise into the crawl space, contributing to the damage we've seen. In addition, we can also see staining on the walls that tells us moisture is rising into the space or working its way through the walls into the space.
Air Sealing
The crawl space vents have been sealed and insulated. The sill plate and all outside penetrations have been air-sealed, next our spray foam technicians will apply closed-cell spray foam to the rim band to seal and insulate.
Insulating with Spray Foam
With the liner installed, closed-cell spray foam can now be applied to the foundation walls extending the thermal boundary of the home to the floor of the crawl space. This will help keep the floors warmer and address the drafts that were making the homeowner uncomfortable.
Microbial Treatment
The wood joists are treated with an antimicrobial that kills microbial growth.
CleanSpace Vapor Barrier
A 10-mil CleanSpace Vapor Barrier lines the crawl space floor. All seams are overlapped and sealed with vinyl tape. The liner is wrapped and sealed around all piers and runs up the foundation walls about 6 inches above outside grade.
