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Home»About Us»Photo Gallery»Sealing and Insulating of a Water View, VA Crawl Space

Photo Album: Sealing and Insulating of a Water View, VA Crawl Space

This homeowner in Water View, Virginia called us out to inspect possible moisture issues within their crawl space. We sent out one of our well-trained Home Performance Advisors to evaluate their situation and found that the fiberglass insulation batts were falling out of the floor joists in the crawl, which also exposed the floor joists, showing mold and mildew growth on them. We also noticed that the 6-mil vapor barrier originally installed in the crawl space was ripped in many places, exposing the crawl space to moisture rising out of the earth. This would increase the relative humidity and cause mold growth on organic materials during warmer temperatures. The final issue we spotted was efflorescence on the foundation walls of the crawl space, which occurs when moisture seeps through the porous cinderblock walls, bringing along with it the inner salts and sediments to the surface, creating a chalky, powdery substance. This crawl space would need several solutions to help it combat the outside influences of air and moisture infiltration. We drew up a proposal to help insulate and seal off the crawl space.

Mold and Mildew Growth

Mold has formed along the floor joists of this crawl space. This can occur on any organic materials in the crawl space when the relative humidity reaches over 60% during warmer temperatures. Musty odors and mold spores can find their way up into the home and irritate those with allergies and asthma.

Falling Fiberglass and Failing Vapor Barrier

This 6-mil liner originally installed in this crawl space is torn in many places, and not sealed to the walls or piers of the crawl space, which allows moisture to rise from the earth and into the area. This can increase the relative humidity of the crawl space, which can then cause mold and mildew growth, and even cause the fiberglass insulation to become too heavy and saturated with water, causing it to fall out of place.

Porous Foundation Walls and Open Vents

The walls of this crawl space are made with porous cinderblock walls, which means that moisture can seep through them and affect the relative humidity and environment of the crawl space. Open vents lining the walls are also allowing outside air and moisture to freely enter, which can also affect the environment of the crawl space.

Mold Remediation

We used an antimicrobial, called Shockwave, to eliminate mold and mildew from the floor joists of the crawl space. This solution will kill mold spores but it will not remove any staining left behind from mold or mildew growth. It is also important to note that mold can grow back if the relative humidity and environment are not controlled and regulated.

CleanSpace Vapor Barrier

Once the old liner and fiberglass insulation was removed from the crawl space, we installed a 10-mil CleanSpace Light vapor barrier over the dirt flooring. It gets wrapped and sealed around all piers and mechanically fastened on the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. This will help to protect the crawl space from any moisture rising out of the earth.

Insulating Foundation Walls and Covering Open Vents

We used closed cell spray foam to cover the foundation walls of the crawl space. At an inch and a half thickness, this spray foam will act as an air barrier and vapor retarder, giving better protection to the crawl space. We leave a two-inch viewing strip at the top for termite inspectors, and any open vents lining the walls are internally covered with foam board before we apply the spray foam.