Crawl Space Vents
Open crawl space vents allow hot humid air to flood into the crawl space and become trapped in warmer months. During colder months, frigid air rushes in leaving us with cold floors and drafts.
Falling Fiberglass Insulation
Fiberglass insulation absorbs moisture like a sponge. This causes it to become heavy and sag, eventually, with the help of gravity, it falls from the floors. You may also notice that the insulation will look like it's "dripping" from the floor, this is a result of a process called delamination, where the moisture causes the fibers to pull away from one another.
Exposed Ground (L) & Vapor Barrier (R)
The Vapor barrier in this crawl space doesn't even cover the entire floor, however, that's not uncommon at all! Even if the entire ground was covered, 6-mil barriers are laid out without being sealed and are often displaced, ripped, and deteriorated allowing moisture from the earth to rise into the crawl space and contribute to the damp environment.
Vapor Barrier
After the crawl space is cleaned out, and the microbial growth is treated, a new vapor barrier is installed. The liner is rolled out, overlapped, and sealed at all seams. It is attached to the foundation walls and wrapped and sealed around all piers. This seals the crawl space off from the earth's moisture.
Air Seal
The crawl space is air sealed by insulating the sill plate, that's where the first piece of wood meets the block foundation and it's a big source of moisture infiltration. We also seal around all penetrations through the foundation wall to the outside. Sealing these gaps makes a big difference in controlling air and moisture entering the space. We want to keep as much moisture out of the space as possible so the dehumidifier can run efficiently and keep the space dry to prevent future damage to the space.
Insulating Foundation Walls
The walls are prepped for our Spray Foam Technicians to come in. The silver strip at the top of the wall ensures we provide a clean viewing strip for termite inspections, our technicians will spray up to that strip.
Mold & Mildew on Floor Joists
On the floor joists and subfloor, microbial growth has occurred. This is a result of high relative humidity and warm temperatures. Mold or mildew needs organic material as a food source, in a crawl space, this is usually the floor joists, subfloor, and paper backing of fiberglass insulation. Inside the home, homeowners may notice musty odors or irritating asthma and allergies (approximately 50% of the air inside your home comes from the crawl space).
Mice Tunnels & Nests in Insulation
Critters and pests love to make their homes in crawl spaces. They are dark, damp, and generally safe spaces for them. Fiberglass insulation is commonplace for mice to make their nests as it offers warmth and protection.
