Sealing off a Toano, VA Crawl Space from Moisture

Challenge

This homeowner contacted us to address their concerns about water getting into their crawl space. Bulk water, high humidity and moisture are a concern in crawl spaces because when the temperatures are warm, microbial growth can occur on organic materials such as your wood floor joists or the paper backing on fiberglass insulation. It can also result in musty odors in your home, and poor indoor air quality.

Solution

To address the water entering this crawl space, we installed an interior drainage system around the perimeter of the crawl space that fed to the SmartSump, a 1/3 hp sump pump that discharges to a spot designated by the homeowner on their property. Next, we installed the CleanSpace Vapor Barrier sealing it to the walls and piers. The vapor barrier is sealed on the crawl space walls, leaving a 2-inch viewing strip for termite inspections. All vents are sealed with foamboard insulation and foam around the edges to minimize the air carrying moisture entering the crawl space.

At this point, we would typically install insulation on the crawl space walls to better control the temperature in the crawl space, however this homeowner decided they wanted to keep the insulation in the floor joists at this time. We then installed a Sanidry Sedona Dehumidifier with condensate pump and Hygrometer. The SaniDry Sedona will cut on when the relative humidity (RH) in the crawl space rises to the percentage set on the Dehumidifier, about 55% RH. We want to keep the RH below 60%. The Hygrometer will allow the homeowner to monitor the temperature and relative humidity in their crawl space and their home, letting them know that everything is working properly in the crawl space.