Crawl Space Moisture
Moisture seeps through porous foundation walls, rises from the earth, and flows in through foundation vents during hot humid months, and wet seasons.
Mold and Mildew in the Crawl Space
Microbial growth on floor joists, the paper backing of fiberglass insulation, and any other organic material in the crawl space is a result of high relative humidity and warm temperatures. Ultimately, this impacts the indoor air quality of the home as approximately 50% of the air inside your home comes from the crawl space as explained by the stack effect.
Damaged Crawl Space Insulation
Fiberglass insulation absorbs moisture like a sponge. As it gets wet, its r-value depreciates, the moisture causes the fibers to pull apart from each other and the added weight results in sagging and falling insulation.
Crawl Space Repair
All the damage in this crawl space is a result of high relative humidity caused by moisture infiltration. But, the damage doesn't stop in the crawl space. In the home, our clients are seeing symptoms such as cold floors, musty odors (from microbial growth below), high humidity, and drafts.
CleanSpace Vapor Barrier
CleanSpace is a heavy-duty vapor barrier, it is rolled out, wrapped and sealed around all piers, overlapped and sealed at all seams, and attached to the foundation walls about 6 inches above outside grade. We install the liner above outside grade so that any moisture from the earth that works its way through the foundation wall is directed underneath the liner. We'll then apply insulation to the foundation walls.
Spray Foam Insulation
Spray Foam Insulation is applied to the foundation walls. Insulating from the foundation walls extends the thermal envelope of the home to the floor of the crawl space helping to make floors warmer, bringing HVAC and plumbing into the thermal envelope of the home, and helping to reduce energy bills.
Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Dehumidifying the crawl space is the last step in controlling the environment and preventing future mold and mildew growth. The unit only cuts on when the humidity in the crawl space reaches the setting on the unit and a hygrometer is provided so that the homeowner can monitor the humidity and temperature of the crawl space from inside their home.
Crawl Space Vapor Barrier
Traditional, 6-mil vapor barriers like this one are laid out without being sealed and are often tacked in place using U-shaped stakes which create holes in the liner. Gaps are left in the liner at seams, walls, and around piers, and over time as service persons enter the space to work and critters move through your crawl space and make their homes, the liner becomes displaced further exposing the earth and its moisture to the crawl space.
Crawl Space Air Sealing
The vents, rim band, sill plate, and all penetrations through the foundation wall to the outside are sealed. We want to stop as much air and moisture infiltration as possible so that the dehumidifier can do the rest of the work in keeping the relative humidity within an allowable range. Without air sealing the crawlspace, installing a dehumidifier would be like trying to dehumidify the outdoors, it would run constantly in warmer, humid months, and wear out the unit because of hot, humid air would constantly be flooding in through openings in the crawl space.
