Moisture Infiltration
Moisture seeps into the crawl space through porous block walls increasing the relative humidity.
Microbial Growth
High relative humidity and warm temperatures are all mold and mildew need to grow on the organic material in the crawl space, such as the floor joists. As a result inside the home, we might notice musty odors, high humidity, or irritated asthma or allergies.
Crawl Space Vents
Open crawl space vents were intended to let air flow through in the summer when they were open and keep cold air out in the winter when closed, but they do the opposite. Hot humid air rushes in during the summer adding to the humidity in the space and in the winter cold air leaves us with cold floors.
Vapor Barrier
A vapor barrier should protect your crawl space from the moisture in the ground beneath your home. It can't really do that if it isn't sealing your home off from the earth.
Sealed Foundation Vents
Crawl Space vents are sealed and insulated to prevent hot humid air from entering in the summer and freezing cold air from chilling the floors, and the homeowner's feet in the winter. The joists have been treated with an antimicrobial to kill the mold and mildew that was present in the space.
Spray Foam Insulation
The foundation walls are prepped for our spray foam technicians. They will apply an R-10 of closed-cell spray foam to the crawl space walls offering both an air barrier and a vapor retarder. A 2" viewing strip with be left at the top of the foundation wall per code to allow for termite inspectors to do their inspections. Our team will also insulate the rim band to reduce air and moisture infiltration. A SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier will also be installed to control the relative humidity of the space.
A Durable Vapor Barrier
A heavy-duty vapor barrier called CleanSpace is installed to seal the crawl space off from the earth's moisture. The liner is overlapped at all seams and sealed. It's attached to the foundation walls and wrapped and sealed around all piers.
