Crawl Space Repair Case Studies: Installing CleanSpace in Magnolia, NC

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 by Mary White

Challenge

Melvin, of Magnolia, NC, had recently been made aware of a problem in his crawl space. He perceived that the crawl space was the source, after ruling out other areas of the home. Melvin had been experiencing water coming into his laundry room. Though he didn’t understand why this was happening, he knew that it needed attention soon. Reaching out with a phone call to Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repair, Melvin took action.

On the day of the appointment, Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair inspector R.J. Bailey arrived and made his way to Melvin’s crawl space. One of the first visibly noticeable issues was the fallen insulation. Moisture content in the home’s wood joists and beams were quite high, and mold had begun to form in some areas. The old wooden crawl space door had begun to rot, and had long since kept moisture and air out of the crawl space. The relative humidity of the crawl space measured at almost 79%, and water stood in some areas. R.J. determined that an encapsulation would provide the best solution, and should also eliminate any leaking that the homeowner had been facing. Melvin agreed and asked that Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair perform the encapsulation.

Solution

When Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair arrived to begin the project, they begun by assessing the area and the prep work that would be needed to begin. First they had to remove a significant amount of debris and fallen insulation, but once that was completed, they began with the encapsulation. Then, they started by installing a SmartSump, a pump that collects and contains crawl space moisture. A Discharge line was then added to transport water away from the crawl space outdoors, and a Lawnscape outlet was installed at the other end for draining.

Next, they sealed the crawl space off completely from the ground, eliminating its influence. This is accomplished by covering the walls and floors of the crawl space, which had previously been a large source of the wet environment. First they addressed the crawl space entryway, replacing the old, rotten door with a newly fashioned, custom-made door for Melvin’s crawl space. Next, the crew began to line the crawl space walls with SilverGlo, another ultimate product of Basement Systems. SilverGlo has a graphite composition that insulates 24% better than traditional foam insulation, and on the outside, it has a surface that serves as a radiant barrier, forcing heat back into the crawl space, and saving energy for the homeowner. This also ensures that the transfer of moisture into the crawl space from outer walls would now be eliminated. Then, all crawl space vents were sealed, giving the dehumidifier even better control over the crawl space’s humidity.

We then began the installation of our 20mil-thick CleanSpace liner, a bright-white durable plastic that serves as a barrier between the crawl space and the dirt below. By applying the CleanSpace and sealing off the ground, we ensure that mold and rot will never again invade this homeowner’s crawl space.

Finally, the team had to install a system that would automatically control the relative humidity of the crawl space all year long. By installing our high-efficiency Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier, Southeast can keep the area free from problem-causing moisture 24/7.

After a cleanup and final inspection of their work, the project was completed. Melvin was pleased and grateful for a job thoroughly performed in his crawl space, and was happy that he would never again experience water coming into his laundry room, or face other moisture issues now that his crawl space was fully protected.