Crawl Space Products Case Studies: Encapsulating a Crawl Space in Goldsboro, NC

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 by Mary White

Challenge

Margaret, of Goldsboro, NC, had known for a while that she had problems in her crawl space. She had called Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair in the past for an inspection, but just wasn’t quite ready to do the job. More recently, she had noticed that her high moisture problems had gotten worse and she knew they were stemming from her crawl space. Remembering that any work done beneath her home is also an investment into the life of her home, she decided to act and have her entire crawl space encapsulated.

Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair owner Christopher Reeves arrived on the day of the appointment to reassess the crawl space situation, which had seen no tremendous change. Chris noticed that air and water were able to flow freely into the crawl space, causing high humididty and moisture issues to be the cause for concern. Joists and beams were dry-rotted and mold had taken over. Debris covered the crawl space floor and in many places, there were standing puddles.

Solution

Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repair removed multiple loads of insulation were removed along with miscellaneous debris in the crawl space. Next, they replaced the home’s rim joists, which were in terrible shape from rot and mold. This would add stability to the foundational wall in addition to cleaning up the perimeter, which was wet and rotting. The team then applied Mold-X2 on the joists and beams of the crawl space, which is amazingly designed to completely rid surfaces of mold stains in just 20 seconds.

We began by installing our SuperSump, a pump that collects and contains crawl space moisture that is redirected to its tank. Then, they installed an EZ-Flow drainage system, a discharge line, and a Lawnscape outlet to redirect any flowing moisture outside of the crawl space.

Needing to seal off the crawl space from the earth, next they addressed its floors and walls. Many older homes are built with block wall foundations, which typically allow permeation of moisture, adding yet another means for the crawl space to become a damp environment.

Next, the we sealed each and every crawl space vent, enabling the dehumidifier to gain complete control of the relative humidity in the crawl space, without the intrusion of outside air and moisture. A crawl space door was custom-made and fashioned for Margaret’s crawl space, helping to further seal out air and moisture. They then insulated the crawl space walls with SilverGlo, a high-performance insulation product. With its graphite-infused interior and its outer radiant barrier, it insulates 24% better than traditional foam insulation, and causes heat to continuously be reflected back into the crawlspace, saving homeowners money. This would stop the transfer of moisture into Margaret’s crawl space from the surrounding walls.

We then installed our effective polyethylene drainage matting, for directing water to our SuperSump system. The 10mil-thick CleanSpace liner was layered on top of the drainage matting, creating a bright white barrier between the dirt floor and Margaret’s crawl space. This barrier will help seal out moisture, saving her crawl space from the return of mold and rot.

Finally, not only did we need to block as much moisture as possible from entering Margaret’s crawl space, but we also had to be able to control the relative humidity. By installing our high-efficiency Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier, we can ensure that the humidity of the crawl space stays at a controlled level, preventing mold growth and moisture build-up. In addition, keeping the crawl space air dry ensures that when air rises into the home, it will also be dry, helping to control the inner home environment as well.

Margaret was excited to learn that the job was complete, and was elated that she would no longer have to worry about the harmful effects of rot and mold plaguing her crawl space and invading the air within her home.