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This homeowner was having problems with high humidity in their crawlspace. After hearing about the danger of high humidity and moisture in the crawlspace, the homeowner called us to see what the problem was, but more importantly what the solution was. This crawlspace was not in bad condition at all, but as the homeowner said, the relative humidity was much higher than it should have been.
The "before" photo shows the crawlspace without any work done or products installed. While there is not water running down the middle of the crawlspace or dripping from the ceiling, this crawlspace did need to have our CleanSpace Liner installed in it.
The "after" picture shows the same area but after the transformation. Our 20 mm thick CleanSpace Liner has been installed and sealed tightly onto the walls. This seal keeps moisture from getting into the crawlspace. However, it is almost impossible to install this liner without having some gaps, no matter how small. These gaps can be around water heaters (like in the picture), columns, or pipes and do let a little bit of outside air in. This is why our crew also installed a dehumidifier to help regulate the humidity level in the crawlspace.
This was a pretty involved crawlspace encapsulation project that we worked on. While this was not the main part of the job, it was an important part of it. This was an important part because of how much groundwater was and would be able to come into the crawlspace from this large crack. Our crew had to dig all the way down to the bottom of the foundation and seal the entire area.
The "before" picture shows the hole that was dug to get to the foundation, as well as the actual crack in the foundation. Since this was not a major crack, this home did not need any major foundation work, which is why it just needed to be sealed. However, the crack was more than large enough to let in water.
The "after" picture shows what the corner looked like after our crew had sealed up the crack. As you can see, it was nothing major or something that took up a lot of room, but it was a very important part of this job. After it was sealed and the sealant dried up, this hole was filled back in and the rest of the job was completed! The inside of the crawlspace was also sealed in the same way.
The majority of the crawlspaces that we inspect and encapsulate live up to their name. Some crawlspaces the crew can crawl on their hands and knees, sometimes they have to crawl on their bellies, and sometimes the crew can even crouch or even walk! But some crawlspaces can be even tighter than making the crew crawl on their bellies. However, there are very few crawlspaces that we aren't able to encapsulate and fix. Some may need a little extra work, but nothing we can't handle.
This particular crawlspace was extremely damp and when the area would receive heavy rains the problem would get even worse. The homeowner actually noticed problems with his floors which led him to search for a company who could help out with these issues. He was able to find us through some online research and we had one of our System Design Specialists visit the home. The Specialist almost immediately knew that the home was going to quite a bit of work, and when he saw how tight some areas under the home got, he knew that we'd have to come up with a solution to reach these tight areas.
The best solution to reach those areas was for the homeowner to remove the floor/sub-floor around these areas for our crew to be able to reach the areas. While this may seem like a lot to do, this was actually the best and most cost-effective solution. The crew was able to get into the crawlspace and lay out the CleanSpace liner and completely seal up the crawlspace of this home. This project had several different products that helped to keep the moisture out of the crawlspace, but the CleanSpace was definitely the part of the project that the crew had spent the most time perfecting.
This homeowner had been dealing with a wet, unencapsulated crawlspace for quite awhile before deciding to give us a call. Fortunately enough, the crawlspace was in good enough condition that nothing too serious was going on, not yet at least. This gave the homeowner time to search for someone who he knew would take care of this issue the correct way. Through his search, he came across our website and liked what he saw!
The "before" picture shows the crawlspace when our System Design Specialist first visited the home. It wasn't in bad condition, but you can certainly see that the ground is a little damp. While that was the biggest issue, there was also quite a bit of debris on the crawlspace floor as well. Several pieces of concrete and rocks can be seen towards the front of the crawlspace.
The "after" photo shows the same area as before, but with our CleanSpace liner already installed. This can really change the look and function of the crawlspace. It looks much better than the clay floor that it had before, but also keeps moisture out of the crawlspace. The crew makes sure that the CleanSpace is sealed up completely using caulk, tape, and fasteners. We spare no expense to make sure that the CleanSpace is secured properly and keeps the moisture out of the crawlspace! This homeowner also had a dehumidifier installed in order to keep the humidity level down in the crawlspace.
We work in basements and crawlspaces in different states of disarray. Some areas we work in are completely flooded with water, while other times homeowners may just like the way that the CleanSpace looks. The great thing about our systems is that they can usually be installed no matter how good (or bad) of condition that the area may be in. However, you shouldn't judge an area just on looks, because sometimes an area may be worse off than it looks.
This particular crawlspace doesn't seem all that bad, but the moisture level was quite high. Fortunately, the owners caught the issue before any serious damage was done to their crawlspace. However, the homeowner did try and to mitigate the moisture problem before with an interior liner. Since this liner was much thinner and wasn't sealed correctly to the crawlspace wall.
The solution to the high moisture level in the crawlspace of this home was to install our CleanSpace liner along the floor and walls. The way that the crew installs the CleanSpace ensures that the entire area is sealed off. There are several different ways that the CleanSpace is sealed up, including caulk, special fasteners into the wall, and the most used is tape. The tape is used to seal the top of the liner to the wall, but its main use is to seal the sheets of CleanSpace together on the floor of the crawlspace.