Before & After Photos

We went out on a call from a property manager in Sea Girt, NJ who owned a condominium complex. The property manager mentioned that the dehumidifiers in the basement of his complex needed an upgrade. The current dehumidifiers he had were too small to properly treat the areas needed and they kept malfunctioning. A dehumidifier is a great air treatment solution for removing excess moisture around your home and protecting it from damaging mold. Dehumidifiers can help relieve allergy symptoms as well as lung and respiratory symptoms. The fact that the dehumidifiers kept malfunctioning and weren't large enough to properly service the room, made them useless.

First, we inspected the current dehumidifiers to make sure there wasn't any damage to the outputs or wiring. Once we confirmed there wasn't we replaced all three dehumidifiers with commercial grade Sani-dry Sedona dehumidifiers. These dehumidifiers are perfect for commercial properties. They cost less to run than other dehumidifiers, cover over 3000 square feet and are energy efficient. What's the main difference between commercial and residential dehumidifiers? Commercial dehumidifiers can remove up to 160 pints of moisture, while most residential dehumidifiers remove up to 70 pints. Not to mention, commercial dehumidifiers operate in temperatures as low as 33° F and are constructed out of durable steel parts versus plastic materials in a residential dehumidifier. Lastly, residential dehumidifiers have a pan or bucket that you must manually empty once it's full of dehumidified water. With commercial dehumidifiers, the water is drained into a sump pump. If there is no sump pump present than we use a condensation pump to pump the water into a sink or outside the property. 

Two of the dehumidifiers were in rooms that were back-to-back. We are able to place the water evacuation tube (which filters the water out of a dehumidifier) from the dehumidifiers into a commercial utility sink. As for the other dehumidifier, we were able to use the existing condensation pump that was in perfect working condition. Now the rooms can be treated properly! 

Recently, we went on a service call for a homeowner in SeaGirt, NJ who had an issue with moisture in his crawl space. Moisture can seep into the crawl space through poor circulation or from the foundation walls and can lead to a number of problems, such as mold and mildew growth. As much as 40% of breathable air in your home comes up through the crawl space. Which means if mold exists in your crawl space, the unhealthy air circulating through your home can cause health problems for your family.

Once we arrived we began our inspection in the crawl space and discovered that the wooden door leading into the crawl space was rotted, damaged, and not closing properly. This was allowing not just moisture into the crawl space, but pests as well. Crawl spaces can also become a dwelling for pests if not properly maintained. Once pests enter your crawl space, they can follow heated air ducts, water pipes, and electrical wiring into your home and cause additional health issues. 

Continuing our inspection we noticed that homeowner had a dirt floor crawl space and there was an excessive amount of garbage and debris scattered throughout the crawl space. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture. When the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise in your home. After a thorough inspection, we determined that this was the cause of the moisture build-up in the crawl space.   

The best treatment to remove the moisture from the crawl space is to install a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a super-durable, 20-mil 7-ply plastic sheet material made up of high and low-density polyethylene with polyester-cord reinforcement. The vapor barrier resists the passage of air and by stopping air movement from the ground, it can also turn your crawl space into a semi-conditioned space – one that is close to the temperature of the living spaces above. When that occurs, your floors feel warmer in winter and your energy bills go down.

First, we removed all the sharp rocks and debris, which may puncture the insulating plastic, from the crawl space and then graded the ground to create a leveled surface. Next, we anchored the vapor barrier to the walls and placed it on the floor. We also installed an Everlast™ door to replace the damaged wooden door. An Everlast™ door is made from ½-in.-thick PVC plastic that will never warp, crack, shrink, require maintenance or painting and will prevent any unwanted pests and moisture from entering the crawl space.

With the new vapor barrier and everlasting door in place, the moisture levels in the crawl space are greatly reduced which will prevent mold and foul odors from growing and forming.

The Cowleys nuisance wildlife crew was sent to this home in Atlantic Highlands, NJ to handle the exclusion work following a wildlife infestation in the attic. The wildlife access points were around the PVC roof vents caused by deterioration of the surrounding vent boots. We arrived to do the repair work to fix the problem.

Vent boots encase the PVC vent pipes that stick out of your roof. When doing repairs around vent pipe flashing after wildlife entry, homeowners sometimes ask us why their home even has these mysterious vent pipes since they seem like nothing but trouble.

These pipes are part of your plumbing system, or what plumbers call you drain-waste-vent (DWV) system, At the risk of oversimplification, this system has three major parts. The “D” stands for drainpipes, the pipes that collect water from sinks, showers, tubs, and your appliances like your dishwasher and washing machine. The “W” stands for waste pipes, the pipes that remove water and waste from your toilets. All of these pipes connect to the municipality’s sewer line or your septic system. The “V” stands for the vent pipes that stick out of your roof. Building codes require at least one of them.

Vent pipes have two important functions for your plumbing system. First, they equalize pressure in the pipes by allowing air to enter so that the liquid flows freely. (Just think what happens if you put your thumb over a straw immediately after you suck in liquid or if you try to pour liquid out of a can without a second air hole. Without air in the system, water doesn’t flow well.) Second, these vent pipes remove or exhaust sewer gases that are produced and collected from the decomposition of wastes in the sewage system. Sewer gas contains a number of nasty gases including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia that are flammable, poisonous, and just plain stink. These vents are put high up on your roof so that the sewer gas is not pulled back into the home through the windows or attic. 

So, if all that’s too much information, the short answer is that you need those vent pipes sticking out of your roof for your plumbing system to work. Unfortunately, even though these vent pipes are essential, they are also rank up there as one of the most common causes of roof leaks. In addition, the PVC vent areas are vulnerable to wildlife like raccoons that can tear through the vent flashing to gain access to the attic. 

To help prevent leaks and give some added protection against wildlife entry, vent boots seal the area where the pipes come out. Unfortunately, vent boots often don’t last the life of the roof. Because they’re usually made out of rubber, over time, the sun and the outdoor elements will cause them to rot. With this home, the vent boots had deteriorated to the point where they were gone completely, leaving entry points for water intrusions and for pests and wildlife to gain access inside the home.

These homeowners in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, were having problems with squirrels “squirreling” their way into their attic. They were tired of dealing with these periodic squirrel infestations into their home, and contacted Cowleys in the hopes of finding a long-term solution. We had the perfect answer for them! 

Our contractor division installed CritterProof, a critter protection product manufactured by Leaf Supreme, a leading designer of gutter protection systems. CritterProof is specifically designed to cover the fascia gap and exclude various wildlife that often makes their way onto the roof and into the attic. The most common “attic invaders” that we see time and time again here in New Jersey are squirrels, raccoons, and bats. Mice also find their way into the attic, but usually they first enter the home through the basement or crawl space. 

CritterProof is a protective system that stops wildlife from chewing and clawing their way through the delicate fascia boards to gain access to the soffit area and, ultimately, where the attic. For wildlife, attics are the perfect refuge to escape the harsh outdoor elements and they make for a wonderful nesting area to care for their young. After all, attics are warm, quiet, private, and free from the preying eyes of predators.  

A home’s soffit/fascia area is one of the more common routes we see for wildlife to gain entry. CritterProof’s unique adjustable design provides custom coverage of the fascia gap while still maintaining critical attic ventilation. CritterProof is available in black, white, and other colors by special order.

Recently Middletown Township, NJ homeowners contacted Cowleys after noticing some debris coming out from the drop ceiling in their finished basement. Upon arrival, I immediately went into the basement to inspect. I popped out the tile and immediately noticed that something had been chewing on the tile itself. I had a strong suspicion that this homeowner had a mouse infestation. After entering the home through gaps and cracks around the foundation, they will make their way through wall voids or travel on top of drop ceilings to forage for food and water. We see a substantial uptick of mouse infestations when temperatures drop and mice attempt to gain access inside our homes to overwinter to escape the harsh outdoor elements and forage for food and water. 

Mice, as all rodents, have incisor teeth that constantly grow. To keep them at a reasonable length, they will gnaw on almost anything they can get their teeth around as well as grind their teeth as a way of slowing their growth. While inspecting the sill plate, I found the tell-tale sign of mice — the rice-like droppings they leave behind.  Adjacent to this area, I noticed several wires going to the outside with a noticeable gap around them, allowing mice to enter. Gaps around pipes and wires entering the home are one of the more common entry points for rodents.  

I vacuumed up the toxic droppings and then placed a rodent bait station on the sill plate. Mice will follow the same trail, so placing bait stations in their pathway is highly effective to reduce their populations. I temporarily sealed the gap around the wires using chew-proof copper mesh. The homeowners informed me that they would have their contractor permanently seal the gap with stucco to prevent a re-infestation. With mouse infestations, to permanently resolve the issue and prevent re-infestations, it is essential to locate and seal all of the potential entry points around the home.