Stripping Everything Before Encapsulation - Silverton, OR

When John's Waterproofing does inspections, one of the first things we take into account is the ensuring all the insulation and vapor barriers are in good condition. In most cases, we find the the fiberglass insulation is falling from the sub-floor and the vapor barriers are crumpled up and exposing the dirt beneath. When we do a full encapsulation the first thing we do is remove those exact things. But, for many homeowners, they don't understand why we have to completely remove them. Fiberglass insulation is the foam material that typically is attached to the sub-floor and around HVAC systems to offer insulation. It is one of the oldest methods of insulation and has been proven not to last when exposed to any outdoor elements. Over time, as moisture seeps into the crawl space, that fiberglass insulation absorbs the moisture in the air causing it to deteriorate. In extreme cases, this is also the root to many mold and mildew problems. By removing all the fiberglass that is sagging and no longer serving its purpose to properly insulate, then we can replace it with our TerraBlock insulation foam that is designed to completely keep water and moisture out. It also improves the homes energy efficiency because TerraBlock is installed along the base of the crawl space versus the sub-floor. This means it can control the environment, regulating temperatures in the crawl space, so that your home doesn't have to exhaust its heating and cooling to keep up with outside temperature changes. Adding to that, it's the same reason we take out a damaged vapor barrier that exposes the earth beneath the home. This is because it offers no protection against the changing environments outside and homeowners end up spending more money on energy costs. Plus, it helps make the crawl space a clean and fresh environment before we start installing our full encapsulation to protect against water damage.