Does Your Crawl Space Look Like This? Encapsulate It! - Bellingham, WA
Challenge
This homeowner checked their crawl space and found water puddling. They didn't know what that meant for the health of their home and wanted a professional to come and check it out. They called John's Waterproofing and wanted more information on the impacts and what to do to stop this from continuing. Over time if water stays in the crawl space, it begins to evaporate and get into the fiberglass insulation. This causes the fiberglass to fall, negating its purpose of properly insulating the home. In order to offer a long-term solution to the water issues in the crawl space, they agreed that a full encapsulation would be necessary.
Solution
What is an encapsulation? An encapsulation is the process of sealing the earth off from the home and controlling the crawl space's environment. Over time, this protects the home against water and moisture damage, while also helping with energy efficiency. The control of the environment helps to maintain the temperature of the crawl space floor so your heating and cooling systems don't have to work as hard to keep up with the outside air constantly changing. Thus, saving you money on energy costs. When we begin an encapsulation it's important to have a fresh start and remove all the falling fiberglass insulation and deteriorated vapor barrier. To solve the water issue, we install a drainage system using a perforated pipe and attaching it to a TripleSafe sump pump. This system is designed to securely collect water and provide it a safe passageway to flow through. Once the water reaches the sump pump, then it can be pushed out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. Then we install TerraBlock. TerraBlock is a 3/4 in. thick insulation foam that is installed along the crawl space floor. This is what really helps with energy efficiency because it separates the earth from the home. It provides moisture protection and is puncture-resistant. On top of the insulation foam, we install a CleanSpace vapor barrier. This 20 mil thick liner is inserted between the footing and wooden posts and attached to the foundation rim joist up the walls. It ensures that no moisture will be able to seep through into the crawl space. In order to completely air seal the space, we apply Spray Foam along the foundation walls. This is made of a material that expands to fit into each crevice to air seal and insulate. The last step in the encapsulation process is installing the SaniDry dehumidifier. This is important because it works to pull the excess moisture out of the air. After everything is completed, now the homeowner gets to enjoy all the benefits of a dry and healthy crawl space.
