Signs That Your Crawl Space Needs an Encapsulation - Snohomish, WA
Challenge
Doing an encapsulation on your crawl space helps keep it dry and healthy. This is important because if you have a wet crawl space that creates an environment for mold to grow, wood to rot, and increases humidity levels. It's easy to just look into your crawl space and see if there is a moisture issue if you see water. But what about if you don't see any water, then how can you tell your crawl space might need an encapsulation? At John's Waterproofing we train our crew to know exactly what to look for when inspecting crawl spaces to ensure that every crawl space is in the best condition possible.
Solution
The most obvious sign that your crawl space would benefit from an encapsulation is if you see standing water. Any kind of puddling over top of the vapor barrier shows that there is water intrusion and a drainage system with a new vapor barrier is necessary. Another sign there is water issues is from falling fiberglass insulation. This sign isn't as obvious because you might just think your fiberglass is old and needs to be changed. But, actually this results in too much moisture in the air and high humidity levels. Once standing water begins to evaporate, it gets into the air and raises the humidity. It gets absorbed by the fiberglass insulation which causes it to become loose and sag from the sub-floor. It's important to get this fixed because this loose insulation is perfect for mold and mildew to grow and spread rapidly. Another indicator that there is a water issue is if the vapor barrier is covered in dirt and debris. This shows that water had seeped through over top the barrier, evaporated, and left the dirt from outside stuck to the vapor barrier. These outside minerals can cause significant damage to the vapor barrier and result in it ripping and exposing the earth beneath. Finally, one last common sign that your crawl space is experiencing water issues is if the wooden posts appear distorted or discolored at the base. This means that water has seeped all the way up to the wooden posts on the concrete footing and absorbed the water. Over time this water causes the wood to rot and destabilize so the home is no longer fully supported. There are many signs that indicate your crawl space has water issues and being able to detect them early is crucial to preserve the structural integrity of your home by getting an encapsulation and stopping the water intrusion.
