Home Health Photo Album: Major Crawl Space Transformation in Corvallis, OR
This crawl space was experiencing every kind of water issue possible after a heavy rainy season. There was standing water, falling fiberglass insulation, and exposed dirt underneath their home. All these effects can have a significant negative impact on the structural integrity of your home and impact the quality of air you are breathing in the living spaces. A long-term solution to keeping water out of the crawl space and keeping your home as healthy as possible is by encapsulating. An encapsulation in the crawl space begins by installing a drainage system. This helps to prevent standing water in the crawl space by giving it a safe passageway to flow through. We install a perforated pipe along the interior perimeter and connect it to a SuperSump Plus sump pump. The sump pump takes all the water and safely pushes it out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. With these two working together, water won't be able to flood into the crawl space. Then we installed TerraBlock. This thick insulation foam creates a barrier between the earth beneath and the home. It is designed to control the crawl space's environment, which as a result, helps to improve energy efficiency. With the separation TerraBlock provides, your home's heating/cooling systems don't have to work as hard to keep up with the changing climate and the crawl space can stay at almost the same temperature year round. Then, we install a CleanSpace vapor barrier. This is what actually isolates the crawl space and keeps water from seeping through. We install it up the foundation walls, along the base, and between the concrete footing and wooden posts. A SaniDry dehumidifier is installed to regulate the humidity levels by pulling moisture out of the air. The last step of this process will be applying Spray Foam to the foundation walls that will completely insulate and air seal the space. After this is all completed, the crawl space won't experience water getting in and having negative affects on the home or its occupants' health.
Falling Fiberglass Insulation and Exposed Dirt.
The exposed dirt from a damaged vapor barrier allows for water to get into the crawl space and once it evaporates it creates an excess moisture in the air. That moisture causes the fiberglass to sag, negating it purpose of insulating the home.
Standing Water.
Any kind of standing water in the crawl space can cause structural damage to the home from mold and mildew growth or rotting the wooden posts supporting the home.
CleanSpace Vapor Barrier.
The CleanSpace vapor barrier is a 20 mil thick liner that protects against water from being able to seep into the crawl space.
SuperSump Plus Sump Pump.
This sump pump takes any water collected from the drainage system and safely pushes it out and away from the homes foundation to keep the crawl space dry.
SaniDry Dehumidifier.
The SaniDry is what helps keep a healthy environment by filtering the air from moisture or particles that can get into the air we breathe inside the home.
