Full Crawl Space Encapsulation - Cascade Locks, OR

The basement and crawl space of this home are separated by an Internal Footing Pony Wall. The homeowner had noticed water leaking into both the basement and the crawl space for many years. Because of this, she has been unable to use both spaces for storage of anything of actual importance. She called on the Waterproofing Experts here at John's for help, and we quickly got her on our schedule with our Design Specialist. When the specialist arrived at her home, he thoroughly inspected the basement and crawl space. He found evidence of water intrusion, and created a Job Proposal for the homeowner, that offered expert solutions to mediate water intrusion and damage. He approached the homeowner, thoughtfully explained his findings, as well as his customized professional solutions. He offered the homeowner the absolute most effective and permanent waterproofing solution - a Full Encapsulation of the crawl space. This would mean creating a 100% air-tight seal inside of the space, using high-quality waterproofing components. Fully Encapsulating the space was imperative, as many years of water intrusion had started to erode the soil supporting the foundation of the home, which could eventually lead to structural collapse. Additionally, because of the wet conditions of the crawl space, the air quality was poor and unhealthy. This is a serious problem, not only for the crawl space, but also the inside of the home, because 40% of inside air comes from your crawl space. Therefore, a healthy space beneath your feet, does in fact create a healthy air environment inside of your home. The homeowner was pleased to be offered such an effective and permanent solution, so she signed the Job Proposal, and we scheduled her Encapsulation.

Our crew arrived, ready to waterproof her crawl space. First, they dug a shallow trench directly up against the exterior of the back side of the concrete foundation wall outside of the crawl space. Inside of the trench, they laid down 3" Perforated Piping, to collect all water before it could enter the crawl space. Next, they covered the Piping tightly with TremDrain Matting, to relieve hydrostatic pressure against the foundation wall, and to ensure that all water flowed down the Piping, and into the discharge line to be expelled safely away from the home. This exterior step is usually not necessary, but because this crawl space was at the bottom of a steep downward slope, our Design Specialist decided that preventing water intrusion into the space entirely was the best way to protect the home. With the exterior drainage installed, they began work inside of the crawl space. First, they laid TerraBlock Foam Insulation down on the ground inside the space. TerraBlock is durable and thick, and provides excellent crawl space insulation. Directly on top of the TerraBlock, and up onto the walls, they placed our 20 Mil CleanSpace Vapor Barrier Liner, which is interlaced with carbon fibers to prevent rodent damage, and is warrantied for 25 years against rips and tears. CleanSpace is bright and white, and an extremely effective barrier against moisture and vapor penetration. It combines 7-layers of high and low density polyethylene, making it suitable for walking on, and useful as storage space. Next, our crew cut a perfect hole into the TerraBlock and CleanSpace, to install a SmartDrain Canister and Alarm, at the lowest point inside of the crawl space. If water ever enters the space, or if a plumbing leak occurs, it will reach the SmartDrain, which will immediately set off a loud alarm - alerting the homeowner to water in the space before substantial damage could occur. The SmartDrain is battery operated, so that even in the event of a power outage, it will not lose its ability to function. Incase of any additional water intrusion, our crew installed a Full WaterGuard System along the basement side of the Pony Wall that separates the crawl space and basement. Once water is collected in this, it will be routed to a TripleSafe Sump Pump, to be immediately expelled away from the home via a discharge line. Our TripleSafe Sump Pump is a 3-pump-in-1 system, where each pump is activated if the one before it fails, or cannot handle the volume of incoming water. Additionally, to control the relative humidity in the space, we installed a SaniDry Dehumidifier, to maintain the air quality at a safe level. To provide electricity to both the TripleSafe and the SaniDry, our Electrical Division installed a dedicated circuit for the 24/7 operation of each machine. Within the crawl space, we than sealed the vents shut with custom-cut rigid plastic, to prevent all rodents, debris, and air from entering the space. The final step in the Encapsulation was installing the Spray Foam Insulation onto the foundation walls. The crawl space of this home is now Fully Encapsulated, and is protected from the devastating affects of water intrusion and damage.