Creating a Dry Crawl Space - Saint Helens- OR
Challenge
When water enters the crawl space, it can lead to a multitude of issues for homeowners. Some of these issues include: weakening of structural integrity, higher energy bills, rodent and pest activity and poor air quality. The longer a homeowner waits to fix crawl space issues, the more extensive these issues will be. This homeowner reached out to John's Waterproofing after noticing a spike in their energy bill and a musty smell throughout the home. The air in the crawl space rises up into the home, so if the crawl space has issues, so will the air the homeowner is breathing. Water causes dampness which damages insulation making it lose its effectiveness causing energy bills to become more expensive. John's Waterproofing sent out one of our system design specialists to perform a free estimate and inspection.
Solution
After the inspection, the system design specialist and the homeowner met to discuss the solution, they decided on an encapsulation for this crawl space. An encapsulation is the process of sealing the home from the earth. To begin this project our team goes in and removes all the old insulation and debris to clear the space. Next, we dig a trench around the interior perimeter of the crawl space to then lay down a perforated pipe in a silt sock, and this secures a safe passage for water to drain to the TripleSafe sump pump at the lowest point. Our team also installs a discharge line outside to ensure water drains away from the foundation. This discharge line is connected to our LawnScape Outlet that has a removable lid to clean out dirt and debris that may enter. Then, our team installs our TerraBlock system that is placed directly on the dirt floor of the crawl space creating a insulated barrier between the home and the earth. Our CleanSpace system is installed on top of our TerraBlock, and goes up the foundation walls up to the rim joists. All of the vents in this crawl space are completely sealed to prevent outside air from getting in. Our team then installs EverLast Door, it allows exterior access to the crawl space and will adapt to all weather conditions. We then install our SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier to control the environment. This pulls out moisture by drying and filtering the air keeping the crawl space free of damp, musty odors. Lastly to finish this project, we spray our foam insulation on the foundation walls up to the rim joists to create an air tight seal.
