Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Keeping the Crawl Space Dry: Installing Vapor Barrier - Kelso, WA
Protecting your crawl space is important in maintaining your homes health. By keeping water out, you can help prevent exposure to mold, wood rot, and keeping the structural integrity of the home strong. One way to protect against water intrusion is with vapor barriers. This homeowner noticed that the vapor barrier in their crawl space was completely destroyed from years worth of water issues. Several parts of the crawl space even had the earth beneath exposed which allows for easy entry of groundwater. They decided it was time to get the issue solved and get a new vapor barrier so they contacted John's Waterproofing. When we first got to the job, it was important to remove the old vapor barrier and remove the falling fiberglass insulation. Then, we installed a drainage system using a perforated pipe and connected it to a SuperSump Plus sump pump. These work together to collect any water that tries to seep through and pushes it out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. Next, we installed a new 6 mil vapor barrier. This liner gets installed along the base of the space to seal the earth off, up the foundation walls, and between the concrete footing and wooden posts to isolate and protect. When this new vapor barrier gets installed, we make sure to overlap each seam to ensure water won't be able to seep over top of it. It is also anchored to the foundation walls to keep it in place as it works to guide moisture down below to the drainage system. After this entire process is completed, the homeowner won't have to worry about water constantly seeping into their crawl space and causing damage to their homes overall health.
Debris Covered Vapor Barrier.
When your vapor barrier looks like this with dirt and debris covering it, that is an indicator of a water issue because it brings in the outside sediment. It can cause the vapor barrier to have rips and tears.
Unprotected Walls and Posts.
Because water had moved this vapor barrier around, the wooden posts and foundation walls weren't protected with the vapor barrier which can result in significant water damage.
Overlapping Each Seam.
Each seam of the vapor barrier gets overlapped so there is no exposed earth beneath. It helps to protect the crawl space by preventing water from seeping over top and inside the space.
Anchoring to the Foundation Walls.
The vapor barrier gets anchored up the foundation walls to help keep it in place so water can't get in.
SuperSump Plus Sump Pump.
The SuperSump Plus is what takes any water that tries to seep through and safely pushes it out and away from the homes foundation to keep it dry and healthy.
