Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Destroyed Vapor Barrier in the Crawl Space - Keizer, OR

This homeowner experienced significant water intrusion in their crawl space. Afraid that it was going to cause negative impacts on their home, they decided to call John's Waterproofing for a solution. Upon inspection, we informed the homeowner that their vapor barrier was completely destroyed and was no longer able to properly protect their home against water damage. The standard 6 Mil vapor barriers are designed to seal the crawl space from the earth and protect from water being able to seep through, but does need to be replaced every few years. Without a vapor barrier, this opens potential to water damage to the foundation walls, insulation, and wooden posts supporting the home. We suggested that by doing a full encapsulation it would offer a long-term solution to their water problem and they agreed. We first began by removing the falling insulation and destroyed vapor barrier. Once everything was cleaned out, we then installed a drainage system using a perforated pipe and SuperSump Plus sump pump. The pipe goes along the interior perimeter and is able to collect any water that tries to seep through. It offers a safe passageway for the water to get to the sump pump and safely be pushed out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. Then, we installed TerraBlock along the base of the crawl space. This is a thick insulation foam that seals the earth off from the home and helps promote energy efficiency. On top of the TerraBlock, a new CleanSpace vapor barrier gets installed. This is a 20 mil thick liner made with woven fibers that is designed to keep water out and protect the foundation walls and wooden posts from damage. It is sealed with 4 inch thick waterproof tape to ensure it stays secure. A SaniDry dehumidifier gets installed to pull excess moisture out of air. Lastly, Spray Foam gets applied to the foundation walls as a final air sealant and insulator. Once this process is completed, the crawl space will remain dry and the new CleanSpace vapor barrier will help protect the home.