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Mold and mildew have grown on many of the wooden materials in this crawl space, such as the floor joists. This occurs on organic materials when the relative humidity reaches over 60% during warmer temperatures. Musty odors and mold spores can rise into the home above and irritate those with allergies and asthma. We applied an antimicrobial, called Shockwave, to the affected areas, which will eliminate mold growth but does not remove any staining left behind from the growth.
One of the reasons the relative humidity has been elevated can be attributed to the fact that the crawl space floor is not covered by any type of liner or vapor barrier. This allows the earth's moisture to rise into the crawl space and affects not only the relative humidity but the environment. We installed our 10-mil CleanSpace Light vapor barrier over the dirt flooring of the crawl space, wrapped it around all piers, sealed it with vinyl tape, and mechanically fastened it to the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. This will help protect the crawl space from any moisture rising from the ground.
This Irvington, VA crawl space had microbial growth on floor joists, was missing insulation in many areas, and the vapor barrier was unsealed, allowing moisture from the earth to impact the crawl space. After cleaning all of the old materials and debris out, we treated the floor joists with Shockwave Antimicrobial and sealed the crawl space from the earth’s moisture with the CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. We sealed all outside penetrations to the foundation, including air gaps such as vents, the sill plate, and rim and band. Closed Cell Spray Foam is ready to be applied to the walls and a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier will be installed to control the relative humidity. The system will help protect the home from microbial growth and make the home more comfortable, improve indoor air quality, and reduce energy bills.
The old vapor barrier in this crawl space was not effective. It was loose and unfastened to the walls or wrapped around piers and did not protect the crawl space from the earth's moisture. The vapor barrier was replaced with the CleanSpace Encapsulation System. CleanSpace is a 20mil vapor barrier with UltraFresh antimicrobial built-in. It is durable for service persons to crawl on without worry of tearing. CleanSpace is wrapped around and sealed to all piers and sealed to the crawl space walls 6-8 inches above outside grade.
This home had water seeping into its crawl space. The high humidity and warm temperatures in our area result in microbial growth on joists, falling insulation, cold floors, and poor indoor air quality in many crawl spaces and homes. To repair this crawl space, we cleaned it out, treated the joists with an antimicrobial, installed a drainage system and sump pump, laid down and sealed a 20mil vapor barrier to the walls, piers, and floor, and insulated the walls with spray foam.
This homeowner in Gloucester Point was using an old sump hole to help collect any water that infiltrated their basement. Unfortunately, these sump holes are useless in collecting any water seeping through the basement foundation walls. The old pump could not handle the amount of infiltrating water, and there was nothing in place to direct the water to the sump pump. Our team was sent out to install a number of solutions to help combat water infiltration. We mechanically fastened a durable 10-mil CleanSpace Light vapor barrier over the walls to help protect the basement from water seeping through the walls. This also collects any infiltrating water and sends it down to a WaterGuard XL drainage system that we installed within a trench leading to our sump system. The sump system itself is what we call a SuperSump Plus system. It used our TripleSafe twin line basin with a single cast iron 1/3 horsepower Zoller pump. This reliable sump pump can handle 2,650 gallons per hour smoothly and quietly. It uses a mechanical float switch and will resist clogging more efficiently than the old sump. The basin contains a WaterWatch Alarm system, a battery backup pack, and an airtight lid. Any water collected in the WaterGuard XL system will be directed straight to the SuperSump Plus, then it will be distributed out of the home via hose line to a determined location away from the home's foundation. The homeowners can feel at ease knowing that this sump pump system will help to keep their basement dry and clean for years to come.