Professional-Crawl-Space-Encapsulation-Services

Professional Crawl Space Encapsulation Services

Not only will encapsulation improve the air quality of your home, but it will also eliminate mold, pests, and overall moisture. After all, your home is a big investment, so you need to maintain and protect it!

Enclosing your crawl space is especially important if you live in a humid area, where the earth is naturally more saturated with water. This will also increase the amount of moisture in the air, making it more conducive for the growth of mold and mildew.

Do you smell foul odors coming from your crawl space or see signs of pests living there? Are your hardwood floors buckling or cupping? Answering yes to questions like these can signal a need for professional crawl space encapsulation services.

↓ Do You See These Common Signs of Crawl Space Water Problems? ↓

Basement-or-Crawl-Space-Dry-Wood-Rot-Floor-Joist-Damage-From-Excess-Moisture-High-Humidity

rotting joists

A wet crawl space can cause serious problems for the structure of your home, including rotting the wood and attracting termites. Floors in your living areas on the main floor of your home can become uneven, or worse.

Standing-Water-Crawl-Space-High-Humidity

standing water

The puddles accumulating on the dirt floor of your crawl space that may seem harmless are anything but safe. Water is the primary source of a majority of crawl space issues like mold growth, mildew, and rotting wood structures.

Wet-Crawl-Space-Problem-Signs-Condensation

High humidity

Controlling the humidity levels is a critical part of preventing mold growth, pest infestation, and much more! Likewise, because of the Stack Effect, the air quality in the house may be affected by high crawl space humidity.

White-Mold-and-Mildew-Dry-Rot-Floor

mold growth

Mold growth is a common problem that can form in high humidity environments. Growth can overrun the space below your home and come up through the floors into your living areas, causing negative health effects!

Many times, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor is the first to be called by residents to examine and diagnose the problem. Data shows that the problem is rarely due to air conditioning system failure, but results from poor moisture control in the crawl space.

How Does My Crawl Space Affect My Home?

How Does My
Crawl Space
Affect My
Home?

Stack Effect air cycle through your home
Your home continually draws air from inside your crawl space and circulates it throughout your living area.  This natural air movement is referred to as the Stack Effect. It is the very principle that a chimney uses to work properly.

Any pollutants in the air at the lowest point migrates upward to the living space along with the warm air.  You and your family are breathing these harmful pollutants each day!

Crawl space encapsulation protects a crawl space from moisture by using a vapor barrier on the floor and walls.

In Middle Tennessee, about 85% of the homes have open crawl spaces. The term “Open Crawl Space” is generally used to describe a foundation that has an exposed or partially covered dirt floor. Open crawl spaces are BAD for your home and your health!

How Can I Know If I My Crawl Space Needs Encapsulation Or Not?

Standing-Water-Basement-or-Crawl-Space-Excess-Moisture-High-Humidity.jpg
Professional-Crawl-Space-Encapsulation-Services-After
“Open” crawl spaces (those that have working crawl space vents allowing outdoor air to pass through) have been recognized as an outdated and ineffective crawl space structure and practice. This is a common and very good reason to have your crawl space encapsulated, as humid air easily accumulates in warm seasons that work against the health of your crawl space and HVAC systems.

If you want to improve the health of your crawl space, you may want to consider getting your basement or crawl space encapsulated. There are many benefits to encapsulating your crawl space:

For starters, you will have a clean, dry space under your house. Once encapsulated, you can use the space as you would any other storage area.

Humid crawl space air can travel throughout the entire home, contributing to a variety of health problems. By encapsulating your crawl space, you also eliminate the potential for insects and pests to infest your home.
Standing-Water-Basement-or-Crawl-Space-Excess-Moisture-High-Humidity.jpg
Professional-Crawl-Space-Encapsulation-Services-After
“Open” crawl spaces (those that have working crawl space vents allowing outdoor air to pass through) have been recognized as an outdated and ineffective crawl space structure and practice. This is a common and very good reason to have your crawl space encapsulated, as humid air easily accumulates in warm seasons that work against the health of your crawl space and HVAC systems.

If you want to improve the health of your crawl space, you may want to consider getting your basement or crawl space encapsulated. There are many benefits to encapsulating your crawl space:

For starters, you will have a clean, dry space under your house. Once encapsulated, you can use the space as you would any other storage area.

Humid crawl space air can travel throughout the entire home, contributing to a variety of health problems. By encapsulating your crawl space, you also eliminate the potential for insects and pests to infest your home.

Not All Barriers Are Created Equal

At Barrier Waterproofing Systems, we strive to associate ourselves with the best available materials to give you a long term and cost effective solution. Our team of professionals will install a quality vapor barrier in your crawl space that will last and protect for 25 years or more!

Any type of HDPE barrier covering the crawl space should help in some way, given there is no standing water. Some DIY options, like a 6 or 10 mil thick black recycled sheet of plastic from the local hardware store, might last only 3 to 5 years. This is due to filler materials that are susceptible to soil chemicals. The most impactful investment is in the time and effort it takes to prep the area and do a proper installation. Therefore, a slightly higher investment up front will have a longest lasting positive effect on your health and home value.

LOCATIONS WE SERVE

Franklin, TN
Smyrna, TN
Watertown, TN
La Vergne, TN
Mt. Juliet, TN
Carthage, TN
Nashville, TN
Madison, Nashville, TN

Gallatin, TN
Hendersonville, TN
Lebanon, TN
Hartsville, TN
Cookeville, TN
Brentwood, TN
Woodbury, TN

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Most crawl space encapsulation methods involve sealing crawl space vents, removing soil to create a subtle grade, and installing a vapor barrier and crawl space insulation. Crawl spaces are often vulnerable to moisture from the ground below your home. This water can seep into your crawl space, air, and sub-structure, resulting in increased wood damage.

Poor ventilation and improper grading can further compound this problem. Damp wood can attract termites, mold, and mildew and can even lead to costly structural damage. Encapsulation prevents these problems from occurring, lowering your energy bills and preventing excessive outside air from penetrating into your home.

Radon gas buildup is possible in any home. Radon is a radioactive gas. It results from the natural decay of uranium found in almost all soils. It usually travels along the ground into the air overhead and enters your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Your home traps radon gas where it can accumulate. That means old and new homes, well-sealed and windproof homes, and homes with or without basements.

If you suspect your home has high levels of radon, you should test for radon concentrations at least once a year. Experts recommend that you test your home twice, before installing a radon reduction system. However, you should be aware that the amount of radon in a home can fluctuate over time, so a low test result is not necessarily indicative of an elevated level.

The type of house you live in will determine which radon reduction system is best for you. Generally, houses are classified by their foundation design – a basement, slab-on-grade, or crawl space. Some houses have a combination of foundation designs, so you may need to combine several different techniques to lower radon concentrations.

Passive radon mitigation systems work with a fan that is installed at the foundation level. It is used to move the radon gas away from the home, preventing it from accumulating in your living spaces. The system is completely silent and the radon fan is not visible as it sits beneath the home. Moreover, it requires minimal maintenance, and the fans can operate for years without needing any repairs. The major drawback of passive systems is that they can’t be used in older homes because their effectiveness decreases as the radon level increases.

A crawl space dehumidifier can be an effective solution for high moisture level areas, sufficiently maintaining a dry environment even in encapsulated areas. High quality dehumidifiers have a durable design with corrosion-resistant aluminum coils to ensure its integrity. A dehumidifier can remove many pints of moisture a day, and is great for keeping your crawl space dry, even if it has been encapsulated.

If you smell this odor coming from your crawl space, you are not alone!

The odor actually originates from the decomposition of organic material in the soil under the home. This can be compounded by elevated moisture levels in the soil that occur post encapsulation. Once a space is encapsulated, the evaporation of moisture from the soil is greatly reduced. This can result in an increase in moisture which can then reactivate dormant microorganisms that then break down organic material at an accelerated rate—that’s why a crawl space that may not have smelled before the encapsulation may start to smell.

The ammonia released in this process is what creates the cat pee smell. This is because cat pee contains ammonia, the substance that creates the significant smell we associate with cat pee. When organic matter breaks down in the soil, the microorganisms decompose the organic matter back into more basic components. As a result of this process, ammonia is released in high pH soils and less toxic Ammonium in lower pH soils.

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BARRIER
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Waterproofing
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Questions?
Contact BARRIER
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Questions?
Contact BARRIER
Today

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