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To learn how to put up a crawl space vapor barrier, read on.
Having a crawl space that isn’t sealed can cause mold and water problems. Learn everything you need to know about crawlspace encapsulation, including how to put in a crawlspace vapor barrier.
Crawlspace Problems for the South
When it’s hot and humid where you live, crawlspace encapsulation is often the best way to fix and prevent water damage. Because crawlspace vents were originally meant to let outside air in, they may cause mold and rot in some places because saturated air condenses on crawlspace walls, foundation footings, and the underside of flooring. Mold and mildew can grow, as well as waterlogged insulation, which lowers the R-value and makes the house sag. Poor air quality can also happen inside the house because of this. To figure out whether or not encapsulating your crawlspace is the best way to deal with moisture problems, a professional mold remediation expert can help. It’s important to know how the job is done and what problems a professional might face.
Homeowners should not try to encapsulate their crawlspaces without consulting a licensed professional first.
Landscaping to Keep Water Out of the Crawlspace
In addition to making sure the crawlspace is kept at the right humidity level, it’s important to make sure the landscape slopes away from the home to keep water away from the foundation. The best time to deal with this is when the house is being built. New foundations can change the slope of a piece of land. Newly compacted soil will start to settle over time.
Drainage problems can also be solved with a mix of other solutions:
Remediating Moisture and Mold in the Crawl Space
There might be mold or water in your crawl space. This is how a technician might deal with it.
Instructions
Step 1: Find Out What’s Wrong
If you see signs of moisture around your home, call a licensed expert to look at and figure out what’s going on. In the beginning, a professional will look around outside the home to see if there are any drainage problems, like downspouts that are too close to the foundation or grading problems that could allow too much water to get into the foundation. Before going into the home’s crawlspace, they’ll look at the outside of the house for problems. This is what most technicians do when they are taking moisture levels in a crawl space. They will take readings from all corners and in the middle to get a good idea of how much moisture there is. Moisture problems can still happen under your home, even if water isn’t visible.
Step 2: Make a Mold Removal Plan.
After determining what the problem is, the technician will come up with a complete plan for fixing it, including whether or not they need to get help from other contractors, like an electrician to install a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to power a crawlspace dehumidifier, if that’s what it takes.
Step 3: Fix the structural parts.
An expert may need to remove and replace any rotten wood in the crawlspace. girders, floor joists, band joists, and any subfloor that is rotten are all part of this list
It’s time to fog the Crawlspace.
People who live in wet places are more likely to have fungal growth, and over time, that fungus can turn into mold. Destroying the fungus before it grows is very important. Fungus can grow in crawl spaces. To kill it, a technician may use a cold fogger machine filled with fungicide to spray the crawl space and then scrub away any extra mold. A fungus and mold prevention spray may also be used on all wood that is exposed. This is what they might do.
It’s time to close the vents in your crawl space. This is step 5.
They might use rigid foam board and spray foam insulation if they think they need to seal the crawlspace vents. This makes a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, increases the R-value of the insulation in the crawlspace, and helps keep the temperature outside from affecting the temperature inside the crawlspace, so it stays cooler.
Step 6: Install a Crawlspace Vapor Barrier and a Dehumidifier in your crawl space.
A technician might put a vapor barrier in your crawlspace to keep it dry and put in a dehumidifier. This works in the same way as a dehumidifier in your home. It keeps the moisture level in the crawlspace at the right level to keep mold from growing.
This is the last step: a check-up.
Even though your crawlspace remediation solution may be different, a technician may offer one or more follow-up inspections to make sure the dehumidifier is working properly.
