A Crawl Space Encapsulation in Wilmington, NC

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 by Mary White

Challenge

Ana, of Wilmington, NC, wouldn’t normally notice structural inconsistencies in her home. According to her, she has never paid much attention to it. But more recently, she couldn’t help but notice that something was off with the flooring in her home. She wasn’t experiencing sloping, but knew something didn’t feel right. She called Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repair to request an inspection.

On the day of the appointment, R.J. from Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair arrived to take a look at Ana’s crawl space, and see if her interior flooring issues were originating there. He noted that the space was damp, insulation was falling, and joists were high in moisture content. It was clear that the crawl space was definitely in need of attention, and there was a high likelihood that almost all of the interior flooring inconsistencies were stemming from the issues beneath.

Solution

Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair arrived and began to prep the area for the project. One of the first tasks was to remove all the debris from Ana’s crawl space. Fallen insulation covered some areas of the crawl space, and it was imperative to remove it first. Then, they started by installing our SmartSump, a pump that redirects, collects and contains crawl space moisture. A discharge line was attached, which leads water to a lawnscape outlet installed outside away from the home.

Next, it was important to completely seal off the crawl space from the earth, addressing the floors and walls first. Most crawl space walls allow permeation of moisture, and if not sealed off properly, become yet another way for moisture to get in. Team Southeast installed SilverGlo around the perimeter of the walls. A Basement Systems product, SilverGlo has a graphite-infused interior and its outer radiant barrier directs heat back into the crawlspace, saving energy and money. This stops the transferal of moisture into the crawl space from the surrounding walls.

When sealing off crawl space walls, it’s important to also address natural openings like vents and doors. The team installed a new crawl space door, custom-made for Ana’s crawl space entryways. Next, they covered every crawl space vent opening with specially made vent covers, complete with foam to insulate the opening, and block out air and moisture.

Our 10mil-thick CleanSpace liner was then installed in the crawl space, creating a thick bright white barrier between the earth and Ana’s crawl space. CleanSpace liner consists of several layers of high density polyethylene blend, with makes it puncture-resistant, yet flexible. Sealing out moisture and guarding the crawl space against future mold and rot, our CleanSpace liner will now extend the life of the home’s beams and joists.

Finally, our team installed our high-efficiency Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier. This technology allows Southeast to keep the crawl space humidity at a controlled level, continuously keeping the area dry and free from problem-causing moisture and worse, dangerous mold growth.

Not only was Ana’s crawl space encapsulated correctly, but going forward she could now be sure that the humidity in her crawl space was controlled. With the encapsulation system in place and the high-efficiency dehumidifier getting the job done, rising moisture would no longer be a problem for Ana or the flooring inside her home. For this reason and many more, Ana was thrilled that she had chosen Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair.