Crawl Space Moisture Management
Does your home feature a crawl space? A recent report by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) shows that over 50% of homeowners don’t know whether this space exists below their home’s floor.
Risks of Crawl Space Moisture
Well, they say out of sight out of mind and this is the way homeowners treat their home’s crawl spaces. While it might not seem like a big deal, you need to appreciate the risks that come with crawl space moisture. For starters, you will have to contend with rodents that are attracted by the presence of moisture. These could ruin utility lines and even cause fire accidents.
Still, moisture damages supporting joints and this compromises the strength of your foundation. With time, you will notice bulging or bowing walls. Such repairs will cost you a fortune. There is also the hazard of toxic black mold growth on moist wooden surfaces as well as Radon gas from the soil. These eventually find their way indoors thus causing a myriad of respiratory and skin health complications.
Using Crawl Space Encapsulation Systems
There is no underestimating the apparent danger in neglecting this space. To prevent these problems, you should leverage the durability of crawl space encapsulation systems. This is the best alternative to the other costly techniques used traditionally.
The system involves using a heavy duty polyethylene liner to seal both the dirt floor and wall surfaces in a way to protect against moisture and air leakage into the crawl space. The liners have been tested and proven and they feature in most innovative construction products forums.
Some of the advantages of using encapsulating include:
- Reduction in heating and cooling costs: By preventing seepage of moisture indoors, the heavy duty liners will have saved you significant HVAC running costs. This is because the cold condensed air that previously found its way into your home is now curtailed.
- Dry storage area: You can use the new space for lightweight storage because there is no risk of crawl space moisture both from the floors and walls.
- Versatility: Not only do you protect against moisture leakage but also prevent Radon gas leaks from the soil. You also eliminate rodents because there is no moisture to guarantee survival.
- Improved indoor air quality: The EPA says that over 80% of the air you breathe indoors comes from these spaces. Now that there is no mold growth, you are assured of better indoor air quality (IAQ). There is healthy air flow from the crawl space once you insulate it.
- Economical choice: Traditionally, contractor proposed concrete floors for crawl space dirt floors to mitigate seepage but this is expensive and cumbersome. Crawl space encapsulation offers an ideal economical alternative.
There you have it; encapsulation enables you to reclaim your home, so go for it.
Budget Dry is based in Killingworth, Connecticut and has been recognized as the areas leading basement waterproofing and foundation repair company.
We are passionate about providing the absolute best service to each home and homeowner we encounter, because we understand just how important your home is to you. We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and use of cutting edge industry technology.
Budget Dry Basement Waterproofing is a leader in Basement waterproofing and basement restoration. Every Basement flood, leak or crack is evaluated thoroughly to ensure that we provide you with the best solution. So you can be secure and confident in the knowledge that Budget Dry treats the problem, not the symptom!