Salem, SC Crawl Space Encapsulation
Challenge
This would not be the first time that All-Dry of the Carolinas has installed a system in a very short and low clearance crawlspace. However, that does not mean it gets any easier when our crew has to do this. The height of this crawl space can be seen in the first photo to the right of the page, in this case, it was extremely difficult to even fit this far back.
That being said, this was definitely the main challenge of this job. All of our crew members realize and accept the fact that sometimes they are going to be working in some tight spaces, but an area this tight almost gets too tight for us to work in. We definitely would not have been able to complete the job if the whole crawl space had this kind of clearance (mainly because there would be almost no way to even get in the crawlspace). Fortunately, our crew was able to work through the uncomfortable situation and get the job done!
Solution
There really was not a solution in this case, because there is not much that we can do about a tight crawlspace. That being said, our crew had to work through this little situation to finish up the job. When working in this tight of a spot often, you pick up some tricks, which is exactly what our crew members have done. There are techniques that they use to more easily lay out the CleanSpace and other products.
This crawl space had a lot of products installed, to see each of them, look at the summary items below, next to "Products Installed". The crew started off installing the SmartSump, as they almost always do. Fortunately, that was one of the easier things to install since it was in an area in the crawlspace that had a much higher clearance. The next thing to do was seal the vents using vent covers. These covers prevent moisture from getting in through the vents leading into the crawlspace. These were just the beginning though.
The real work started when the crew began installing the 3-inch drain tile, SilverGlo Insulation, and CleanSpace liner. The drain tile is installed first because it goes in the ground under the CleanSpace liner. It helps to move water to the sump pump, so that water does not just sit under the CleanSpace. After that comes the SilverGlo, which is an insulation that goes along the walls of the crawlspace in order to keep more heat (or cold) in. Finally, the crew installed the CleanSpace liner, which helps to seal everything in (or out depending on how you look at it).
After that came a few "extras" like the dehumidifier and EverLast Door. These products are extremely helpful, but usually are installed at the end of a project, because they go on top of the CleanSpace or, in the case of the EverLast Door is put on the outside.
Project Summary
Installing Contractor: All-Dry of the Carolinas
Systems Design Specialist: Jonathan Geddie
Project Foreman: Dular Ramos
Products Installed: 3-Inch Drain Tile, CleanSpace Liner, Vent Covers, SmartSump, Everlast Door, SilverGlo Insulation, Dehumidifier