Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: High Moisture Levels in Laurens, SC Crawlspace Leads to CleanSpace Encapsulation

This homeowner wanted to have hardwood floors installed in their home, but when they had someone come out for an estimate on the floors they found out something they hadn't expected. Since hardwood floors can be warped by water and moisture, this company checked the moisture level of the crawlspace, and notified the homeowner that before they installed the floors, that they should look into a solution to the high levels of moisture. Fortunately this home is located just a few miles away from our office and this homeowner already knew who to call! We had our Sales Manager head out to the home and figure out exactly what this homeowner needed to keep the moisture out of the crawlspace. The system was a full CleanSpace encapsulation with the installation of a SmartSump and a dehumidifier as well. This photo album will help to show off what the crawlspace looked like before, during, and after the installation of the system.

Crawlspace Before CleanSpace Installation

High moisture levels are very difficult to see, because it is mostly "invisible" since the moisture is in the air. This is one reason that the homeowner did not realize that this was an issue under their home. Fortunately this issue wasn't as serious as some other crawlspaces we see, and could be taken care of with a few days of hard work from our crew!

Installed Drain Tile

Each and every part of this system is important, and each part has a specific job. This drain tile (which is actually plastic) catches any water that is around the perimeter of the crawlspace and drains it down to the sump pump that can be seen later. The drain tile runs around the entire perimeter of the crawlspace to ensure it catches water all around the area.

Removed Insulation

Insulation does a pretty good job at keeping the floors of a home insulated, but it does an even better job at creating a home for mold. Insulation is extremely absorbent and when a crawlspace has high humidity levels the insulation will soak it all up. After awhile, mold can begin to grow and eventually cause health problems. This is what was happening in this homeowner's crawlspace, so the best remedy for this was to remove the insulation.

More of the Unencapsulated Crawlspace

The ground of this crawlspace was very damp, not quite mud but also not too far off. The majority of this moisture was coming from the ground, which is why the CleanSpace Liner was an important part of this project. The CleanSpace is how the outside is separated from the crawlspace itself.

Removed Insulation p2

This was just some of the insulation that was removed from the crawlspace of this home. While removing insulation does not seem like a big job, this picture pretty much sums up that it can be much more difficult than it may seem. This was one of the first things that the crew did, because it had to be out before the Mold-X could be sprayed.

Drainage Matting and SuperSump in Crawlspace

Here are two more important parts of the system, the drainage matting and sump pump. The drainage matting assists water in moving downhill towards the sump pump and also provides a little cushion for floor of the crawlspace. The sump pump is where all of the water collects, and does a great job at pumping everything out and away from the home.

Sealed Crawlspace Vents and Drainage Matting

Here is yet another important part of this system that is very important to decrease the moisture levels in the crawlspace, sealed vents. Sealing crawlspace vents is important because having vents open just lets outside air into the crawlspace, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what we are trying to accomplish through encapsulating the crawlspace.

Another Photo of the Crawlspace During Installation

This picture was taken when the crew had just finished installing the drainage matting in the crawlspace. The main thing that the crew had left to do was to install the CleanSpace and seal everything thing up. While everything in this system is important, the CleanSpace is what really ties the whole system together.

Installed CleanSpace Liner and SmartSump

Here is what the finished product looks like! This area actually shows some of the CleanSpace liner that was installed in the crawlspace, but also shows off the SmartSump again. There are several different features that the SmartSump has that makes it much different than many of the other sump pumps on the market.

One Last View of the CleanSpace

Here is one last picture that shows another area of the crawlspace with the CleanSpace installed. The crew does a great job with making sure that the CleanSpace is tightly installed around the floors and walls of the crawlspace. This makes the whole area look better, but also helps to prevent the CleanSpace from being pulled away from the wall.