Photo Album: Home Energy Audit in Rehoboth Beach, DE

Lawson Home Services does contract work for condo HOAs like this one in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Our inspector visits these condos once a year and does a "Check-up and Recommendation". This can be very helpful in spotting problems before they develop into major issues. The inspector found several issues in this unit as you can see on the checklist. We would like to add, the crawlspace in this unit was not done by Lawson Home Services. It was done by another contractor in the past, perhaps even the original development/building contractor. Had Lawson Home Services done these crawlspaces you would see several differences right away. For example, there would no longer be insulation in the floor joists above the crawlspace - Lawson employs Dr. Energy Saver's best practice measures, which yield the best outcome over time and are the most cost efficient. We now know that gravity eventually has its way when insulation is pressed upwards against the floor deck - it eventually pulls away as you can see in one of the photographs. The Dr. Energy Saver solution is to move the insulation to the foundation walls, just like in the upper floors or these structures. By doing so the entire crawlspace becomes the same temperature as the interior of the rooms in the living space. This keeps the floors nice and toasty in the winter, nice and cool in the summer. Our inspector also spotted a water leak. These can be a disaster if gone undetected. It appeared, however, the water on the crawlspace floor liner was the result of dripping condensation off the plumbing. The best way to solve such a problem, once again, would be to move the insulation away from the underside of the floor deck above, and install SilverGlo™ rigid foam board insulation on the foundation walls. That way the pipes would not have water condensing and dripping off them. It would also solve many other problems too numerous to detail here.

Crawlspace Inspection

Our inspector takes a look at the overall condition of the crawlspace. In particular he looks at the insulation, the dehumidifier, the sump, and checks the floor liner for signs of water intrusion and damage to the liner.

Final Report

This is what the final report looks like. Note the recommendations the homeowner should consider to fix the problems.

Dehumidifier

This is the dehumidifier unit. It operates to ensure humidity levels inside the crawlspace remain low so the wooden floor structures above do not become overly damp, which would lead to the growth of mold and microbes, eventually leading to a rotting of the structure. It has to be carefully checked to make sure the water is being pumped out of the unit and the lines that carry the water to the sump are not clogged or damaged, resulting in over flow water collecting on the crawlspace floor liner.

Insulation fail

This is why Lawson Home Services recommends removing floor insulation, replacing it by installing SilverGlo™ rigid foam board insulation on the foundation walls. This solves many problems and is the best practice for insulating crawlspaces for a number of reasons.

Checking out the sump pump

Checking the condition and operation of the sump pump is an essential part of the inspection process. When the sump pump fails to do its job it can result in some very expensive problems.

Water on the crawlspace floor liner - not a good sign

This water has to come from somewhere. Plumbing leaks perhaps? Condensation? Ground water intrusion? Lawson's trained inspector will find the source and let the homeowner know before it leads to bigger problems.

Humidity level of Floor joist

It is critical that wooden structural elements of the floor system remain at the proper humidity levels. Excess moisture content in wooden structures can lead to problems such as warping, swelling and the potential for mold and decay.