Crawl space encapsulation in Berlin, MD townhouse

Home builders were just beginning to understand the harmful effects of moisture in crawlspaces back in 1985 when they installed overlapping plastic sheets directly onto the dirt crawlspace floor beneath this townhouse in Berlin, MD.  Their efforts, though well-intended, were not entirely effective.  Ground water water, which seeps into the dirt of the crawlspace, evaporates into water vapor, and then travels right around the edges of the thin plastic sheets.  That moisture is then absorbed by the wooden structure inside the crawlspace, somewhat like a sponge.  You may be surprised to learn the vents those builders installed in the foundation walls for the purpose of venting moisture out of crawlspaces actually provide one of the primary ways moisture gets into a crawlspace. This is especially true in warmest months here in the Mid-Atlantic region when the relative humidity of the outside air is most often above 80% (100% when it is raining). The recommended indoor relative humidity should be maintained between 45%-55%.  But that’s not the end.  The old methods of venting crawlspaces to allow outdoor air to circulate through the crawlspace results in another big problem, especially in Winter: cold floors.  

The owner of this home opened the access door to her crawlspace and noticed a foul, musty smell. When she looked up at the structure above the crawlspace, she discovered mold was growing, not only on the underside of the subfloor plywood, but on the wooden floor joists that supported it all.  She made a great decision to call Lawson Home Services.

You can see in the “Before” picture, what Lawson Home Service’s energy auditor saw when he opened the access door and went inside to inspect the crawlspace:  a cold, damp, nasty environment full of moldy wood, the perfect home for all kinds of creepy crawly things and the spiders who love to eat them.  Who wants to live in a place like that, knowing all the nastiness that is going on just inches below your feet?

Our production team had their work cut out for them before they could begin “encapsulating” the crawlspace. The first thing they did was remove the old plastic sheets and junk from the crawlspace. Next, they sprayed the wooden structure with Mold-X2, special, all-natural anti-microbial product which kills the mold and bacteria, cleans the stains off the wood, and removes the “musty” odor of mold. They sealed off the foundation vents from the inside. And finally, trenches were dug around the edges of the foundation for the drainage system.  Once the preparation was completed the team installed the following:

·      SmartSump™ and Hydrolink XG™ groundwater removal system

·      TerraBlock™ drainage mat and CleanSpace™ liquid water and water vapor barrier

·      Sedona SaniDry™ dehumidification equipment

·      Everlast™ Crawlspace access door

As you can see in the “After” picture, this crawlspace is now a nice white, clean, dry space.