Sealing Off The Outside in a Farnham, VA Crawl Space
Challenge
This homeowner in Farnham, Virginia, was worried about potential moisture issues occurring in the crawl space of his home. He told our Home Performance Advisor that he was smelling a musty odor coming from his crawl space, and the advisor was able to confirm that there was mold and mildew growth on many of the wooden floor joists beneath his home. The advisor also noted that many of the fiberglass batts were damp and falling from the floor joists in large chunks. The entire dirt floor of the crawl space was exposed, allowing the earth’s moisture to rise into the crawl space and affect the environment. The moisture content was so high that many of the floor joists and wooden structures had been rotting and weakening over time. Our advisor wrote up a proposal to help mitigate these issues, and eventually, our team of installers was scheduled to install the solutions.
Solution
The first step for our installers was to remove the old insulation batts and any debris from the crawl space. An antimicrobial solution, called Shockwave, was applied to the affected floor joists, killing any microbial growth. Once the Shockwave solution had dried, two SmartJack support systems were installed to help support sagging floor joists. With the jacks in place, the installers fastened R-19 fiberglass batts to the floor joists to add insulation between the first floor and crawl space. Once the insulation is installed, a 10-mil vapor barrier, called CleanSpace Light, was placed over the dirt floor of the crawl space. This liner gets wrapped around all piers and is mechanically fastened to the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. Then, a custom-made friction-fit door made with foamboard material was created and fitted into the crawl space entrance. This friction-fit door will help to seal the entrance from outside air and moisture. Once the door is installed, the final step is to install an Aprilaire dehumidifier to help circulate dry air and remove any moisture collected from the crawl space. With these solutions in place, the homeowners will enjoy having a comfortable, dry crawl space and home.
