Photo Album: Midlothian, VA Sealed Crawl Space

The Piers are wrapped with CleanSpace to seal the earth off from the crawl space and keep out any moisture that may wick up through the block.

Foamax is a rigid foam board insulation installed on the crawl space walls that helps slow down the transfer of moisture from outside into the crawl space. Insulating from the crawl space walls extends the thermal barrier of the home to the floor of the crawl space and helps improve the energy efficiency of the home.

CleanSpace is a heavy-duty, 20-mil liner with a built-in antimicrobial called UltraFresh.

It is durable and ideal for crawl spaces that see a lot of traffic from HVAC technicians, electricians and plumbers because it can hold up to being crawled on and worked on. It is also great for crawl spaces that are used for storage!

The CleanSpace System with Foamax and SaniDry Sedona work together to keep this crawl space dry and help prevent mold from growing.

The existing 6 mil vapor barrier was likely only staked into the ground, because it is a thin material, as service persons crawl on it, the vapor barrier is pulling and tearing. Since the earth is not completely sealed from the crawl space, the 6 mil vapor barrier allows moisture in the crawl space.

Insulation has become heavy with moisture over time, coupled with gravity, the insulation has begun to sag and even fall away from the floor joists completely.

Mold needs 3 things to grow; 1. Organic Material (wood joists or the paper backing of insulation) 2. warm temperatures, and 3. High Relative humidity (over 60%). Crawl Spaces in Greater Richmond often meet these conditions especially during the hot humid summers Virginia is accustomed to and many homes see mold growth on their joists. If the joists reach 19% moisture content, wood rot can begin.