A home’s crawl space is obviously the best and most convenient way to access pipes and substructures in most cases, but it can also come with many problems when not properly built, set up and maintained. Without proper crawl space insulation and conditioning, you’ll most likely wind up with moisture, structural damage, mold, pests/rodents, mold, and air quality problems. These all become much more probable with poor crawl space maintenance and improper initial set up. Let’s take a look at how to prevent or resolve crawl space problems in your Poconos home.

Recover, Repair, Restore and Protect your Crawlspace

A complete crawlspace evaluation will reveal the most effective crawl space repair solution. We determine if your problem is water infiltration or moisture buildup. We check to see if you have a working vapor barrier in place and evaluate it’s effectiveness. If your current vapor barrier is not working, we repair/replace it before any other work We make sure to stop the  moisture infiltration, and dehumidify if needed.

Water and Moisture

Water problems are very common in basements and crawl spaces. Spray foam insulation can help mitigate moisture and dampness issues.

Vapor Barrier

All crawl spaces should have ground cover that encapsulates the top of the footer.

Moisture Infiltration

Moisture infiltration through the block from ground saturation can be easily controlled with closed cell spray foam.
Crawl Space - After

Dehumidify

Dew point is very easy to control with spray foam as your insulator.

Basic Water Infiltration Issues

A lack of simple home maintenance, or faulty set up by a builder in the first place, can do a lot of harm in a crawl space. That’s what we discovered upon inspecting crawlspaces all over the Pocono region of PA where we live and work.

One of the first things we often observe is that gutters are clogged when we see water infiltration issues. This by itself can cause significant damage by allowing water seepage into the crawl space at the footer of the home or business structure. We have also inspected the functionality of many sump pumps in our work. In many cases, a sump pump isn’t even needed when water infiltration issues are properly addressed. Case un point, reverse grades pointing towards your home and even small depressions near the structure can send water cascading down into your Pocono crawl space.

Vapor Barrier

A crawl space needs a good vapor barrier, period. Soundly built and maintained Pocono homes typically have a ground cover that encapsulates the top of the footer. If this vapor barrier is not installed properly, water accumulates on top of the plastic, and obviously doesn’t get removed without being removed. It goes unnoticed in many cases. This added moisture in the crawl space that was never intended can do the exact opposite of what the vapor barrier is supposed to achieve, causing the water to pool up just like in a swimming pool!

This dampness will generally cause the ceiling insulation to get wet and moldy. Then without being noticed for long periods and remediation, it often is literally falling down from the ceiling into the crawl space in a wet moldy disgusting mess. Often, the crawl space will also be littered with rodent droppings from pest infiltration.

Getting Back on Track

First of all, as a Pocono homeowner, you should look into having your gutters cleaned out, with by a professional or on your own DIY. Then if we are helping with a crawl space repair and/or remediation, a proper 6 mil poly plastic vapor barrier should be installed on the floor. The plastic is brought up over the footer and continued onto the walls of the crawl space. Then we seal all of it with closed cell spray foam insulation that is impervious to water. This process ensures that any moisture remains beneath the vapor barrier and outside of the crawl space area. It also block pests and rodents.

Other Crawl Space Adjustments

Remember, the entire reason for crawl space conditioning is to keep the area dry. So we often seal any crawl space vents where warranted to eliminate moisture infiltration during humid weather.

We may also apply closed cell spray foam insulation to the perimeter walls and band joist to provide a semi-conditioned space which serves as insulation for the floor. This will protect pipes and any mechanicals in the area from extreme temperature variations.

Finally, in our process the crawl space door is usually insulated to ensure the entire area stays moisture free due to sealed encapsulation.

Dehumidify Your Crawlspace

Once your crawlspace has been properly fixed, sealed, and conditioned, dehumidifiers are a great option to have in place. A dehumidifier by itself won’t correct critical dampness such as from clogged gutters or bad terrain grading, but it will keep your crawl space even drier and safer during really humid times without having to constantly check the area. This is because dehumidifiers function best when they work intermittently, not constantly.

Final Tips

Crawl space repair, remediation, and conditioning maintains the highest structural integrity for any home or business in the Poconos. Proper insulation used to seal moisture out of a crawlspace also helps to keep a comfortable temperature in the structure and reduces energy costs from heating and cooling.

Consider these final tips when renovating your crawl space:

  • Insulate crawl space walls with spray foam to protect pipes from freezing
  • Install mechanical ventilation when necessary to provide proper whole house ventilation
  • Consider a sump pump to control ground water levels when applicable
  • Use closed cell spray foam on walls and band joist for insulation value and moisture barrier
  • Dry up your damaged crawl space and maintain dryness with a dehumidifier