Moisture and Crawl Space Services
When moisture builds up in the crawl space, this may cause a variety of issues.
Some signs to look for dealing with moisture problems:
- Foundation damage
- Wood rot or sagging floors
- Wet or dark spots
- Pooling water
- Musty odors
Wood Decay Fungi
There are many different types of wood decaying fungi that can damage your home. There is brown rot, white rot, and water-conducting fungi/dry rot. Dry rot will produce a yellowish-white paper like look. This will make the wood brittle and will easily fall apart. White rot will give the wood a “bleached” look, and it will be stringy and spongy. Brown rot will appear brown, when it dries, it’ll shrink into small pieces you can easily crush into a powder like substance.
Treatment Options
We have a variety of options that can assist in providing protection against the excessive moisture in your home.
- Moisture Vapor Barriers- a protective polyethylene barrier placed over the soil in a crawl space to prevent natural occurring water vapors from rising into your home.
- Ventilation- new crawl vents to help increase air circulation in the crawl space and allow the existing moisture to escape through them.
- Borate- this is an odorless liquid treatment that is applied to exposed wood in your crawl space. This assists in the prevention of wood decaying fungi when the moisture levels in your crawl space are high.
- Dehumidifiers- a machine that helps control moisture and humidity in your home. It will also improve the air quality, reduce odors, and help prevent mildew and mold growth.
- Sump Pumps- this is also a machine that will drain out the excess water under your home. This is a great thing to have if you live in an area that floods or your home retains excess water.
- Full Encapsulation- this is a process where the entire crawl area is sealed. The foundation vents are blocked, and the entire foundation wall will be covered with an insulated Styrofoam board and taped at the seams. The crawl space floor and walls will then be covered in a polyethylene vapor barrier and taped at the seams, too.
Contact us today to set up a consultation!