We are going to go out on a limb to say that when you purchased your home, you were planning for your investment to pay off for a home that would last you and your family years of comfortable, safe, shelter. Not the uncertainty of a houseboat. Depending on where you live, the environmental and geographical conditions will vary. It is the heavily wet, moisture-laden, humid conditions that encapsulation systems are built to address, keeping the foundational structure of your home safe and dry.
The job is done with a high quality vapor barrier sheeting that does not rip or tear easily. It is laid out across the earth floor of the crawl space so that it can prevent the moisture that comes up from the ground from entering. The foundation piers, which are hopefully strong, stable, reinforced structures, are then wrapped with the barrier material. The grounds should be 100% covered with the material and every seam of the connecting pieces held shut tight with waterproof tape. Completing the seal that is needed is done with foam insulation boards on the walls and expanding spray foam for any leftover holes or fissures.
After the seal against moisture intrusion is made, is needs to be set up to be conditioned. This is done with a dehumidifier that is installed properly in the crawl space for maximum performance. This machine runs automatically on its own as you will not have to work or maintain it in any way other than to change the filter once a year (a service we also provide!). The dehumidifier removes the water from the air and empties it into a pump that removes the water from the crawl space.
That in a nutshell is how our team of professionals works for encapsulating your crawl space to protect it from moisture intrusion. But, you might ask, once everything is in place and set up properly, how do we know the system is doing its job properly? The main purpose of the system is to manage humidity, so how we monitor the performance of an encapsulation system is to monitor the level of humidity in the crawl space. There is a display unit that utilizes a sensor to tell it both the humidity level and temperature of the crawl space. If the crawl space is maintaining a safe level of humidity, then we can know the system is functioning as it should.
Another measure of positive outcome you will see is on your energy bill. Imagine all of the outside air intruding through vents, holes, and cracks that then competes with the indoor air of your home being heated or cooled by a hard-at-work unit. Closing off vents, insulating the walls, and sealing the crawl space from the home can increase a more usual temperature of crawl space of 40 degrees in the winter to about 60 or 70 degrees! By reclaiming the efficiency of the duct work and all other components in your crawl space, you will spend significantly less on your heating and cooling.
Give Barrier Waterproofing Systems a call today at (615) 257-1060 | (931) 536-1168 to schedule a FREE evaluation of your crawl space to determine whether or not an encapsulation system is for you. Our team of specialists will evaluate certain variables that will help us determine the best waterproofing system to meet your needs and keep your home healthy and dry.
