Crawl Space Encapsulation in Savannah, GA
and Surrounding Areas

Even if a crawl space is not flooded or visibly wet, that additional humidity can spell trouble for your home – and your health. The fungus responsible for rot and mold not only eats away at the structure of a home, but spreads by producing millions and millions of airborne spores. These spores are a prime suspect for aggravating allergies and many people don’t even know what it is that bothers them when they are at home.

There is a solution, however, to all of these problems. Instead of struggling against nature to remove moisture from a crawl space, Basement Systems developed the CleanSpace Crawl Space Encapsulation System, which seals a crawl space off from that moisture coming up from the dirt and from the damp air outside.

CleanSpace Crawl Space Encapsulation System

Rather than let the moisture in and then try to get rid of it, CleanSpace isolates a home from the earth entirely so the humidity never gets in there to begin with. This strategy also stops bugs and other critters from getting into a crawl space while reducing, or sometimes even eliminating mold growth and rot.
There are four basic steps to completely eliminating your vented dirt crawl space from having any negative effects on your home.

1. Fix the ground water leakage.

The Problem:
There are various ways water gets into a crawl space. It can seep or leak under the footing, between the footing and walls, through the block walls and through cracks or openings. If your crawl space leaks when it rains, or water pools in low areas, then you need to control the groundwater.

The CleanSpace Solution:
We will re-grade the crawl space floor and remove any debris to allow for proper drainage. Next, we’ll install a sump pump system. A high quality sump system is essential and must include a perforated sump liner, reliable pump, alarm system, pump stand, check valve, and an airtight lid with a floor drain.

Sometimes, though, water from below your home isn’t the worry. Without any way to get water out of your newly encapsulated crawl space, a plumbing leak could fill it like a swimming pool! If a crawl space does not require a pump to deal with pre-existing water problems, there still needs to be a way to drain water in case of a plumbing leak. The SmartDrain combines the features of the SmartSump – the WaterWatch Alarm and air-tight lid with one-way floor drain – while letting water seep away into the soil. With this system the WaterWatch alarm will let you know if you have a leak without you finding your crawl space full of water! If you are having a water problem in your crawl space, contact us today for a free wet crawl space repair estimate!

2. Isolate the house from the earth.

The Problem:
The main issue with dirt crawl spaces is the moisture from the dirt beneath the home. Whether your crawl space suffers from groundwater leakage or not, the earth is damp. As the moisture evaporates, the water vapor moves upward into your home. This can lead to wood rot, mold growth and poor indoor air quality.

Moisture + Wood  = Bad

There are a few criteria to deciding on which approach to use. The solution must-

• Stop water vapor from flowing up from the soil.
• Stop water vapor from flowing through or off of the crawl space walls.
• Allow water to drain from the walls to the sump location.
• Not get ruined when someone crawls on it.
• Be durable, so it lasts as long as the house does.

The CleanSpace Solution:

The key to the CleanSpace system is the patented, 20-mil thick liner material. It is a tough blend of seven polyethylene and polyester cord reinforcement layers, designed specially for crawl spaces. Since the side you see after installation is bright white, it really brightens a crawl space and lets you know that it is free of mold, insects and dirt. The liner is so tough you can crawl on it and use your crawl space for storage without worry of putting holes or tears in it. And, of course, it completely stops moisture from getting in and ruining the underside of your house.

The CleanSpace System meets all the criteria for fixing your dirt crawl space. Contact us today for a free crawl space repair estimate!

3. Seal the vents and other outside air leaks

The Problem:

Previously the tactic was to add vents to a crawl space, which were supposed to allow the moisture to dissipate. These vented crawl spaces, instead of becoming less damp, end up being more wet for several reasons.

Through a process called the stack effect, a house’s natural tendency is to draw air in from the crawl space and lower levels and then upward into the living spaces. This means that instead of letting moist air out, a house sucks more moist air in!

30% to 40% of the air that you breathe comes up through your crawl space. This is a proven fact!

Another problem with venting a crawl space is that it allows all kinds of bugs and critters direct access to a home. There is an even temperature, moisture, damp wood, and shelter. Spiders, beetles, centipedes, termites and all kids of other insects are found in dirt crawl spaces. Animals such as mice (dead and alive) are also commonly found in dirt crawl spaces. They can make nests and cause damage to duct work, wiring and insulation. We recently discovered three copperhead snakes nesting in a homeowner's dirt crawl space. No wonder most home owners never venture into their crawl space!

The biggest issue with adding vents is that it does not address the main problem -moisture from the dirt beneath a home - so venting a crawl space isn't even addressing the actual problem.

The CleanSpace Solution:

With the CleanSpace Encapsulation System, your vents will be sealed with attractive plastic vent covers. We will replace rotted, loose-fitting plywood doors with a snug- fitting, all-plastic EverLast Door that won’t rot, warp or need painting. We’ll also seal all other sources of outside air leakage, such as gaps and openings around wires and pipes to the outside. To find out more about using these products with your home, contact us today to get a free crawl space inspection and estimate on repair.

4. Condition or dehumidify your crawl space air.

The Problem:
Even after you have encapsulated your crawl space with CleanSpace, dampness can collect below a home. Houses naturally draw air in from the lower levels, bringing in air from the outside through your crawl space. This is known as the stack effect, and it can bring up the relative humidity levels throughout a whole house. Up to 40% of the air on the first floor can come from the crawl space below.

This is a huge problem in the more humid summer months. Every degree that air cools raises its Relative Humidity by 2.2%, so when warm air is pulled into your cool crawl space the additional moisture will condense on your air conditioning ducts, CleanSpace system and even the floor joists. Wood and water are a bad combination, since all it takes is a little moisture on an organic material for rot and mold to take over. To add to the problem, that humid air is also drawn up and into a home via the stack effect – and brings any mold or musty smell up into living areas with it.

Mold, rot and fungus happen at 70% relative humidity.

There are only two ways to remove the damp. You could heat the air to lower the Relative Humidity – and pay the money for your air conditioner to fight the heater in your crawl space (while the moisture STILL condenses on your cold ducting) – or you can attack the problem directly with a sophisticated and appropriate dehumidifier.

Most dehumidifiers, however, are simply not up to the job. The small coil of a regular dehumidifier is inefficient at pulling moisture from the cooler, crawl space air, so it has to run longer and work harder. Additionally, many dehumidifiers are horribly inefficient in their own right and do not deal significantly with filtering the air.

The CleanSpace Solution:

The clear solution is a dehumidifier that is designed specially for a damp crawl space. After dealing with this problem for nearly 20 years, Basement Systems developed an amazing dehumidifier system to meet strict Energy Star requirements while maximizing the amount of water pulled from the air – the perfect solution for crawl space moisture. The SaniDry Crawl Space Air System can pull almost three times as much water from the air as its leading competitors – all while using less electricity! The SaniDry also has a two-stage filtration system that handles particles all the way down to two microns in size, cleaning your crawl space air while it sucks out the moisture.

Contact us today for a free quote on repairing your dirt crawl space!