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Crawl Space Problems

Wet Crawl Space

Humidity

Crawl Space Humidity

When your crawl space isn’t properly sealed, excess moisture and humidity from outside can easily make their way underneath the home. While you may not notice its effects at first, it will eventually make its presence known through dangerous mold or mildew growth and from many other types of damage. Humidity is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air. This dense air will get into cracks and crevices of the footing and cause wooden supports, floor joists, and beams to deteriorate. This doesn’t just spell trouble for the structural integrity of your home; the rotting wood can also contribute to a pest infestation – including termites, roaches, mosquitoes, snakes, rats, and so on.

Crawl Space Encapsulation

Our team at America’s Basement Contractor can seal this area off under your home to take care of the problem. We make use of quality, durable vapor barriers, floor liners, sump pumps, drainage systems, and dehumidifiers specially designed for this environment to control the amount of moisture in the air.

Our team at America’s Basement Contractor can seal this area off under your home to take care of the problem. We make use of quality, durable vapor barriers, floor liners, sump pumps, drainage systems, and dehumidifiers specially designed for this environment to control the amount of moisture in the air.

NASH® Vapor Barriers

This manufacturer provides us with two different types of liners, WhiteCap (white/blue) and WhiteCap (white/green). Below are the specs on each:

WhiteCap (white/blue)

  • 20 mil thickness
  • Heavy-duty multi-ply cord reinforced polyethylene
  • Contains fire-rated additives
  • Bright white appearance

WhiteCap (white/green)

  • 12 mil thickness
  • Bright white appearance
  • Heavy-duty multi-ply cord reinforced polyethylene

Multiple sizes are available, and our installers will know what to use for your home’s unique situation.

Santa Fe® Dehumidifiers

We make use of the Santa Fe Compact2 model as it exceeds Energy Star efficiency requirements, and has MERV-8 filtration which comes standard. This will help to keep your unit working at peak efficiency for longer than other models with cheap designs. t also comes with an auto-restart feature that will restart the dehimidifier if the power goes out.

Recommended Crawl Space Humidity Levels

Studies have shown that half of the air in a home comes from either the basement or crawl space. The air contained in your basement or crawl space is often higher in moisture content or humidity and carries with it many allergens and odors. Experts at the Environmental Protection Agency and other sources recommend maintaining a relative basement or crawl space humidity level in the 30%-50% range. Anything above a 50% humidity level for an extended period can cause mold, mildew, and bacteria to grow in your crawl space.

How to Reduce Crawl Space Humidity

Our team at Americas Basement contractors has been helping homeowners tackle their crawl space humidity issues for years. Whether the humidity in your crawl space has caused mold to grow or you have experienced musty odors coming from your crawl space, we can help. Our team installs Santa Fe dehumidifiers to help maintain a constant and safe humidity level in your crawl space. This system ensures that the humidity in your crawl space does not get too high and cause damage to the joists or supporting structures of your home. Contact our team today to schedule an estimate and to find out how installing a dehumidifier in your crawl space can keep your home safe.