Encapsulating a Hot & Messy Dirt Floor Crawl Space in Martinsville, NJ

We were sent out to a home in Martinsville, NJ to encapsulate the owner's crawl space. As we began inspecting the area, we noticed that the crawl space was extremely humid and had a dirt floor. The major issue with floor crawl spaces is that they attract and absorb moisture. Once the dirt dries it causes humidity levels to rise dramatically and can cause mold growth.

First, we removed all the debris in the crawl space, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed a drainage matting. A drainage matting is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the newly installed SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump. The SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump combines an intelligent WaterWatch® alarm system with a sump pump that's specifically designed for crawl spaces. The lid and floor drain are specially designed to prevent collected water from evaporating back out into the crawl space. The WaterWatch® alarm will make the owner aware of crawl space water issues as soon as they begin. Any water from a plumbing leak or sump failure must first pass by the alarm and will then drain down into the sump.

Once that was finished we installed a vapor barrier, which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. Installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier. Also, the vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold.

Lastly, to control the extremely high humidity levels, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run.