Chronically wet crawl space needed a permanent solution - Crawl space repair in Forked River, NJ

Challenge

A Forked River homeowner wanted to improve his crawl space with a better alternative than traditional vapor barriers. For better or worse, crawl spaces are a chronic problem for homeowners when it comes to water, moisture, and mold issues. Many homeowners in New Jersey, especially those from the Jersey Shore who live near large bodies of water, are often faced with crawl space issues. This Forked River homeowner, like many homeowners who live in towns near the Barnegat Bay, was no exception.

For this homeowner, we installed a full “CleanSpace” Encapsulation System. “Cleanspacing” transforms chronically wet, damp crawl spaces into clean, dry areas that keeps away water and moisture. The CleanSpace technology also lowers the thermal boundary to the bottom of the house from the crawl space ceiling, which translates into clean energy and heating/cooling cost savings. Like most crawl spaces, this Forked River crawl space was vented. Modern building science views a vented crawl space as an outdated design that is notorious for moisture and mold problems, drafts, and insect and wildlife infestations. An encapsulated crawl space seals off the crawl space from groundwater seepage and property-damaging elements like rain and hot, humid air, and blocks insects and nuisance wildlife from entering your home through the crawl space. 

Solution

Our Forked River CleanSpace Installation

First, we installed SilverGlo insulation, an Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) product that contains graphite, on all of the crawl space’s exterior walls. SliverGlo is a pre-cut, no-waste, lightweight, rigid, closed-cell insulation that is superior to generic over-the-counter batt and foam insulations. Unlike these other insulation materials, with Silverglo’s closed-cell structure there is minimal water absorption and low vapor permanence. These other types of insulation are are not specifically designed for the moisture and humidity found in crawl spaces. The insulation is called “SilverGlo” because of its mold-resistant aluminum coating that naturally enhances primary sources of light. Our crawl space encapsulation team installs SilverGlo using proprietary Basement Systems FoamTite fasteners, and once finished, the crawl space’s barrier seals in heat and keeps out cold winter air.

Next, we installed thick mold-resistant drainage matting to create a barrier between the crawl space and the floor, a primary entry point of damaging groundwater into the home. Each strip of drainage matting is custom cut to take into account pillars, jet-outs and plumbing lines. The matting strips are sealed to each other with industrial grade vinyl CleanSpace tape. We then installed CleanSpace crawl space vent covers over the crawl space vents to block outside air from entering the crawl space. Made out of durable plastic, they never need to be painted and there is no issue of the vent covers rotting or rusting. 

With the SilverGlo insulation, drainage matting, and vent covers in place, we installed a heavy-duty 20-mil Clean Space vinyl vapor barrier. With its polyester cord reinforcement, the barrier is mechanically fastened to the walls. For the pillars, we used 12-mil thick “pinkie” rolls. During installation, our crew takes into account all of the particulars of the crawl space when taping the CleanSpace vinyl to each other and the SilverGlo walls.

Finally, dehumidification is the most important long-term preventative measure for controlling dangerous crawl space moisture. For this Forked River home, we installed a commercial-grade SaniDry CX dehumidifier. These powerful maintenance-free dehumidifiers are much more powerful than traditional dehumidifiers, and, if necessary, can extract close to 14 gallons of water per day at 80 degrees F. These dehumidifiers do not require human intervention. Instead, they operate automatically, turning on and off according to a built-in hygrometer that measures indoor relative humidity. Also, these machines don’t have a water tray. They are installed to connect directly into the drainage system, so they never have to be emptied. 

The homeowner was extremely happy with his new crawl space. According to the customer, he had been dealing with crawl space moisture and water problems for years. For this Forked River homeowner, this crawl space encapsulation and dehumidification system added real value to his home. His new “Cleanspace” will protect his home investment while improving the indoor air quality for his family.