Humidity and a Wet Crawl Space in Lawrenceville, IL

Mildew was a recent concern for a client out in Lawrenceville, IL.  The client was concerned with the high humidity lingering in the crawlspace, along with a damp floor that was slowly causing mildew to grow. The mildew appeared in closets on the main floor above.  The crawlspace was open, which created humidity and moisture in the air of the crawl space. When it is open, bringing in continuous moisture, it affects the energy that is being lost. 

Controlling air infiltration is the key to energy conservation in a building.  The top priority is to close up the giant holes in a crawl space wall while also eliminating the reason, such as exposed damp earth, that those holes were put there in the first place.  A crawl space vent was used to permanently cover the outside, and to stop unwanted outside air from entering the crawl space.  Encapsulation also helps the crawl space by sealing the floor from air leaks, and since problems in a crawl space need to be permanently fixed, it was added.  A closed crawlspace and encapsulation will conclusively end the cycle of mildew from the floor above.