Water Intrusion in Crawl Space in Newburgh, IN

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 by Kelsey Bullerdick

Challenge

Mike of Newburgh, IN, had a crawl space that had a handful of problems that was affecting the quality of air he was breathing in. He called Healthy Spaces, where Design Specialist, Abe Ford, came out to design a solution based on Mike's needs.

During Abe's assessment, he noted the following problems that Mike would need to take care of. He had an old vapor barrier that you can see in some of the photos but the barrier itself has pulled away and wrinkled up to the point that it is not functional. He constantly had standing water which provided a very humid environment. This humid environment introduces a number of hazards, including mildew growth, and musty smells.

Solution

Abe suggested to Mike that he should install the complete mold removal process which is designed to eliminate all existing mold in his home and ensure that he's protected from regrowth.

Installing a vapor barrier can prevent the evaporation of ground moisture into the crawl space air. When coupled with a waterproofing system, moisture and water can be expelled from the crawl space before it causes more problems. We recommend installing the CleanSpace crawl space liner. It's made of 20-mil thick plastic liner, similar to a pool liner, that completely seals off your home from the earth. CleanSpace has an antimicrobial additive which prevents mold growth on the liner.

Abe also recommended installing a SmartSump pump system. The SmartSump is perfect for crawl space which comes equipped with: a perforated sump liner, reliable pump, alarm system, pump stand, check valve, and airtight lid with a floor drain.

With all of these solutions combined, Mike will have a drier, less humid crawl space, which could now benefit the air quality of his home.

Project Summary

Project Engineer: Abe Ford

Installing Contractor: Healthy Spaces

Here you can see standing and wet areas of the crawl space floor. The vent is also open.

You can see the old vapor barrier wrinkled to the side. You can also see the white chalky powder which is called Efflorescence.

Mold reproduces seed-like spores that will grow once conditions are right. There are no flowers, no seed pods, and no parent organisms.

Mold can often have a dusty appearance.

The presence of mold and dispersion of mold spores will reduce the indoor air quality of your home.

Mold likes temperatures between 39 & 100 degree F., relative humidity between 70% -99%. Here you can see the relative humidity is 90%.

Your sump pump is your main line of defense against a crawl space flood. If you can't count on your sump system to be powerful or reliable enough, then you can't count on a dry crawl space.