Crawlspace Encapsulation

“A Healthy Home begins from the ground up.”

Crawlspace encapsulation is a modern technique that turns a wet, polluted dirt basement completely open to the elements, into a sealed, healthy and controlled environment. This technique eliminates the factors that contribute to elevated mold, bacterial growth, MVOCs, compromised structural integrity and rodent habitat/activity while making for an energy-efficient healthy home.

While Encapsulation is vital for removing harmful indoor air pollutants. The benefits extend beyond simply keeping your crawlspace healthy and getting your home to sell. Encapsulation effectively protects the health of the structure and its’ inhabitants, while at the same time regulating the indoor air quality of the entire home.

The heart of encapsulation is the dehumidification system. Once we have effectively sealed the crawlspace with our vapor barrier. It is imperative to install a dehumidifier to permit air flow and circulation of healthy air throughout the crawlspace. The optimal humidity range as detailed by the EPA is anywhere between 35-55% Relative Humidity. Once we have achieved optimal conditions inside the crawlspace, we will then install a 24/7 monitoring smart device to give you visibility of both temperature and humidity readings at ALL times. See below for “Our Process”

Ultimately, crawlspace encapsulation is a cutting-edge technique that can change the atmosphere of your home. Your health is too important to risk. Contact A Healthy Home today for a free inspection.

Why your Crawlspace needs Encapsulation…

Despite the progression of building science in North Carolina, code requires crawlspaces to be ventilated and built over exposed soil without proper encapsulation and dehumidification. This process contributes to elevated microbial and fungal growth which threatens indoor air quality substantially. The main issue with these un-encapsulated crawlspaces is a factor called vapor pressure. Due to high outdoor air humidity in North Carolina, there is often higher humidity outdoors than indoors. Water vapor always seeks equilibrium in nature which means if there are higher grains outdoors than indoors, the crawlspace vents in this case will pull moisture from the outdoor air inside.

Secondly, crawlspaces are built over exposed soil without proper encapsulation and dehumidification. As a result, moisture from the soil evaporates into the structures and living space causing mold growth, floor joist rot, subfloor cupping/crowning while leaving occupants exposed to poor indoor air quality. Once enough moisture is present, the crawlspace becomes an ideal habitat for insects and rodents and over time can compromise structural integrity.

At A Healthy Home, our custom crawl space solutions eliminate moisture intrusion, mold growth, dust, bacterial amplification, and rodent activity while optimizing the efficiency and cleanliness of your home.

Our Process:

We will first mitigate all mold within the crawlspace and HVAC system through a process called Electrostatic Mold Remediation. Our process includes, fogging the space with an EPA registered antimicrobial disinfectant, killing harmful airborne pathogenic fungi, and then removing any residual stain from floor joists and crawlspace to eliminate the potential for cross contamination. Secondly, we will isolate the crawlspace air through pressurized containment. This process includes the use of a commercial HEPA filtered negative air scrubber to ventilate air pollutants and mold spores outside the crawlspace while the encapsulation is performed. We will then install our 26 mil (polyethylene) reinforced white vapor barrier to both the foundation walls and crawlspace floor inhibiting moisture from seeping through stem wall and soil. Upon installation of the vapor barrier, we will proceed to install a 2.5″ moisture and termite resistant insulation board (R-10) to the crawlspace walls, band joists, and vents. After encapsulation is completed, we will install a Commercial Grade Dehumidifier (6 Year Warranty). The dehumidifier will regulate optimal humidity levels of (45% RH) at ALL times to eliminate potential for heightened microbial growth in the crawlspace. Humidity levels will be monitored 24/7 at no cost by our wireless remote temperature and humidity sensor. The unit is installed in the crawlspace and sends both temperature and humidity readings to an in-home base unit with an LCD display. This process allows for full visibility of your crawlspace so you can have peace of mind that the encapsulation is operating effectively.