Crawl Space Moisture Control in North Carolina

Crawl Space Rehabilitation
If you suffer with a damp, musty, wet, or moldy crawl space in North Carolina, Regional Waterproofing has a complete solution for you.  We call it Crawl Space Rehabilitation. As part of of our crawl space solution, we treat the crawl space for mold and then install our vapor barrier system. In effect, we cut off the source of moisture with our crawl space vapor barrier and then kill the mold with our mold treatment program.

We offer Free Inspections and Estimates in Central and Eastern North Carolina, including the greater Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Greenville, and Wilmington areas.

Special Feature: Watch our commercial on the hazards of crawl space moisture.

A dirt crawl space under a home is a very bad idea. The earth has very high humidity in the soil especially in North Carolina. This water vapor moves easily into the crawl space and upwards into the house environment. A damp environment is very unhealthy and destructive. Mold thrives and reproduces by producing airborne spores by the millions, and some molds are toxic. Insects and critters of all kinds love damp environments and wet materials. Rot and decay occur in damp environments, causing structural damage.

The natural airflow in a house is from bottom to top. This means that the moist air and everything in it and rises up into the living areas of the home. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters create a very unhealthy environment for people. Many people are allergic to these things, and experience a host of symptoms, not realizing that their dirt crawl space is affecting their health. Dirt crawl spaces do not have to be wet or flooded to be extremely unhealthy. Heating and cooling costs are higher in a home with a vented dirt crawl space.
Solution is simple: CleanSpace Encapsulation System.

The Problem and The Damage
Critters - Bugs, Rodents and MORE Bugs. Dirt Crawl Spaces are great places to live, thrive and reproduce if you're a bug. There is an even temperature, ample moisture, damp wood and shelter in almost all unprotected dirt crawl spaces. Spiders, beetles, centipedes, termites, and all kinds of other insects are found in dirt crawl spaces. Animals such as mice (dead and alive) are commonly found in dirt crawl spaces. In some cases, even rats, snakes and other small animals have been found.

Mold in the Crawl Space
Mold spores, the seeds of mold, are in the air everywhere. All they need to grow is organic material such as wood, the right temperature range, and moisture. Of these, the only one that can be controlled is moisture.
Dirt crawl spaces have the high humidity levels necessary for mold growth. Humidity levels from 50% to 90% are easily found in dirt crawl spaces that have never flooded.

Mold can grow on dirt, insulation, framing and even under your carpet on the first floor. Mold destroys organic materials as it feeds on them. Mold reproduces by producing millions of floating airborne spores, which some people are very sensitive to. Spores can be dormant for many years, waiting for the right conditions to grow. Some molds produce mycotoxins, such as the black mold Stachybotrys. Many articles can be found on the effects of mold and toxic mold on your health.

Dr. Harriet Burge, an expert in airborne diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health, says, "Mold in houses is not a good thing. It could lead to asthma. Houses with mold are damp, and have dust mites and other things in them that can cause illness, especially in children." Don't panic; there is a solution that will stop your crawl space from being a hospitable environment for mold. Mold will not grow when the humidity levels are reduced below 40%.

Condensation
Because of the high humidty level in a dirt crawl space, cool surfaces such as the earth at 55 degrees, concrete and metal surfaces will sweat with water vapor condensing out of the air. This causes rot, smells, and is a water source for critters. As heat rises, the natural air movement in a home is upward. Air escapes out ofthe upper levels, and is drawn upward from the lower levels

Eliminating Ventilation
Most dirt crawl spaces are vented to get the moisture out. The problem is that the vents let warm humid air in during the summer. This adds moisture to the crawl space and makes the house harder to air condition as all this moisture needs to be wrung out of the air. In the winter, the vents let in cold air, which causes very cold, uncomfortable floors upstairs and higher heating costs. Building Scientists agree that vented crawl spaces in warm and cold climates are a bad idea. With the CleanSpace Encapsulation System, your vents will be closed up! This will save you in energy costs and make a more comfortable and healthy home.

Crawl Space Drainage Options
Some crawl spaces are wet and require a drainage system underneath the CleanSpace liner. Regional Waterproofing will recommend a drainage system that is best for your crawl space conditions.

A Basement Systems SuperSump will be necessary in wet crawl spaces to drain the water and pump it out. The SuperSump has a reliable 1/3 hp cast iron pump in a strong, durable sump pump liner with holes in it to accept water from the ground. It features an airtight lid to keep the moisture and bugs out, and a WaterWatch alarm system to let you know if there is ever a pump or power problem before the crawl space floods.

The SuperSump will be installed in a low spot in your crawl space. As an option, a drainage swale or trench system can be developed around the perimeter to drain water to the SuperSump. An UltraSump battery back-up pumping system is also an option.

Other options include a perforated drainage piping system, with or without a stone bed (shown on the right).

Once the drainage is installed, the CleanSpace liner will be installed over it and sealed tight around the SuperSump.

Crawl Space with Concrete Floor
Crawl spaces with concrete floors that are wet or damp can be very difficult places to install a drainage system in because they are so low and because removing concrete is difficult or impossible. Further, a concrete floor is porous and lets water vapor pass through. The CleanSpace system is a perfect solution for these problems!The humidity levels in many crawl spaces go from over 80% to under 35% after the CleanSpace System is installed. Some homeowners say that the windows and doors upstairs are operating better because the swollen wood dried out. Even buckling hardwood floors and carpets dry out. The CleanSpace Crawl Space system was featured in Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Click here to read the article.

For your free crawl space waterproofing estimate in North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Greenville, Fayetteville, Wilmington and surrounding areas, call or fill out our online form.