Healthy Home Crawlspace Solution

The Healthy Home Crawlspace Solution is the most comprehensive, energy efficient crawlspace solution on the market today. It addresses all the issues that plague unhealthy crawlspaces. It is the belief of Basement Authorities that crawlspaces should be treated like every other room in the house.

• They should be free of standing water
• The outside Earth should be isolated from the living space
• They should be free of insects and pests
• Unconditioned outside air should be sealed out
• The walls should be insulated
• The air should be conditioned and dehumidified

The Healthy Home Crawlspace Solution provides a comprehensive five step solution that will ensure that your crawlspace is just as livable as the rest of your home.

Step 1: Getting Rid of Standing Water

Nothing causes more damage to a home than standing water. The amount of decay and rot that can happen with just a small amount of water is incredible. That’s why ensuring the crawlspace is free of standing water is so important. Most dirt crawlspaces have leaky walls and no drainage system to expel rain water that pools in the crawlspace. A drainage System and the Champion Sump System are the answer. A drainage channel is installed around the perimeter of the crawlspace. Water is collected by the drainage system and directed towards the Champion Sump System. The Champion pump evacuates the water out of the crawlspace and onto the yard away from the house. The crawlspace will now be free of standing water and ready for encapsulation.

Step 2: Moisture Encapsulation

Once the standing water is eliminated, the focus is encapsulating the crawl from the damp earth. The moisture in the dirt floor needs to be separated from living space above. The most effective way of doing this is by encapsulating the floor with a heavy duty polyethylene liner. The Healthy Home crawlspace liner is a 5 ply 20 mil liner with layers of high density polyethylene and cord reinforcement. It is strong enough to safely crawl on, and durable enough for storage. The bright, white liner creates a clean, dry crawlspace environment. It creates a barrier to the insects and pests that live in the dirt under your home and blocks the permeation of nearly 100% of the moisture in the soil.

The Basement Authorities’ Healthy Home crawlspace floor liner is a superior solution for concrete crawlspace floors. Concrete floors in crawlspaces are generally not the same type of floor that is poured in a basement. The concrete that is pumped into a crawlspace is extremely watered down so that it will be able to flow through small holes in to the crawlspace. This watered down mix is extremely porous. Moisture freely wicks through this concrete slab and into the crawlspace environment. Studies have also shown that the visqueen vapor barrier installed below the concrete slab is quickly dissolved by the harsh chemicals in the concrete mix. Concrete slabs do little to remove moisture from the crawlspace environment. In fact they add hundreds of gallons of water vapor into the crawlspace. All of the water that is mixed with the concrete evaporates into the crawlspace environment as the concrete cures. This can create such extreme humidity levels that there becomes an explosion of mold growth within the crawlspace and the rest of the house. Badly mixed concrete floors can also be dirty and dusty. This concrete dust contains silica, and silica has been found to cause cancer. All of these reasons lead us to believe that pumping concrete into a crawlspace is clearly a bad idea.

The Healthy Home floor liner is the proper solution for encapsulating your dirt crawlspace floor.

Step 3: Insulating the Walls

Energy studies have shown that up to 20% of a home’s energy is lost through the cool, damp foundation walls in our crawlspaces and basements. The Basement Authorities Insul-wall liner is the perfect solution. The Insul-wall liner wraps around the perimeter walls of the foundation. It is the equivalent of wrapping the walls with a reflective warm blanket. The aluminum coating reflects up to 96% of any radiant heat back into the crawlspace. The liner also adds an R-4 insulating value to the system. This will make the crawlspace warmer , which will help warm the floor above. The Insul-Wall liner also addresses any moisture that comes through the foundation walls. Foundation walls are porous and often times leak. The Insul-Wall liner funnels this moisture down to the drain tile system below. The Insul-Wall liner not only insulates the walls, but acts as a vapor barrier for any foundation wall moisture. The Insul-Wall liner is an integral part of making your crawlspace healthier and more energy efficient.

Step 4: Sealing Off Outside Air

The Basement Authorities’ crawlspace vent covers are the perfect answer to sealing off outside air flow. The sealing off of outside air is one of the biggest keys to energy efficiency in a crawlspace. Allowing air to freely enter and exit the crawlspace makes it harder to heat the house in the winter and cool the house in the summer. Our vent covers provide a cost effective method of sealing out energy robbing outside air and they look good too. Many vents are rusty and dirty. Our vent covers offer a clean look and they can be painted to match any home décor. The vent covers also prevent any larger rodents and pests from entering the crawlspace through the vents.

One of the most common complaints homeowners have about their crawlspaces is that the floors are cold. Our attractive, easily installed vent covers are the answer to this problem. Once the vent cover is installed, the cold drafty air that chills you in the winter will practically disappear. The floors on the first floor will warm-up and your heating bill will decrease.

Step 5: Dehumidification

Even after encapsulating the crawlspace and sealing off the vents, most crawlspaces will still need dehumidification. The air within a house moves from the lower levels to the upper levels of the home due to the chimney effect in a home. This means that the crawlspace is basically a vacuum that draws in outside air. It is nearly impossible to seal out all of the outside air from the crawlspace. During the summer months, outside air will infiltrate into the crawlspace and cause increased humidity levels.

Basement Authorities offers the Santa-Fe dehumidification system. It is the most advanced dehumidification system on the market today. The Santa-Fe will not only effectively dehumidify up to 5000 Sq ft of crawlspace, but it is a hospital grade air cleaner. The merv-11 filtration will capture any airborne allergens that might still be present in the crawlspace. All of this comes with an energy star rating, and one of the lowest per pint costs for dehumidification. Ask your Basement Authorities dealer about our Santa-Fe dehumidifier with your Healthy Home Crawlspace Solution.

Conditioned Crawlspace

Once your Healthy Home Crawlspace Solution is complete, your crawlspace will become inside space. You can now condition the air in the crawlspace. This means you can heat it in the winter and cool it in the summer. Most crawlspaces will not need to be cooled in the summer, but heating a crawlspace in the winter is extremely beneficial. Heat rises, and if the crawlspace is heated, then that heat will rise throughout the house. This will keep the whole house more comfortable and cut down on energy costs. Basement Authorities recommends you consult your local HVAC contractor for your best heating and cooling options.

A conditioned crawlspace is the ultimate solution, but at Basement Authorities we understand that every crawlspace has its own unique problems and they each require their own unique solutions. Your certified local Basement Authorities expert will work with you to accomplish any goals that you may have for your crawlspace and your home.