THE MOLDBUSTER GROUP LLC
360-312-4236
SENSIBLE CRAWLSPACE SYSTEMS THAT WON'T BREAK THE BANK!
Dirty and Clean! The Space on the left is wet, dirty, rodent infested, mold infested, had leaks and collapsing insulation. It is not a nice place to be.
The space on the right had 8" of water in it, rodents, mold, collapsing insulation and was also not a nice place to be, until the owner turned us loose on it.
Now it is a nice
place to hang out!
Ahh, Crawlspaces...also known as "that place under the house where you REALLY don't want to go". Crawlspaces are common here in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, they are also one of the biggest contributors to bad indoor air, mold, rot, bugs and that "funky odor". It all stems from one irreconcilable fact...heat rises. The warm air in your house rises and works its' way thru and out the roof and attic. This creates low pressure in the house. Air tries to get in to fill that vacuum. Well...guess where the easiest place in the house is to draw from? The dampest, wettest, moldiest, smelliest place in your house...your Crawlspace. What is the solution? An encapsulated crawlspace system, the current state of the art in building science. We turn your wet, muddy, moldy, smelly crawlspace into a place that if you aren't careful, your kids might want to go hang out in!
The Vapor Barrier Is No Longer a Barrier!
Building code calls for the builder to put down a layer of plastic, known as a vapor retarder. Why? Because soil emits water vapor. In our wet area...a LOT of water vapor. This moisture builds up and will rot your house out if not properly contained. So, building code calls for builders to put down a layer of 6 mil plastic. The problem with this is two fold...first, the plastic they use is a product made from scraps of polyethylene which is full of pinholes. These pinholes let thru a ton of water vapor. It gets better....because of the way this material is constructed, it will actually break down when placed in contact with soil. THAT is smart! Then to make matters worse, they don't seal the seams nor do they seal the vapor barrier to the walls. The result is a ton of vapor and even straight water leakage coming into your crawlspace and into your home. In a dry area, this isn't a problem. But this is the Pacific Northwest. Is it dry here? Nope. No wonder nearly every crawlspace we go into smells musty!
So, what is the solution? Well until recently the solutions were to either remove the cheap, thin plastic and put down a thicker one that was properly sealed and tacked down...or to do a fully sealed system with an ultra thick polypropylene barrier. This is known as a crawlspace encapsulation barrier and it is THE best thing you can do to your crawlspace. Problem is, an encapsulated crawlspace system, while really effective, was also REALLY expensive! Crawlspace Encapsulation vapor barrier costs cause severe sticker shock. We recently looked at a quote from one of our competitors given to one of our clients for their crawlspace. The vapor barrier cost as much as a used car! We knew there HAD to be an alternative. So...we did some research and discovered a reasonably priced crawlspace vapor barrier which is not only effective but it also won't break the bank. So what is the difference?
What the competition offers is a 20 mil reinforced virgin polypropylene product. Now, don't get us wrong, it is VERY effective. It is also heinously expensive...I mean really really expensive! Actually, we CAN install the same 20 mil vapor barrier at about 1/2 the price they do. But what we discovered was a 12 mil string-reinforced virgin polyethylene vapor barrier. Essentially a slightly thinner version which turns out to be WAY more cost effective. When the technical specifications were compared, we were shocked! It is within 5% of the 20 mil vapor barrier at less than 1/4 the cost! The 20 mil product is great, but lets face it, at literally 1/4 the price, we can install a full encapsulated vapor barrier system AND a crawlspace dehumidifier AND a Sump Pump...and you'll still be money ahead! That 5% difference? The dehumidifier can handle it...really! Oh, and to answer the inevitable question...why do I need a dehumidifier if I have a fully sealed crawlspace? Simple. Because there will always be a small amount of moisture which will come into the crawlspace from tiny gaps. Plus, you get moisture which will come in from the house above. The dehumidifier keeps the air and structure in the crawlspace nice and dry.
We are constantly searching for a better mousetrap, better and more cost effective technology for our clients. We not only discovered a GREAT crawlspace dehumidifier, but it turn out it is made right here in our back yard in Washington! Made by a company who specializes in Dehumidification systems in extreme environments. What is even better, it is actually reasonably priced! We maintain our crawlspace dehumidifer is BETTER than the competition's crawlspace dehumidifier and ours costs 40% less money. The only maintainance involved is to check the filter once a year and change it if necessary...which is super easy. At a mere 14" x 10" x 24", it is compact enough to fit into even the most cramped crawlspace. It also has selectable output ducting, making it super flexible. We've installed several of them for out clients and we are thrilled with the results!
This SUCKS!
Chances are pretty good you will need a sump pump system. And if you do, once again, we save you some money. We looked at the competition...they tout a 1/3 HP Zoeller Sump Pump on their website to which we say Bravo! Zoeller is one of THE BEST pumps out there! That happens to be the same pump we use! They also have an nice sump basin with a cover on it...well, so do we! Matter of fact, we think our sump basin is actually BETTER than their sump basin in terms of design. They charge $1500 for their pump and basin and cover! Um...we don't. We charge less than 1/3rd of that. Hmmm.
First things first...if your structure is extremely wet, we will dry it out using our BioDry system. Once your structure is nice and dry, we take out the nasty old vapor barrier. Then we assess the crawlspace. Will it need a sump pump and drainage system? If it does, we install it which entails digging trenches and installing filter cloth, gravel and french drains if needed. A licensed electrician installs the electrical circuit to run the sump and dehumidifier. A sump pit is dug and installed along with the sump pump and sump discharge drain system. Following this, we install your new crawlspace encapsulation vapor barrier. It is taped at the seams with a special waterproof tape. If the soil is extremely wet, we use a second waterproof butyl rubber tape for additional water sealing. If your concrete walls are extremely wet, we may recommend sealing them with a concrete sealer to cut down on the moisture transmission into the space. Then our guys go to work with a roto hammer, drilling a ton of little holes in your concrete wall (they are 1/4", so not to worry!). Those holes are for the mechanical fasteners we use to hold up the barrier along with a special butyl caulk or tape which seals the vapor barrier to the walls. Then we clean out any mold, fix your insulation and do any other repairs necessary. Last but not least, our guys clean up (which we don't charge $1000 for...no really, that is what a competitor quoted!), install your Dehumidifier and VOILA! Your crawlspace is now transformed into a clean, healthy space.
To Insulate Or Not...That is the Question
One thing we noticed our competition saying....you can remove the insulation in your crawlspace because it isn't needed. Well, there we disagree. Yes, your crawlspace WILL definitely be warmer. Without the exterior cold air blowing in through the vents, it means your crawlspace will not get as cold. BUT...it will still get cold! Why? Because your ground temperature is cold (soil temperature averages about 45-50 degrees in our area) and your exterior crawlspace walls are uninsulated. These two factors keep your crawlspace at a cool temperature nearly year around. While the crawlspace dehumidifier and your HVAC ducting does add a bit of heat, it isn't enough to overcome the cold from the earth. If your house is 65-70 degrees and your crawlspace is 45-55 degrees and your remove the insulation, you will have a cold floor. Our recommendation is to leave and repair the existing insulation unless you intend to insulate the walls and ground of the crawlspace which will be more expensive than leaving and repairing the regular insulation. Makes sense to us!
THE BENEFITS?
Cleaner, drier indoor air...a LOT cleaner indoor air. No more mold or rot in your crawlspace. Fewer bugs and rodents (the bugs need the water, the rodents need the bugs). And even some energy savings. Yeah, now we've got your attention! Yes...doing a crawlspace system like this can save you money on heating costs. Because it is harder for the air to get into the house from down below, it is conversely harder for the nice heated warm air to escape the house during the heating season. More warm air will stay inside. Last but not least, less moisture in your attic which often migrates from the crawlspace.