How Do You Seal a Crawl Space?
There is a right way and a wrong way to properly seal a crawl space. The wrong way involves simply adding a vapor barrier with no additional services or precautions. Sealing a crawl space with a vapor barrier and nothing else may reduce the amount of humidity that enters your home through exposed soil in your crawl space, but it won’t protect against outdoor humidity like a complete crawl space encapsulation system will. Proper crawl space sealing involves the following steps:
Resolve All Existing Problems First
Before sealing off a crawl space, it’s important to address:
- Inadequate drainage or water problems around the foundation
- Mold or mildew growth
- Pest infestation
- Back drafting from heating and cooling systems
Once these concerns have all been fixed and properly addressed, the crawl space will be ready for encapsulation. Failing to resolve these issues before sealing off the space can make encapsulation ineffective or create additional problems down the road.
Encapsulate the Crawl Space
Encapsulating a crawl space means to seal it off from the soil beneath and around your home. Properly sealing a crawl space involves sealing off the entire area and enclosing everything to prevent mold and mildew growth, eliminate insect or rodent infestations, and limit the amount of humidity that enters your home from below – making your home more energy efficient.
To do this, a plastic vapor barrier must be installed to the crawl space floor. It also has to be attached to piers, foundation walls, and other equipment to ensure that no spaces are left unsealed. Then, vents and other openings to the outdoors must be sealed off and a thermal barrier should be added to the crawl space walls. Finally, all air gaps, cracks, and other areas of concern (wiring, band joists, etc.) should be completely sealed off as well.
Engineered Solutions – the Company to Trust for Crawl Space Encapsulation
Here at Engineered Solutions, we are well-versed in the proper ways to seal and encapsulate crawl spaces. We have many years of experience in the industry and have encountered crawl space projects of all shapes and sizes, and we’ve completed each with a level of expertise and attention to detail difficult to find elsewhere in the industry.
For more information about the crawl space encapsulation services that we offer to homeowners throughout Atlanta, GA, and the surrounding areas, contact Engineered Solutions today.
