Healthy Spaces Q&A

Mold can thrive anywhere there is moisture and organic material (wood) that is used as a 'food' source. That makes a crawl space environment an ideal haven. Encapsulation and dehumidification are the keys to getting rid of mold problems and their accompanying smells. Our CleanSpace vapor barrier will protect your crawl space from moisture coming in through the walls and floor in your crawl space. Adding a SaniDry dehumidifier (like our new Sedona) takes care of any remaining ambient moisture, which makes your crawl space uninhabitable to mold.

The answer is, you don't! The need to "air out" a crawl space to prevent moisture and mold is a common misconception - the only way to keep your crawl space safe from the effects of ambient moisture and debris is to encapsulate it entirely with a product like our CleanSpace vapor barrier.

Waterproofing your basement can mean a number of things, depending on where the water is coming in, how much water there is, and other factors like the soil composition and height of the water table surrounding your home. It often involves installing a below-floor perimeter system like our WaterGuard, and a sump pump is usually necessary. For the most common water problems, this is a kind of baseline of what will need to be installed. Depending on other factors in your basement, other processes may be vital to keeping it dry. This will all be explained at your free inspection - we'll go through the what, the way, and the how much. 

Moisture in a crawl space requires a few different products for a full solution. First, encapsulation protects the crawl space from moisture entering through the walls and floor. Our CleanSpace vapor barrier creates a water-tight seal. Second, a dehumidifier will mitigate any remaining ambient moisture (humidity) to prevent mold growth. 

Insulating your crawl space is a great idea! Energy loss from a crawl space is a huge drain on your home's comfort, and your wallet. However, not all board insulation is created equal. Damp environments like crawl spaces need inorganic and waterproof insulation products to prevent mold and decay. Our SilverGlo insulation panels are both inorganic and waterproof and will keep your crawl space from losing energy for your home.

In the past, there was a theory that it was necessary to create airflow to keep a crawl space dry - that's why crawl space vents came into common use. But as more and more vented crawl spaces experienced water issues and all of the accompanying problems (mold, wood rot, etc), it was understood that with air flow comes water flow, debris flow, and a steady flow of bugs and rodents. Basically, a crawl space vent is similar to an open window and leaves the crawl space - and your home - entirely unprotected. Part of our encapsulation process involves installing airtight covers on crawl space vents to prevent them from allowing water and debris into your crawl space.

Our free inspection allows us to determine which of our products are the best fit for a bowing wall. We offer multiple options, including wall anchors, PowerBraces, and Carbon Amor, and sometimes the right solution is actually a combination of products. We work first to stabilize the wall and prevent further bowing. In some instances, there is hope for straightening the wall in the future.

The biggest takeaway when looking at repairing a bowing wall is to remember that you cannot solve the problem yourself. Bowing or leaning foundation walls are not the time for DIY, as a bowing wall can collapse and put the safety of your home in danger. 

If you have a bowing wall, the best thing to do is call us and set up a free appointment.

If your foundation walls were constructed with concrete or concrete block, it is easy for rainwater saturating the ground to pass through concrete and find its way into your home. Block wall cavities can fill with water, thus soaking the concrete and seeping through to the home. Water also can push its way through the basement's wall-floor joint and flood the basement. If you find yourself dealing with wet walls or puddles on the floor during and after storms, give us a call! We can provide you with a free inspection and estimate, as well as patented repair solutions that will give you peace of mind and a dry basement.