3 Reasons Why You Should Encapsulate and Waterproof your Dirt Crawl… (2024)

Sep 2, 2020 • By Matthew Stock.

Before we discuss why you should waterproof your crawl space, let’s first make sure we understand what a crawl space is! According to Wikipedia, “Acrawl spaceis an unoccupied, unfinished, narrowspacewithin a building, between the ground and the first (or ground) floor .” The purpose of a crawlspace is to allow for proper air flow throughout the home, and to give the homeowner access to electrical, pipes and plumbing that might need repair. What Wikipedia fails to mention is most homeowners are scared to go in their crawl space.

“So why should I encapsulate and waterproof my crawl space if I don’t ever go in there?”, you might ask. This is a great question. This article should hopefully shed some light on a pretty dark place!

Let me explain. Your crawlspace is subject to high temperatures and moisture in the summer season, together that creates humidity. Additionally, in the winter months, and since your home sits on exposed earth, your home is exposed to frost, frozen ground or water accumulation. Because of the conditions the Summer and Winter seasons can create in your crawl space you may experience many unfortunate situations!

Here are 3 reasons you should encapsulate and waterproof your crawl space:

1. Wood rot and fungus. Do I need to say more?? Fungus causes wood rot and fungus grows because of the overwhelming humidity in a crawl space that is not encapsulated. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it attracts and holds water simply from absorbing it from its surrounding environment. So, what is wood rot? It is the deteriorating of wood that is caused by one or more of several species of fungus. The damaged wood is usually dry and brittle and breaks apart very easily. This is obviously bad for your home as damaged crawl space structure will begin to sag inwards. This can cause structural issues for you home such as uneven upstairs floors, leading to cracks and loosening of grout, doors may jam and stick more easily, and upstairs walls and framing can pull down leading to cracks in drywall and skewed door frames.
2. Pests. Enough said?? Mice, rats, termites, carpenter ants, roaches, powder post beetles, and the list goes on and on and on! Pests can wreak havoc on your crawlspace destroying insulation, chewing on wiring and air ducts or even damaging the wooden substructures of the home. Straight from one of the largest pest control companies in the world, “The best defense is a good offense. In other words, take preventive measures to help stop the pest problem before it starts.” Terminix says, “Controlling moisture is critical! Not only can the accumulation of moisture cause conditions conducive to wood-eating organisms, compromising your home’s integrity also attracts pests.
3. Mold!!!! When moisture sits in an enclosed space, such as a crawl space, it creates mold. Since one of the main purposes of a crawl space is to provide air flow throughout the home, imagine what is in your air if you have mold in the crawl space. You guessed it!! Mold spores are being circulated in your upstairs breathable air!!! Yikes, right!

Waterproofing and encapsulating your crawlspace is they key in preventing mold, wood rot, and keeping those nasty little pests away! Using these important preventative measures is not as daunting as it may seem. Crawl Space Encapsulation treats your walls with a specialized radiant reflective insulation which lowers energy costs and retards future mold growth. To cover the dirt/gravel floor, a 20 mil. reinforced polyethylene vapor barrier is installed. While Encapsulation is one thing, Waterproofing has a few options. Interior Drain Tile can be installed to address seepage through the cove joint (where the floor and wall meet) or through floor cracks. Foundation wall cracks can be repaired from the interior or exterior by using an Epoxy/Urethane injection process. And Exterior Waterproofing Membranes can address the problem of porous concrete walls or seepage over the top of the foundation.

Not only will waterproofing your basem*nt keep your home healthy but in turn will also keep you healthy. Mold is a dangerous spore to breath in on a continued basis and can cause some serious health problems, wood rot will affect the health and integrity of your home, and pests, are well…. Pests! So it is important to take care of your crawlspace for your homes health and yours!

U.S. Waterproofing is the largest basem*nt waterproofing and foundation repair company in the Chicagoland offering an array of basem*nt and crawl space services. Specifically, to crawl spaces, we offer Crawl Space Encapsulation which is one way to isolate your home from increased mold, radon and humidity levels as well as Concrete Flooring.

We are here to answer your questions and to guide you in the process. As a family owned business for 60 years, we care about our community and your health. Book a free estimate with us today! Don’t wait to get your crawl space waterproofed to keep your home and family healthy.

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