Crawl Space Waterproofing

Why Do I Need to Waterproof My Crawl Space?

Crawl spaces have always been a challenge for homeowners. These shallow spaces under your home often develop major problems that are caused by excess moisture.

It isn’t only leaking water that causes problems in crawl spaces. It’s also higher humidity levels caused from dirt floors, open vents, and other air leakages.

This excess moisture creates the ideal conditions for mold and wood rot. Another thing to consider—since air moves from the bottom of your house to the top, all the nasty odors, moisture, gases, and mold spores in your crawl space will drift up into your living space.

Wet or damp crawl space conditions can compromise the structural integrity of your building or home. When there’s a high level of moisture or humidity in that crawl space, it can result in wood rot and mold growth.

You may start to notice the floors above your crawl space sagging and wooden floorboards buckling or warping. Musty smells may rise from the crawl space and into your living or office space through the stack effect as warm air rises. Along with that smell may come mold spores, which can agitate allergies and harm those with respiratory illnesses. This air can leak up from your crawl space through cavities around pipes, gaps in the floor, and even through your HVAC ducts if your HVAC system is in your crawl space. This damp and musty environment can create the ideal breeding ground for mold, mildew, and critters of all sizes.

Along with these potentially hazardous problems, a wet crawl space can also harm the resale value of your home, and it’s not a problem that goes away on its own.

The ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing Crawl Space Waterproofing System

A ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing crawl space waterproofing system will include some or all of the products below, based on what your home needs:

• Perimeter drainage channel ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing uses a perimeter drainage channel designed to capture floor and wall leakage. It is engineered to be filter-less, self-cleaning, and non-clogging—important factors since the channel will be in the dirt of your crawl space floor. Filtered drainpipes are problematic in that they need to be replaced when they clog.
• Waterproof wall membrane A flexible liner that is fastened to the wall, draining water seepage down behind it and into the drainage channel. This is the same material we use on the walls in our crawl space encapsulation system.
• Sump pump system ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing provides the best-performing sump pump systems available, including fully redundant, battery backup models that keep working even when the power goes out or when the primary pump gets overwhelmed with heavy water flows.
• Crawl space dehumidifier. ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing offers a heavy-duty commercial dehumidifier to dry out a damp crawl space and automatically maintain a pre-set humidity level. By controlling crawl space humidity, you can create an environment that prevents mold growth and discourages pest invasion.