Crawl Space Encapsulation

Ignoring crawl space conditions and the effects they may have on indoor air quality seems to be a thing of the past. People are more educated about how moisture enters their homes and the negative impact excess moisture can have on living conditions.

Since up to 50% of household air can flow up from your crawl space, it’s important to keep this typically unsightly space as clean and dry as possible. Since water vapor enters the crawl space from the ground (even through cement), many people are encapsulating their crawl space to keep the moisture out. Adding a crawl space vapor barrier and dehumidifier is widely accepted as the best way to improve indoor air quality and make energy improvements inside your home.

In this article, we’ll take a look at these solutions, and explain how to maintain a healthy humidity in your crawl space.

What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation?

Encapsulating, or at least sealing, crawl spaces is becoming a popular solution for avoiding indoor moisture issues. To the average person, encapsulation can be compared to the lining added to swimming pools to avoid leaks. A heavy-duty polyethylene barrier is added to completely cover your crawl space – including the floors and the foundation walls.

This water vapor barrier is most effective when it completely covers your crawl space, and sealing tape is used to connect the barrier pieces throughout your area.  

Once your space is completely sealed, the final piece of the encapsulation puzzle is conditioning the air to maintain a healthy humidity level. The most common way to do this is by adding a dehumidifier to regulate your crawl space’s moisture level.

This barrier and dehumidifier combination protects the crawl space from excess moisture and all the problems that come along with it.

Who Should Consider Crawl Space Encapsulation

Water vapor and excess moisture can cause a slew of problems in your home. Since water vapor can move through porous cement, moisture from the ground can move through it and into your home. Here are common signs that lead people to sealing their crawl space:

• Mold
• Mildew/musty smell in basement/crawl space
• Soft or separating floors
• High cooling costs
• Wet insulation
• Sweating windows
• Insect problems

Benefits of Creating a Vapor Barrier

Before we get into the dirty details, consider these benefits:

• Improved air quality in your crawl space and home
• Creates inhospitable area for pests and wood-destroying insects
• More comfortable living conditions
• Avoid fungi/mold issues and structural damage
• Greater energy efficiency in your home

You may hear the term sealing crawl spaces and encapsulating crawl spaces used interchangeably. While they’re similar, sealing generally means only covering the floor and around 8 inches up the walls.

Encapsulation entails covering all of the floors, walls and supporting piers. 

Can I Encapsulate A Crawl Space Myself?

There are various companies who can fully-encapsulate your crawl space for you, which is the option most people go with. They’ll survey your area, make sure your crawl space is suitable for encapsulation, and properly address any other foundation or excess moisture issues in the area.

However, some people want to do it themselves in order to cut back on costs. If you plan to do it yourself, you can order the needed products (seal tape, vapor barrier, etc.) from a variety of places online, but we suggest buying them locally since shipping the large, heavy barriers can be very expensive.

While it is possible and more cost effective to do yourself in some cases, professional encapsulation is the best way to ensure everything is completed correctly. Regardless of whether you’re hiring a professional or encapsulating yourself, we encourage you to read our tips below to further educate yourself on the process.

Considerations Before Encapsulating

If your crawl space isn’t encapsulated and sealed correctly, other problems can arise. Bulk water problems are a main concern. All long-term bulk water issues need to be addressed before encapsulating a crawl space (look for sitting water or water stains on foundation walls).

Termite control companies can also place some restrictions on how much of your crawl space can be covered, so be sure to contact your pest control company before jumping into an encapsulation project – especially if you have an active termite bond.

Lastly, if there is any combustion equipment in the crawl space, you need to consider any backdrafting that could occur.

Encapsulating your crawl space essentially means sealing it up completely, and these potential problems are why most people opt for professional barrier installation.