Crawl Space Encapsulation for Dunwoody Homes

Encapsulate Your Crawl Space with AdvantaClean 

It can come as a shock how detrimental unaddressed debris and existing and continuing water damage can be in a Dunwoody crawl space. Sealing of the area under your home or commercial building might seem like an extreme intervention, but it is worth the time and cost in many circumstances. Researching alternatives when standing water or excessive humidity negatively impacts the air quality inside your property should include consideration of containment strategies. The goal is to minimize the intrusion of damp conditions, malodors, and even mold growth. AdvantaClean awaits hearing your concerns and questions, confident that we can explain both the need for encapsulation if indicated and the step-by-step protocol we use to achieve it.

Why Encapsulate a Crawl Space 

When constructing a building over bare earth, some methodology must be employed to keep the building materials and living areas free from moisture, dirt, vermin, and a variety of residues. Heavy rains or poor drainage can cause standing water issues, potentially wicking into the suspended substrate and destroying framing and other supportive components. Persistently wet earth transfers uncomfortably humid and musty air inside the property, increasing heating and cooling costs and overworking the HVAC system. Utility lines and configurations are often staged just under the floors, allowing for easy access, but exposing a property to the risk of leaking pipes or fumes. Current best practices recommend that crawl space encapsulation is an efficacious solution to these challenges. Dunwoody residents and businesspeople can count on AdvantaClean to provide trained technicians and the needed equipment and supplies to mitigate the introduction of moisture, odors, and contaminants into your property's interior.

What to Expect 

The procedure, in general, encompasses the use of heavy-duty moisture barriers to cover the floor and interior walls of the buffer area. Workers must prepare the underlying ground and sort out mechanical systems that currently share the space or might be added to improve the chances of a successful outcome. Every scenario will have differences, but the majority of projects include:

● Clearing out debris, refuse, and stored items -- it is tempting to use the area as a remote warehouse, but it is crucial to remove everything except HVAC and utility lines to avoid compromising the planned containment.

● Consulting appropriate contractors to check for and eliminate back-drafting from appliances or systems coexisting in the crawl space.

● Arranging for standing water removal, applied structural and ground drying, and remediation of mold or mildew damage in advance to ensure an appropriate baseline.

● Placing a sump system to prevent future caching of fluids.

● Reviewing, repairing, or replacing the roof's gutter and downspouts to ensure that rain runoff directs away from the building, adjusting the grade next to the perimeter to facilitate the rain flowing away.

● Installing a heavy-duty barrier intended to keep all moisture from external sources out of the crawl space. 

● Covering the area's ground and sides with the designated liner (vapor barrier) of at least 12 mil.

● Encasing the HVAC and other systems, including the wrapping and taping of pipes, air handlers, piers, and other fixtures.

● Sealing every opening to the outdoors, gap, crack, or seam with appropriate materials, including adhesive products, foam board, or spray foam rated for use in this type of project.

You can rely on the advice and services delivered by the professionals of AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs. Move your Dunwoody crawl space encapsulation from consideration to reality by calling (404) 474-8443 to schedule an assessment.

Crawl space encapsulation is incomplete unless provision is made for maintaining pre-determined humidity levels in this now-contained atmosphere -- purchasing and installing an appropriate dehumidifying system is vital.

Creating a buffer between your property and the damp, wet ground below was the original purpose of a Dunwoody crawl space. Encapsulation in the capable hands of the AdvantaClean crew is the way to ensure this construction safeguard choice achieves that end.