Crawl Space Dehumidifier Installation

Why a crawl space dehumidifier help reduce moisture and water in Crawl Spaces

Water is necessary for all life on planet Earth. Over 70% percent of the Earth’s surface is water. Your body is 55-60% water. We need water daily to live, but water in the wrong places can cause many problems to our homes and other structures. Rain water and surface waters can cause serious damage to or even destroy your home.

All of the great ancient civilizations from Eurasia, Africa and the Americas built their societies by using gravity and water in homes and buildings for drinking, bathing, sewage and fountains. The living trees we use for the wood to make our houses are made up of 50% water. These wood building materials need to maintain some moisture to maintain their structural strength and stability. Ideally, the wood moisture content inside your house should be 6-8%; on the outside and in the crawlspace the wood moisture content should be 9-14%.
Wood gains or loses moisture constantly from change in the moisture in the air around it (relative humidity). When wood gains moisture it expands. When wood loses moisture, it shrinks. When wood doesn’t lose or gain water it is at equilibrium (balanced) content. All the wood used in our homes is always interacting with the air around it; the moisture level is never constant.
Because of these facts, we must regulate the water in and around that wood to help it “maintain it’s best moisture content range”. This prevents it from growing mold and fungus, warping, cracking and eventually rotting and failing.
That balance also provides a healthy environment for the people and animals living within it. In short, your home is a living, breathing thing. You need an experienced, professional to analyze its moisture challenges and provide a comprehensive plan to help it find it’s healthy balance.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Every home’s situation is different. A crawl space dehumidifier can help.

• Vegetation around your home.
• The slope and other physical characteristics of the land around your house.
• The overall engineering, design, building techniques and materials used in your home’s construction.
• The absence or presence of gutters, gutter guards, downspouts – and their effectiveness at removing and diverting rainwater.
• The presence of natural bodies of water, ground water, or public drainage systems.
• Improper drainage controls at ground level outside and inside the foundation.
• Interior sources of excess moisture from leaking pipes, heating/cooling condensate lines, appliances, drains, etc.
• External watering systems.
• Existing improperly installed or partial water control techniques.
• The solutions to moisture problems in a house can range from basic to complex.

Level 2:

• Installing an interior or exterior French drainage system (or both).
• Installing a sump pump to remove water from a crawlspace that is lower than the exterior ground level.
• Installing a special dehumidifier and condensate system to reduce the air moisture content in the crawlspace.
• Installing electrical for pump, dehumidifiers, and lights.
• Sealing existing foundation vents to prevent moist outside air from getting into the crawlspace which stops the water from condensing on plumbing, HVAC ductwork, insulation, and wood.
• Installing a heavier duty plastic/membrane vapor barrier on the ground.
• Installing a heavy-duty plastic/membrane vapor barrier inside on the crawlspace walls (partial or total depending).
• Cleaning mold and mildew from the exposed structural members and subfloor in the crawlspace.
• Removing and/or replacing water logged insulation with mold and mildew on it  from a crawlspace.

Level 4 – Total Encapsulation of the Crawlspace & Exterior Drainage Control:

• This system encompasses all of the first three phases with removal of batt insulation from the subfloor and foam board insulation installed around the inside perimeter of the crawlspace foundation and a total sealing of the floors and walls with the heavy-duty membrane vapor barrier.

• This system should be utilized for the very worst established, emergency, moisture situations or for those who want peace of mind by preventing any possibility of foundational water/moisture problems.