How to Remove Old Crawl Space Insulation Safely (DIY Guide) If your home has traditional fiberglass batt insulation installed between the subfloor joists under your house, there is a very high probability it is doing more harm than good. In a standard vented crawl space, fiberglass acts like a massive sponge, drawing ambient moisture right … Read more
Crawl Space Encapsulation Vent Sealing & Airflow Rules For decades, traditional building codes required home foundations to feature open foundation vents. The theory was that outdoor cross-ventilation would dry out any moisture rising from the dirt floor. However, building science has since proven that open vents do the exact opposite: they pull hot, humid summer … Read more
Ideal Crawl Space Dehumidifier Settings for Relative Humidity Control Setting up a heavy-duty crawl space dehumidifier is one of the best investments you can make for your home’s structural integrity. However, many homeowners make the mistake of setting the machine and forgetting it without understanding how relative humidity (RH) actually impacts below-grade timbers. If you … Read more
Investing in a high-quality remote Wi-Fi or Bluetooth hygrometer is the smartest first step you can take toward protecting your home’s foundation. However, simply tossing a sensor down the hatch and hoping for the best won’t cut it. If you place your sensor in a spot with stagnant air or directly next to a minor, … Read more
Drop-shipping a high-ticket commercial dehumidifier into the center of a crawl space is only the first step in stabilizing a subterranean environment. If the machine cannot pull stagnant air from remote foundation pockets, or if its drainage line gets blocked, the unit will fail to control relative humidity (RH) across the entire footprint. A professional … Read more
Insulating a crawl space correctly requires understanding how thermal boundaries interact with heavy subterranean humidity. For decades, residential building codes dictated stuffing fiberglass batt insulation up between structural floor joists. Today, modern building science proves that fiberglass in an unconditioned crawl space is one of the leading contributors to wood rot, saggy subfloors, and toxic … Read more
An encapsulation system, commercial dehumidifier, and sump pump network are only as dependable as your ability to track their performance. Subterranean environments are strictly “out of sight, out of mind” zones for most homeowners. If an automated pump switch jams or a drainage line splits, it can take months for the moisture to manifest as … Read more
Bouncy, sloped, or uneven flooring on the first floor of a home is a classic indicator that the framing structure beneath is losing its fight against subterranean moisture. When relative humidity in a crawl space stays elevated, wooden floor joists absorb water vapor, lose their structural rigidity, and begin to warp under the home’s dead … Read more
Choosing the correct plastic thickness for a crawl space encapsulation project dictates whether your moisture barrier lasts for decades or disintegrates within a few seasons. Standard construction-grade clear plastic sheeting from local big-box hardware stores will quickly fail in a subterranean environment. To seal off heavy soil gases, moisture vapors, and radon emissions, you must … Read more
A sump pump running continuously under moderate weather conditions indicates mechanical failure or hydraulic backflow. Submersible sump pump motors rely on surrounding basin water to dissipate heat; running non-stop will burn out the motor windings, weld switch contacts, and leave your home vulnerable to flooding. If your pump refuses to cycle off, follow this diagnostic … Read more