Mold and Standing Water in Crawl Space in Somerville, AL

Problem:

The customer called and stated that she was informed by her pest control technician that she had standing water and mold/fungus growth in her crawl space.

Upon the initial inspection, our technician noticed several signs of water and fungal issues within the crawl space. He noted that there was water staining from standing water on the blocks around the perimeter of the crawl space and areas where water was currently still present. There was also fungal growth on much of the subfloor and joists within the crawl space.

Our specialist recommended to the homeowner mold treatment, an interior waterproofing system and an encapsulation. The interior waterproofing system would pump all water intrusion away from the home by installing the Ez Flow piping around the perimeter of the crawl space and installing a sump pump and basin. The encapsulation would seal and condition the crawl space to help eliminate moisture and high humidity within the crawl space with the assistance of a dehumidifier. This system helps separate the home from the earth and lower the humidity levels in the air, reducing moisture needed for mold growth.

Solution:

The Deep South team arrived at Mrs. Couch’s house and removed the mold/fungus growth from the crawl space by treating it with a mold treatment and antimicrobial disinfectant. The highly concentrated antimicrobial disinfectant treats and cleans all surfaces within the crawl space.

Once the mold issues were resolved, our team began installing the interior waterproofing system around the perimeter of the crawl space, which will remove any ground or surface water. To complete the waterproofing system, they installed a 1 HP sump pump and basin to pump all water outside and away from home.

Once the waterproofing system was completed, they began installing the encapsulation system. The encapsulation system seals the entire crawl space by installing a polyethylene barrier across the floor of your crawl space, on all columns, and up the walls of the crawl space. We also seal off all vents to prevent humidity entering the crawl space. We leave the top block exposed as this is required to receive a termite bond on your home.

Once all the polyethylene barrier was installed, our crew completed the last portion of the encapsulation system by establishing and placing the dehumidifier into the crawl space. The dehumidifier works by controlling the humidity level within the crawl space.