Vapor Barrier Maintains Dry Prospect Harbor, ME Crawlspace

Challenge

A homeowner in Prospect Harbor, ME owned a crawlspace which would always seem to be quite damp. The moisture was beginning to cause a smell to form which was spreading into the home itself. Needing this moisture dealt with properly, the homeowner called TC Hafford basement Systems.

Solution

Once we arrived at the home, it was clear to our crew that this space was in desperate need of an exit point for the water and a vapor barrier. We began by giving the water a place to go. We installed a SmartSump sump pump to do just this. The SmartSump will take the water from the floor and force it up and out of the home through a PVC discharge line. Over the top of the sump, as well as the rest of the floor, we laid a Drainage Matting to start the vapor barrier. The Drainage Matting will allow water to continue to flow along the floor to the sump, while hindering the moistures ability to enter the atmosphere of the space.

With half the interior work done, our next task was to complete the vapor barrier. To do this, we encapsulated the entire space with a CleanSpace liner. This liner covers all of the walls as well as the floor with a thin plastic sheet that is impassable to moisture. The finished vapor barrier locks out moisture, preventing any from entering the interior of the space. We then installed a SaniDry CX dehumidifier to take care of the moisture lingering in the air of the space. This damp air is sucked into the dehumidifier, dried out, and circulated back into the crawlspace. The moisture pulled from the air is passed to the sump for removal.

Outside the home, we made a few final additions to the discharge line coming from the sump before we left. The first was an IceGuard pipe segment. This special piece is constructed with holes built into it. These holes are oriented to not affect normal water flow. Instead, any water blocked by ice or other debris that starts to back up within the line will exit through these holes before reaching and overflowing the sump. The line was then finished with a LawnScape discharge point at the end, which is where the water exits onto the ground. Here, the water will be far enough from the home to not bother this homeowner more in the future.

Now that they have a proper vapor barrier in place, this homeowner can expect no more moisture related issues to arise from their crawlspace. Without moisture in the space, the smell will be eliminated in no time.

Project Summary

Products: CleanSpace, Drainage Matting, SmartSump, SaniDry CX, IceGuard, LawnScape

Sales Rep.: Mark Drew

Foreman: Mike Penna, Adam Hafford