Crawl Space Encapsulation
Remove moisture issues and improve air quality with crawl space encapsulation in Dickson, TN and the surrounding areas. Call Volunteer FoamPros today!
A vented crawl space in Middle Tennessee spends most of the year pulling humid outside air in over cool, damp ground. That is how you end up with a musty smell in the hallway, condensation on the ductwork, cupping floorboards and mould on the joists. Encapsulation stops it at the source by sealing the crawl space off from the ground and the outside air instead of trying to ventilate a problem that ventilation created.
Volunteer FoamPros encapsulates crawl spaces across Dickson, TN and the surrounding counties. Call (615) 979-6739 or request an estimate.
What Encapsulation Actually Involves
Encapsulation is a system, not a single product. A proper job covers the whole enclosure.
- Clear and clean the space. Old fallen insulation, debris and any standing water come out first.
- Seal the ground. A heavy vapour barrier goes down across the entire floor and is run up the foundation walls, with seams and penetrations sealed.
- Close the vents. Once the space is sealed, outside vents become the way humid air gets in, so they are closed off.
- Insulate the walls or the floor. Closed-cell spray foam on the foundation walls brings the crawl space inside the building envelope. Where the floor is insulated instead, we do that.
- Address the air. A sealed crawl space needs a plan for humidity, whether that is a dehumidifier or conditioned air from the system.
Skipping any one of those leaves the moisture path open. A liner alone is not encapsulation.
Signs Your Crawl Space Needs It
- A musty or earthy smell in the house, worst in summer
- Floors that feel cold or spongy underfoot
- Cupped, buckled or gapping hardwood
- Visible mould or dark staining on floor joists and subfloor
- Insulation hanging down or lying on the ground
- Condensation on ducts or pipes under the house
- Higher humidity indoors than you would expect from the thermostat setting
- Musty smelling clothes or persistent allergy symptoms
What You Get Out Of It
Most of what lives in a crawl space ends up in the house. Air moves upward through a building, so what is under the floor gets pulled into the rooms above whether you want it there or not.
Sealing it changes the air the house breathes. It also stops the slow damage. Wood that stays damp does not stay sound, and the repairs that follow cost far more than the encapsulation would have. Floors get warmer, the HVAC stops fighting humidity it should never have had to deal with, and the space under the house becomes somewhere you can store things and walk into without dreading it.
Encapsulation or Crawl Space Insulation
They are not the same job and they solve different problems.
Crawl space insulation is about heat. It targets cold floors and heat loss.
Encapsulation is about moisture and air. If you insulate a wet crawl space without dealing with the water, you have wrapped the problem up rather than solved it.
Where there is moisture, encapsulate first. On many houses we do both, in that order.
Serving Dickson, TN and Surrounding Areas
We encapsulate crawl spaces across Dickson County, Williamson County, Davidson County, Hickman County, Cheatham County, Maury County and Humphreys County, including Dickson, Burns, Charlotte, White Bluff, McEwen, Columbia, Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville.