What Does Encapsulation Mean?

We talk a lot about encapsulating your crawl space, but it’s been a while since we talked about what encapsulation truly is, so let's start with the definition. 

Encapsulation is our process of protecting your crawl space from outside elements with the CleanSpace vapor barrier. Most crawl spaces have a dirt floor, meaning the crawl space and home above is directly exposed to nature. The CleanSpace liner is attached to the floor and walls of the crawl space to create a seal that keeps air, moisture, and pests out of your crawl space. 

Now let’s talk about the process of encapsulating your crawl space. 

The first step to encapsulating a crawl space is to install airtight doors and vent covers to keep out cold, humidity, and moisture from entering the space. However, this doesn’t completely stop water from making its way in, as there are plenty of ways water can still sneak through. The next step is to eliminate any sources of flooding in your crawl space. We do this by installing a crawl space drain and crawl space sump pump system. This eliminates the possibility of your crawl space flooding but doesn’t keep moisture from getting in through the walls and ground. To fix the last issue we use the CleanSpace liner which is a plastic liner designed to permanently keep away any moisture and cold air. It is placed completely over the walls and floor, creating a constant blockage to anything outside of it.  

We know this might not mean too much to you so lastly, we want to touch on the perks of encapsulating your crawl space! 

Moisture in your crawl space is a bad sign, even if it’s just a tiny amount, it will eventually keep evolving into more and more moisture. As more moisture enters your crawl space and builds up, the likelihood of mold growth increases as well, and if you never take care of the issue, there is virtually a 100% chance that mold will grow in your crawl space which could cause health problems. Living in the Midwest, cold air in the winter is inevitable as well as humidity in the summer. Humidity leads to moisture, and moisture leads to mold, and you already know that cycle. However, cold air also has negative effects like higher energy bills from having to turn up your heat. Along with protection from mold, moisture, and outside air, a dry crawl space is also inhabitable for termites, cockroaches, ants, and many other pests that need excess moisture in order to survive. Even if it were an environment for pests to thrive, they still wouldn’t be able to get in since the liner covers the entire crawl space, leaving no space for entry.  

Encapsulating your crawl space protects it from dirt, moisture, mold, and pests. But it also protects the home above from the same problems. This results in cleaner air, lower energy bills, and a healthy, happy home!