Cary’s Most Trusted Experts for
Crawl Space Encapsulation & Mold Remediation in Cary, NC – Creating a Healthier Home
Protect your home from mold and improve indoor air quality with our expert solutions. Our crawl space encapsulation process effectively seals your crawl space, combating the humid conditions common in Cary, NC. By controlling moisture and regulating humidity levels, we help prevent mold, mildew, rust, and other harmful contaminants, ensuring a cleaner, healthier living environment.
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Complete Crawl Space Transformation: Why It’s the Key to a Healthier Home
Encapsulating a home’s crawl space makes the home a healthier place to live and breathe
Reason #1: To Protect Against Mold
Reason #2: To Improve Indoor Air Quality
Studies in building science reveal that approximately 40% of the air we breathe within our Cary homes originates from the crawlspace. Vented crawlspaces typically harbor poor-quality air laden with mold, mildew, rust, wood rot, deteriorated fiberglass insulation, pest residue, dust, pathogens, and natural vapors emanating from decaying organic matter in the soil. This compromised air infiltrates the living spaces through the stack effect and leaks in the HVAC ducts and components installed in the Cary crawlspace.
Sealing the crawlspace in your Cary, NC residence regulates relative humidity, effectively curbing the growth of mold, mildew, rust, and other harmful elements. With encapsulation, fiberglass insulation becomes unnecessary and can be removed, eliminating it as an air quality obstacle. Furthermore, encapsulation prevents pests like insects, rodents, and snakes from accessing your home. A high-quality crawl space vapor barrier provides additional protection against noxious vapors.
To combat foul odors, we apply a natural deodorization spray in your Cary crawlspace, comprising non-pathogenic bacteria and enzymes designed to consume decaying organic matter. Ultimately, a well-sealed crawlspace ensures the elimination of poor-quality air, directly enhancing the indoor air quality of your living space.
If your existing fiberglass insulation is in good shape, we can seal the crawlspace with CrawlBarrier®
Crawl Space Encapsulation Option #1: CrawlBarrier®
Our process commences with the installation of a polyethylene crawl space vapor barrier on the crawlspace ground of your Cary residence. We offer various options for the vapor barrier, including 10-mil, 10-mil reinforced, 12-mil reinforced, or 16-mil reinforced, all surpassing the strength of 6-mil products mandated by building codes. The vapor barrier is secured in place using heavy-gauge galvanized liner staples, meticulously rolled up at the foundation piers, and along the perimeter walls. Subsequently, it is sealed to the walls using CrawlBarrier® and taped at all foundation piers and panel seams.
Next, we mechanically fasten CrawlBarrier® to the perimeter walls of the crawlspace and meticulously tape all panel seams. To further seal the space, we utilize foam board and foam spray to seal the foundation vents.
By employing CrawlBarrier® along the crawlspace perimeter walls, we effectively seal off the space from outside air. To regulate residual moisture, we introduce either air induction or a dehumidifier as part of our conditioning process.
Crawl Space Encapsulation Option #2: Closed-Cell Spray Foam
Crawl Space Encapsulation Option #3: Bora-Foam® Rigid Foam Board
Option #3 follows a similar process to Option #2, albeit with a different sealing method. Instead of using 2” closed-cell spray foam, we employ BoraFoam® Rigid Foam Board to seal the crawl space walls of your Cary property.
BoraFoam® measures 2.5″ in thickness and is anchored into the crawlspace exterior wall using concrete anchors. The seams are meticulously taped with vapor barrier tape, while the edges are sealed with foam spray. Additionally, BoraFoam® is installed onto the rim joists and sealed with foam spray, leaving the still plate and the area 3″ below it exposed for future termite inspections.
This foam board is pre-treated with Borate, an anti-termite additive, and comes pre-laminated with 3-mil polyethylene vapor barrier attached on each side, totaling 6-mil accumulative thickness.
Compared to Spray Foam, BoraFoam® offers a cleaner appearance as it expands uniformly during application. Furthermore, being a cured foam board, it does not emit gases during installation, making it an ideal choice for Cary homeowners concerned about chemical exposure.
Cary, NC Crawl Space Encapsulation Photos
Click on any of the images below to enlarge them.
Frequently Asked Questions On Crawl Space Encapsulation in Cary, NC
What is the best insulation for crawl spaces?
The best insulation options for crawlspaces are ones that both insulated and air seal (prevent convective heat transfer), such as rolled insulation (such as CrawlBarrier), closed cell spray foam, or rigid foam board (such as Bora-Foam). Fiberglass insulation does not air seal, so it is by far the least performing type of insulation for a crawl space
What is the best way to insulate a crawl space?
The best way to insulate a crawl space is by sealing the foundation vent openings and installing a product that insulates and air seals the foundation walls. This is best done with rolled insulation (like CrawlBarrier), closed-cell spray foam, or rigid foam board (like Bora-Foam). This insulates the crawlspace and extends your home’s thermal and pressure boundary to the crawl space, moderating crawl space temperature and humidity.
What is the average service life of crawl space insulation types?
Fiberglass insulation typically lasts about 10 years before needing repair or replacement. It deteriorates faster in a crawl space with high humidity, particulates, and rodent activity.
Should I encapsulate my crawl space?
- Prohibits mold growth
- Improves indoor air quality
- Improves energy efficiency by lowering the cost to heat / cool your living space
- Protects the home’s structural integrity
- Extends the service life of crawl space installed utilities (e.g. HVAC, water heater)
- Improves your home’s resale value.
What is guarantee and warranty on TRB’s encapsulated crawl spaces?
With a dehumidifier installed, TRB guarantees the performance of its encapsulated crawl spaces in terms of the ability to moderate the relative humidity and ensure against any future mold growth. TRB also offers a ‘No Mold’ Guarantee to those Customers who subscribe to TRB’s Annual Service Plan.
TRB provides a limited lifetime warranty installed CrawlBarrier insulation, closed cell Spray Foam insulation, and Bora-Foam insulation as well as on all 10-mil Reinforced or better vapor barriers. The warranty covers the costs of both labor and materials to repair or replace any degraded or delaminated products for as long as you own your home. The lifetime warranty is transferable to a buyer if on TRB’s Annual Service Plan.
Will encapsulating your crawl space improve HVAC efficiency?
Encapsulating your crawlspace will provide moderate improvement to HVAC efficiency but substantially less than you’ll achieve by improving your attic’s air sealing and insulation. The benefits of crawl space encapsulation are most notable in terms improving your home indoor air quality, protecting your home’s structural integrity, and extending the service life of your crawl space-installed utility systems (e.g. HVAC, water heater).
If your primary concern is energy efficiency, you should consider improvements in your attic before your crawl space.
Is air induction or a dehumidifier better for moderating crawlspace relative humidity?
Air induction uses a small amount of conditioned air from your HVAC system to help moderate crawl space temperature and relative humidity. It is lower in cost to install than a dehumidifier and is sufficient in some crawl spaces. However, air induction’s performance may be hindered by the variable conditions unique to each crawl space and is also limited to only operating when the HVAC system is running. Air induction is most challenged during the shoulder seasons of spring and fall when there may be high relative humidity in the air but the temperature is too moderate for your HVAC system to be on.
A crawl space dehumidifier costs more to install but its performance is not subject to any conditional variables or on the HVAC system. A dehumidifier will provide much more assured and consistent performance than will air induction.
Air induction may be run in conjunction with a dehumidifier as well. This will provide the assured and consistent performance of the dehumidifier as well as the air induction providing better temperature moderation and decreasing the workload on the dehumidifier which, in turn, will increase the dehumidifier’s service life.
Why do I have mold in my crawl space?
Mold will grow in any space that has relatively high air moisture, warm to hot air, stagnant airflow, and no direct sunlight. All of these are present in crawl spaces in humid climates and why vented crawl spaces in humid climates are so susceptible to mold.
Does mold in my crawl space impact my indoor air quality?
Yes. In homes with vented crawl spaces, up to 40% of the breathing air in a living space originates in the crawlspace. The is due to stack effect (the natural movement of air ‘upwards’ through your home) as well as leaks in return HVAC ducts in the crawl space.
How do you remediate mold in a crawl space?
Crawl space mold remediation is generally conducted in two ‘phases’: 1) killing the mold and 2) removing the visible, accumulated mold growth on the treated surfaces and potentially the mold staining embedded in the surface as well.
Killing mold requires the application (typically spraying or fogging) of a chemical fungicide or using a specialized process such as Dry Ice Blasting (killing mold with extremely cold temperature).
Removing the visible, accumulated growth from the treated surface is typically done with HEPA Vacuum Scrubbing, Soda Blasting (pressure cleaning with high pressure baking soda), or Dry Ice Blasting (pressure cleaning with high pressure dry ice).
Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandatory. A HEPA Air Scrubber, sometime assisted by ventilation fans, is needed for all but very small remediation jobs. Any crawl space installed HVAC equipment should be turned off and left off for the duration of the remediation process.
Will mold in my crawlspace cause long term damage to the structure of the home?
Once mold is present, it will continue to be present and grow until it is remediated and the environmental negative conditions rectified. Mold consumes organic matter, such as wood framing in homes which will increasingly compromise the structural integrity of the home, if left unchecked
