Crawl Space Moisture in Spring Hill, TN

 

Encapsulated Crawl Space Spring Hill, TN by Reeves Crawl Space Services

 

A dirt crawl space under a home is a very bad idea. Building codes require sub areas to be vented, but it doesn't do what it was intended to do, it actually creates the very issue it was first thought to fix.  In the Spring Hill, TN area we experienced a major flood back in 2010.  We quickly found the city inspectors in Franklin, TN and Brentwood, TN would only allow crawl spaces to be restored a certain way.  Encapsulation immediately became the standard.

 

Remember when galvanized pipes were thought to solve rust and corrosion?  It's likely you have already re-piped with copper because your galvanized pipes failed.

 

There are three things that destroy materials in general, and wood in particular: water, heat and ultraviolet radiation. Of these, water is by far the most important.

 

A dirt crawl space under a home is very bad because the earth has very high humidity in the soil. This water vapor moves easily into the crawl space and upwards into the house environment.

 

If you suffer from allergies or sensitive to odors you can benefit from clean crawl space system from Reeves. A damp environment is very unhealthy and destructive. Mold thrives and produces by producing airborne spores by the millions, and some mold are toxic.

 

Insects and critters of all kinds love damp environments and wet materials. Rot and decay occur in damp environments causing structural damage.

 

The natural airflow in a house is from bottom to top, so think about the air in your home that you breathe, it started in the subarea!  Yikes that is a scary thought since sewage, rodent droppings, harmful chemicals and who knows what else is sucked up into your living and breathing space.

 

Before you go, take a look at this short video below which I'm sure will be time well spent.

 

If you would like more info about a clean crawl space, give us a call at 615-290-2228

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8aM-_BKwic

 

 

Shaun Reeves A.C.E.

Certified Entomologist

Reeves Pest Control

Spring Hill, TN

www.ReevesPestControl.com

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

615-290-2228   931-223-8327

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

Tuesday March 5, 2013 Lowering Crawl Space Humidity and Conditioning Spring Hill, TN

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 ReevesCrawlSpace.com

Lowering Crawlspace Humidity and Conditioning in Spring Hill, TN

There has been a lot of discussion about conditioning the air in an encapsulated crawlspace. With the brutally hot and humid weather last summer, we at Reeves Crawl Space Services we have been inundated with people calling about crawlspace moisture problems and a lot of discussion about crawlspace moisture problem solutions. In the years we’ve been in the business, crawlspace encapsulation is the most practical and cost effective solution we’ve found.

Crawlspace encapsulation sometimes seems counter-intuitive to me. You’ve got a moisture problem in your crawlspace so you need vents to let the moisture out. Right? As it turns out, most of the moisture in your crawlspace does NOT come from the soil or through the foundation walls. The moisture in your crawlspace comes from the outside through foundation vents and miniscule unseen openings like gaps between the foundation wall and sill plate and the seal (or lack thereof) around the crawlspace door. Those foundation vents that were designed to let moisture out of your crawlspace are actually the primary source of crawlspace moisture.

So the solution is to encapsulate (seal) the crawlspace. The International Building Code permits crawlspace encapsulation provided the crawlspace air is conditioned. How do you go about doing that? One solution is to add a dehumidifier. That can be expensive initially. The internet is full of crawlspace dehumidifiers costing a thousand dollars and more. These are fine machines and I am sure they do a fine job dehumidifying a crawlspace. But in addition to costing a lot initially, they also cost a lot to operate on a day to day basis – usually about the same as running a refrigerator.

So, what are the alternatives? We’ve found that the most cost effect means of dehumidifying and conditioning a crawlspace is to add a small baffle vent to the existing HVAC system. There are a couple of prerequisites. First, the HVAC air-handler needs to be located in the crawlspace or the HVAC has to be at least ducted through the crawlspace. Not sure? If your HVAC registers are located in the floor of the living space (as opposed to the ceiling), your ductwork is in the crawlspace. Your system also needs to have central air-conditioning.

Won’t condition the air cost a lot? Hardly. The EPA and the US Department of Energy recommend adding conditioned air at a rate of 1 CFM/per 50 SqFt of crawlspace area. That’s not much at all. A typical home with a well-designed HVAC system will blow approximately 80 to 120 CFMs into a small bedroom. Assuming that our hypothetical bedroom is in a hypothetical home with a 2,000 SqFt crawlspace, you will only be adding one-half to one-third of conditioned air to the crawlspace than you’d be adding to condition a typical small bedroom. That will add very little load to your system. We often recommend encapsulation and them monitoring the crawlspace humidity for a few seasons. Studies by various public utilities have shown that ductwork in most homes leak on the average of 30%. That’s more than enough conditioned air to add to the crawlspace.

If you’re going to take this route and add a baffle vent, it’s best to have it done by a licensed HVAC contractor. That will assure you get the recommended air flow and assure that the vent is added with the minimum of leakage. Remember that 55 to 60 percent or less relative humidity is the recommended level. Relative humidity above this level will encourage mold and mildew growth.

Got questions call me Shaun Reeves at 615-290-2228 and let me help you breath a little easier tonight!

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

Spring Hill, TN

615-290-2228

931-223-8327

www.ReevesPestControl.com

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

February 8 2013   Pest Control in Franklin, TN  Reeves Pest Control  615-290-2228
www.ReevesPestControl.com


         Each day we get closer to spring, and with those passing days we are getting increasingly warmer temperatures.  I don't know about anybody else, but I look forward to getting off the couch and spending a little time in the great outdoors.  Along with signs of human life, the season also brings BUGS!  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly insects spring back into action.  Last week we had on day of seventy degrees and our phones were lighting up like we giving away a million dollars!  All it takes is one or two warm days and the insects go wild.  Then, like it always does this time of year, the weather changes and these little creatures look for a place to stay warm again, namely your home!  One suggestion I'll make is to check the outside perimeter of your home and seal up any entry points with caulk.  If you have any questions about insects in the Middle Tennessee area call us at 615-290-2228 or visit us on the web at www.ReevesPestControl.com

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

www.ReevesPestControl.com

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

615-290-2228    931-223-8327

Friday February 8, 2013

 

Crawl space moisture damage Franklin, TN  615-290-2228                          Reeves Crawl Space Services        www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

In several of my last blog entries, I talked a little about crawl space moisture problems and wanted to show you photographs of a job we have completed. The house was a well-built home constructed in the 1980s. It was built with good materials and it was built to code.

 

            It was built on a typical vented crawl space. The crawlspace vents were upgraded with power ventilators to increase air circulation. There has never been a major plumbing leak. Like the crawlspace in your home, this crawlspace is partly below grade. Being below grade, it is naturally cooler than the outside air. Natural convection pulls in the warm, moist air from the outside and draws the air through the floor into the living space, and vents it through the attic – just like a giant venting system. In the summer, if you leave a glass of ice water on your kitchen table, moisture in the warmer surrounding air will condense on the glass, causing it to “sweat”. The exact same thing happened in this crawlspace and could be happening in your crawlspace.

 

These photographs illustrate the effects on condensation on your home. Floor joists and floor underlayment are saturated with water and rotting. Water is condensing inside the HVAC ducts. Water is dripping from all the surfaces in the crawlspace causing puddles on the floor and adding to the humidity. The guys beginning work on this project refer to it as the “rain forest”. Condensation has created so many problems in this house that it will require many repairs to fix.

           

 

            That doesn’t begin to address the significant health hazards of breathing mold and mildew spores thriving in this crawlspace. And due to the same convection (the venting effect) that I mentioned earlier, those mold and mildew spores do make their way into the living space. If you have any questions about your crawl space, call 615-290-2228 or visit us on the web at www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

 

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

www.ReevesPestControl.com

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

615-290-2228    931-223-8327

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaun Reeves is the first certified entomologist in Williamson County, TN.  Reeves Pest Control is the premiere crawl space encapsulation company in Middle Tennessee.

 

 

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

 

Crawlspace Moisture Control Brentwood, TN    Reeves Crawl Space Services

615-290-2228     www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

If you get three general contractors together and the topic of discussion turns crawlspaces and moisture control, you will probably hear six opinions. Folks, seem to have different and often conflicting opinions about what tack is the best to take. The idea of crawlspace encapsulation (sealing) has been around for a while now. Reeves Crawl Space Services revolutionized encapsulation in the Tennessee and has become the local authority on the subject.

 

There have been many studies on crawlspace encapsulation during the past number of years. The US Department of Energy and a non-profit research organization called Advanced Energy have all done excellent and groundbreaking research in the area of crawlspace encapsulation. Their research findings were instrumental in the last revision of the International Building Code. They all concur in a few, very important areas.

 

When considering your home, think of it as a single system. Your HVAC system, insulation, windows, attic, living space, and crawl space all work together. All of these building components need to be optimized and balanced to achieve maximum comfort, performance and energy efficiency. Your crawlspace is an important part of this system.

 

Your house is like a giant venting system. By natural convection, air is drawn in through crawlspace vents and air leaks. Because warm air rises, the outside air is drawn through the living space (along with mold spores, odors, and moisture) and exhausted through the roof. In the summer, your crawlspace is naturally cooler than the higher outside temperature. So when the warm, humid outside air reaches the cooler crawlspace areas, the moisture condenses on framing, plumbing, wiring, insulation and especially HVAC ductwork and “sweats”, just like an ice water sweats on your kitchen table in the summer. In the southeast it is not unheard of for crawlspace humidity to approach 90% and actually rain inside the crawlspace.

 

The moisture in your crawlspace creates an ideal environment for wood destroying organisms, mold, and mildew. It can saturate and destroy the effectiveness of your insulation and promote wood rot. And because of the venting effect, the humid crawlspace air, full of mold and mildew spores, eventually finds its way into your living space creating an unhealthy environment and causing your air conditioning to work overtime to dehumidify the air. In as much as a vapor barrier can help, it won’t stop the moisture coming in from outside.

 

So, the alternative to a vented crawlspace is an encapsulated (sealed) crawlspace. Crawlspace encapsulation involves sealing all outside vents, installing a high-performance vapor retarder on all exposed wall and floor surfaces at or below grade, insulating the walls and rim joist, and conditioning the air.

            The building codes in most areas require the air in an encapsulated crawlspace to be conditioned. That generally means adding a dehumidifier or using the existing HVAC system to condition the air. The EPA and the Department of Energy recommend using the existing HVAC system at a rate of one cubic foot per minute of conditioned air per fifty square feet of crawlspace area. A qualified HVAC contractor can add one or two 4” or 6” vents to a system for a nominal cost. The vents are usually equipped with a butterfly valve that can be adjusted to get the desired air flow.

 

             Reeves Crawl Space Services prefers using this method since the installation of the vents is generally less expensive than a crawlspace dehumidifier. And since running a dehumidifier is about the same as running a small refrigerator, the cost of conditioning the air with an HVAC system is generally less than running a dehumidifier. Remember that you’re not trying to heat and cool your crawlspace; you’re just adding a small amount of conditioned air. A relative humidity target of 60% or lower is a good place to start.

 

Got questions about crawl space moisture in Tennessee?  Call us at 615-290-2228 or visit us on the web at www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

 

 

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

www.ReevesPestControl.com

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

615-290-2228     931-223-8327

 

Shaun Reeves is the first certified entomologist in Williamson County, TN.  Reeves Pest Control is the premiere crawl space encapsulation company in Middle Tennessee.

 

Crawl Space Moisture Franklin, TN

February 5, 2013

Crawl Space Moisture Franklin, TN Reeves Crawl Space 615-290-2228 www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

 

Lowering Crawlspace Humidity and Conditioning the Air Franklin, TN

       There has been a lot of discussion about conditioning the air in an encapsulated crawlspace. With the brutally hot and humid weather this past summer, we have been inundated with people calling about crawlspace moisture problems and a lot of discussion about crawlspace moisture problem solutions. In the years we’ve been in the business, crawlspace encapsulation is the most practical and cost effective solution we’ve found.  Our Reeves Dryspace system is the most thorough process on the market.

 

        Crawlspace encapsulation sometimes seems counter-intuitive to me. You’ve got a moisture problem in your crawlspace so you need vents to let the moisture out.  Right? As it turns out, most of the moisture in your crawlspace does NOT come from the soil or through the foundation walls. The moisture in your crawlspace comes from the outside through foundation vents and miniscule unseen openings like gaps between the foundation wall and sill plate and the seal (or lack thereof) around the crawlspace door. Those foundation vents that were designed to let moisture out of your crawlspace are actually the primary source of crawlspace moisture.

 

         So the solution is to encapsulate (seal) the crawlspace. The International Building Code permits crawlspace encapsulation provided the crawlspace air is conditioned. How do you go about doing that? One solution is to add a vent blowing out of your HVAC system to move the air around.  The cost is miniscule and doing so allows air circulation to ensure moisture doesn't collect on the wood.

 

       The EPA and the US Department of Energy recommend adding conditioned air at a rate of 1 CFM/per 50 SqFt of crawlspace area. That’s not much at all. A typical home with a well-designed HVAC system will blow approximately 80 to 120 CFMs into a small bedroom. Assuming that our hypothetical bedroom is in a hypothetical home with a 2,000 SqFt crawlspace, you will only be adding one-half to one-third of conditioned air to the crawlspace than you’d be adding to condition a typical small bedroom. That will add very little load to your system. We often recommend encapsulation and them monitoring the crawlspace humidity for a few months thereafter.  Studies by various public utilities have shown that ductwork in most homes leak on the average of 30%. That’s more than enough conditioned air to add to the crawlspace.

 

Remember that 55 to 60 percent or less relative humidity is the recommended level. Relative humidity above this level will encourage mold and mildew growth.  You can visit us on the web at www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com or call us at 615-290-2228. 

 

 

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

www.ReevesPestControl.com

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

615-290-2228     931-223-8327

 

Shaun Reeves is the first certified entomologist in Williamson County, TN.  Reeves Pest Control is the premiere crawl space encapsulation company in Middle Tennessee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labels: Blog, Crawl Space Repair, crawlspace encapsulation

Brentwood, TN

 

Mold Remediation Mount Juliet, TN 615-290-2228

JANUARY 26, 2013

Can you encapsulate a crawl space in Mount Juliet, Tennessee?

Reeves Crawl Space Services 615-290-2228

With the warmer weather earlier in the winter season, a lot of people have been experiencing crawl space moisture problems: bugs, mold and a musty smell.

All of these problems have led to a lot of folks writing or calling in asking, "Can you encapsulate a crawl space in Tennessee?"

Yes, Tennessee, you can encapsulate your crawl space! And it will help with all of those annoying moisture issues.

As you know, crawl space humidity and moisture can lead to a host of problems, including: mold, mildew, wood- rot, high indoor humidity in your home, increased electric bills, allergy and asthma problems, dust mites, and even termite and pest problems.

The best way to combat those problems, as you already know, is to encapsulate your crawl space.

How do you encapsulate your Tennessee crawl space?

Since there is no formal code in Tennessee, we follow the practices outlined by the North Carolina Building Code:

"Closed crawl spaces need to be protected from water entering the crawl space trough the dirt floor or ground.

Full coverage with ground vapor retarders for all wall vented crawl spaces is required. 'Wall vented crawl spaces shall be protected from water entry by the evaporation of water from the ground surface.

The floor of the crawl space shall be graded so that it drains to one or more low spots. Install a drain to daylight or sump pump at each low spot. Crawl space drains shall be kept separate from roof gutter drain systems and foundation perimeter drains.'*

A termite inspection gap of 3 inches is required.

Closed crawl spaces need a method to dry them, like an air circulating vent. It's also recommended that the air be conditioned either by pumping in air from the living area or installing a conditioner."

By following these rules when we install Reeves Dryspace, we can help ensure that your crawl space is properly encapsulated while leaving a gap along the sill to allow for proper termite inspection. 

Shaun Reeves ACE

Reeves Pest Control

www.ReevesPestControl.com

www.ReevesCrawlSpace.com

615-290-2228 931-223-8327

Keeping Tennessee Pest Free!

Shaun Reeves is the first certified entomologist in Wilson County, TN. Reeves Pest Control is the premiere crawl space encapsulation company in Middle Tennessee.