Why Should You Pursue Crawl Space Encapsulation?

If you have a dirt crawl space, you’re going to struggle with crawl space humidity until you take actual steps to avoid it. That means you need to pursue crawl space encapsulation. It’s the only way to get your crawl space to the ideal crawl space humidity level.

There are many reasons to pursue crawl space encapsulation. These are the best reasons for contacting a JES professional to talk about it today.

Remove Crawl Space Vents

As mentioned before, crawl space vents are typically much more trouble than they’re worth. These typically only contribute to crawl space humidity rather than reducing it.

If you’re going to reduce crawl space humidity, you’re going to have to remove the vents in your crawl space. Because encapsulation focuses on completely removing the introduction of humidity into the area, it can seal those vents or remove them entirely.

It’s a good idea to pursue crawl space encapsulation if only to remove the vents that may be causing excess moisture in your crawl space. In fact, even if you don’t have a dirt floor, you should take steps to remove crawl space vents.

Avoid Condensation

Condensation is a very common occurrence in crawl spaces that aren’t encapsulated. Remember, when the relative humidity in an area reaches higher than 100%, condensation will form on some surfaces.

The ideal crawl space humidity level is much lower than 100%. However, if the soil continues to pump moisture into the air, you’re going to end up with condensation problems eventually.

With a vapor barrier, common in crawl space encapsulation, you can avoid having those soil moisture problems. Instead, the moisture will stay in the soil and outside of the vapor barrier. 

Reduce Risk of Structural Damage 

Constant moisture isn’t good for any structure, whether it’s wood, stone, brick or any other material. The moisture that comes out of the soil will continually wear away at the structure under your home.

With a vapor barrier and full crawl space encapsulation, you won’t have to worry as much about the high crawl space humidity. That will make it easier for you to maintain a strong structure and foundation.

Although this won’t completely prevent structural damage on its own, it’s an important first step. If you don’t have a crawl space vapor barrier, contact JES to get more information about encapsulating your crawl space.