Kansas City Homeowner Updated Crawl Space with DryShield™ System

The owner of this upscale colonial Kansas City home had an 800 ft. crawlspace adjacent to a state-of-the-art Home Theater in his remodeled basement. The cut limestone foundation allowed moisture to migrate into the crawl space area, causing musty odors the home owner wanted to eradicate. The homeowner asked Dry Basement® HouseHolder® Systems to help solve his problem.

The Dry Basement® HouseHolder® System crew tested floor joists in the crawl space area for mold with lift tape slides. Analysis by an independent microbiologist identified multiple species of pathogenic molds growing in the timber flooring material in the damp crawl space area.

In order to repair the moisture problem causing the mold and musty odors, Dry Basement® HouseHolder® Systems experts recommended the DryShield™ system.

First, the Dry Basement® HouseHolder® Systems crew cleaned the crawl space area with the Anabec® Cleaning system. This process included mechanical cleaning of all accessible structural surfaces and the spray application of a microbial shield, providing long term resistance to microbial and bacterial growth.

Next, the workers graded the floor of the crawl space to direct and collect any free flowing water to a high performance sump pump system. The PumpWorks™ System mechanically removes free water from the crawl space, pumping it outside and away from the home. As added protection, in case of a power outage during a storm event, a high efficiency battery backup system was integrated into the sump pump system. The battery is a high efficiency gel cel unit, designed to deliver over 90 amp-hours during deep discharge and rapid recharge operation. This sump pump system is capable of removing over 7,000 gallons of water with a new, fully charged battery.

After the sump pump system was in place the Dry Basement® HouseHolder® System crew installed a DryShield™ crawl space vapor barrier. The vapor barrier consists of a reinforced seven-layer HDPE 20 mil. thick liner which is placed on the bare dirt floor of the crawl space and wrapped up the perimeter foundation walls. This heavy membrane will reduce moisture migration into the crawl space through the earth or foundation walls. The strength of the membrane material prevents puncture during installation, or during future access by maintenance personnel, as well as providing protected dry storage space in the crawl space area.

Finally, the expert installation crew installed a high efficiency DesertAir™ crawl space air filtration/dehumidifier unit to maintain clean, dry air circulation. Maintaining the relative humidity below 50% prevents the growth of most molds, microbes, and dust mites that contribute to adverse odors and harmful health effects. The 100 pint per day unit was installed with the drain line ducted directly into the sump system, so accumulated water is automatically pumped away from the house.

Post testing by an independent laboratory verified the reduction of mold in this area, and thanks to the DryShield™ System installed by Dry Basement® HouseHolder® System the homeowners can relax in their home theater knowing that they won't have to worry about musty odors coming from their crawl space.