Are Vapor Barriers Ruined By Flooding?

A vapor barrier plays an important role in ensuring that a home is habitable, as well as dry and healthy. Located in your basement or crawlspace, this barrier helps in lowering the moisture damage and buildup that is most likely going to take place on wood and other organic material, leading to rot, mildew and mold buildup in the long run.

A vapor barrier is (in a lot of cases) the first part of the house to be affected by flooding. With winter swinging in, damage caused by flooding is eminent.

From frozen pipes to snow runoff,The crawl space is prone to be affected by serious flooding. This tiny space often becomes waterlogged and the vapor barrier may be fighting a losing battle as it tries to contain forcive (and often sharp) debris. The more water involved in the flood, the more pressure that will be placed on the barrier.

Keeping this in mind when purchasing a liner could be the difference between a heavily damaged crawl space and a minimally damaged one. That is why we offer a 20mil thick liner that is reinforced with polyester chord, as well as a microbial resistant coating on one side to prevent mold/microbial growth.

However, what really sets us apart from our competitors is more than just the liner. We begin each job by removing existing microbial colonies (if any). Once we have removed all organic material and areas exhibiting signs of microbial growth, we then properly seal the crawl space with closed cell foam in all crevices and cracks. Now that the crawl space is air tight, proper drainage is inspected to ensure optimal results. With the proper drainage completed (trench channels or slopes). Drainage/Dimpled matting is placed down before the liner to help achieve optimal flow.

With everything in place the liner can now be fixed over the dimpled matting. The liner will typically run about 2-4ft up the crawl space wall sealing out all the moisture and concrete. This leaves the wood/organic material in the encapsulated and conditioned crawl space area.

With no large amount of moisture in this area, mold as well as pests and rodents are much less likely to inhabit the area. Colorado Crawl Space is a trusted local company in the Vail Valley. We do free inspections for anyone considering an encapsulation system. Call us or visit our website to schedule an appointment today.

1-888-714-6653 – www.ColoradoCrawlSpace.com