Rainy Day Basement Systems Case Studies: Blaine Crawl Space Encapsulation
Challenge
Don and Terry W. moved into their Blaine home in October of last year. During the wet winter, they noticed that the carpet and walls of their newly finished daylight basement were getting damp. In addition, mold had begun growing on the joists supporting their concrete garage floors and guest house floors above. Concerned about preserving the quality of their new home and their overall health, they knew a solution had to be found.
Solution
With the amount of water reaching the interior of Don and Terry’s home, we would ordinarily recommend a drainage trench of some sort. However, after close inspection, we discovered that their entire home, including the basement had a radiant hot water heat system in the floor. Not wanting to risk damaging the heating system, Don and Terry decided to go with a solution to best prevent the mold and moisture reaching their garage and guest home.
To remove water from the space, we installed our TripleSafe Sump pump. After the lowest point in the space is located, a large hole is excavated for the sump pump basin. The TripleSafe, our most effective pump, features three pumps in one. The first pump is a heavy-duty 1/3 hp Zoeller pump that can pump up to 2,600 gallons of water an hour. The second more powerful pump is a ½ hp Zoeller pump that automatically turns on if pump number one cannot handle the volume of incoming water. The third pump is a battery operated pump that automatically turns on in the event of a power outage. Together, these pumps ensure a clean and dry crawl space.
To further prevent moisture from reaching Don and Terry’s crawl space, we encapsulated it our antimicrobial lining called CleanSpace. This lining is a durable 7-layer lining that completely isolates the home from the damp earth below. In doing so, we greatly reduce the amount of moisture. A SaniDry CX dehumidifier was also installed so that Don and Terry have ultimate control over the environment in their crawl space.
