Crawl Space Encapsulation- Official Site

What is Crawl Space Encapsulation?

Proper encapsulation protects your home from ground moisture evaporation and outdoor humidity by improving the homes ground level moisture strategy. The majority of the moisture in the crawl space comes from the humid outdoor air. However, when you seal off the foundation vents then the majority of the moisture comes from the soil under your home. The International Residential Building Code (R408.1 Ventilation) requires foundation vents in your home at 1 vent for every 150 square foot of crawl space. The building code (R408.3 Unvented crawl space) also allows you to close those foundation vents but you must seal off the soil to prevent evaporation into the space. Crawl Space Encapsulation® is the method used to successfully seal out the ground moisture to allow the foundation vents to be closed permanently.

Building Code Summary-
  1. Exposed earth shall be cover with a class 1 vapor barrier (like SilverBack® or GuardianLiner®). Vapor barrier joints shall be overlapped by 6″ or more and sealed. The vapor barrier shall extend not less than 6″ up the foundation wall and be mechanically attached and sealed to the wall.
  2. Ventilation shall include one of the following-
    1. continuously operated exhaust ventilation of 1 cubic foot per minute for every 50 square feet of crawl space floor and it shall include a pathway to the main common area and outside foundation walls insulated to code (Section N1102.2.10.1). Least effective solution- requires exhausting your homes conditioned air outdoors.
    2. conditioned air supply of 1 cubic foot per minute for every 50 square feet of crawl space floor and it shall include a pathway to the main common area and outside foundation walls insulated to code (Section N1102.2.10.1).
    3. plenum to comply with Section M1601.5
    4. dehumidifier sized properly (like Moisture Medic®)

Long term results rely on the quality of the workmanship, installation methods and products used. 

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Benefits of Encapsulating Your Crawl Space

There are many benefits to encapsulation, for both your home and your health

• Healthier indoor air quality
• Lower energy costs
• Increase in home value
• Decrease of indoor allergies
• Better sleep; due to healthier indoor air quality
• Improves fight for insect free home
• Protects structural integrity of the home
• Crawl space moisture control
• Aids in prevention of frozen pipes in the winter
• Helps protect your HVAC system and plumbing from rust due to water damage.

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Healthy Home. Healthy You.

​Encapsulating your crawl space benefits not only the health of your home, but also your family’s health. Indoor air pollution is an often overlooked home improvement. High humidity levels, due to an unprotected crawl space, creates an environment of poor air quality which can lead to aggravated allergies, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sinus congestion, poor sleep quality and more.

How Much Does Encapsulation Cost?

There are many factors that go into the cost of Crawl Space Encapsulation®. Often it depends more on the quality of the workmanship and the experience of the company hired to complete the work. The cost of the material is going to be nearly the same from one install company to another provided they all use quality products. The real cost of having your crawl space encapsulated correctly using an experienced installation company and quality products is far less than hiring a discount service company. Those discount companies can cause more problems and damage to your home with their inexperience than what it would cost to pay a professional company to install.