Wet, Musty Harbor Springs, MI Crawl Space Receives Makeover

Challenge

This duplex in Harbor Springs, MI was a vacation home for the owners. A great place to stay, except for the crawl space…

Dirty and musty, this crawl space had water was seeping through the block foundation. Although there was a vapor barrier already in place, it did little to stop the moisture and definitely didn’t prevent mold from growing. The homeowners were desperate for a solution that would not only keep water out, but alleviate the musty smell and eliminate mold.

Solution

After removing some debris in the crawl space, our team got right to work installing drainage matting across the dirt floors. This mat was installed before the liner to stop water from permeating the dirt floor and allow for drainage from the floor to the sump pump. The next step before the liner was installed, was the installation of insulation. SilverGlo insulation was placed on the walls to help reflect heat back into the crawl space, helping to keep the rooms above much warmer.

CleanSpace is the durable liner that seals the floor in the crawl space. Made from many layers of polyester cord reinforcement, CleanSpace is extremely durable and even tolerate being walked on without fears of it ripping. This liner stops water vapor, and its antimicrobial additive also prevents mold growth.

So where does all the water that’s collected end up? The answer is in the TripleSafe sump pump. TripleSafe has not one, not two, but three pumps in one liner that also collects groundwater. One of the pumps is even battery operated, so it can function in the event that the power goes out. TripleSafe collects any water that flows across the drainage matting and pumps it out of the crawl space through a discharge line.

The last step to making this vacation home’s crawl space dry, was adding a dehumidifier in the space. SaniDry wrings the air of moisture and automatically empties the water to the sump pump. Once the air is dry, SaniDry helps blow the dehumidified air around the crawl space. It works harder than any other dehumidifier, but is equally as energy efficient. SaniDry eliminates the musty crawl space smell, and ensures that the air that anyone upstairs breathes is clean and healthy.

Thanks to these new additions to the crawl space, the owners can be sure that when they come to visit their vacation home, the crawl space will always be dry!