Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Waterproofing a Sagging Crawl Space in Sawyer, MI

Our customer called because the water in her crawl space had started affecting the floors in her house; the support beams and flooring were waterlogged and causing the floors to be soft and start sagging. The solution was to get the crawl space waterproofed; we encapsulated the crawl space with CleanSpace vapor barrier, installed a new Smart Sump pump to actively remove the water, and put a SaniDry Mini crawl space dehumidifier in place to take care of the ambient moisture and keep the crawl space dry.

Wet Walls in Crawl Space

The water has soaked through the walls of this crawl space, as shown in the background. Also pictured: fallen insulation! But more on that later.

Muck and Debris on Crawl Space Floor

When a crawl space, which has a dirt floor, has standing water issues, the result is lots of muck and waterlogged debris. All of it had to go before we could encapsulate.

Wet Support Beam in Crawl Space

You know how you can bend a popsicle stick after eating a popsicle and it won't break, because the moisture makes the wood pliable? You don't want that happening in your house. Water coming through the foundation walls led to soaked through boards and supports, which made the upstairs floor saggy and soft.

Ineffective Crawl Space Sump Pump

A sump pump without a lid is at risk for clogging or damage from debris entry. This sump pump was trying, but didn't have what it takes to really remove water from the crawl space.

Falling Insulation in Crawl Space

So, fiberglass insulation. It's terrible for crawl spaces. It absorbs ambient moisture and whatever happens to be floating through the air, then gets too heavy and falls down.

Sagging Floor in Sawyer Crawl Space

The subfloor is soaked through, which led to the upstairs floors sagging and feeling soft to the touch.

CleanSpace Protects Crawl Space Supports

In addition to covering the walls and floor with CleanSpace, we wrap support piers to ensure they have the same level of protection from ambient moisture.

EverLast Door Cover Seals Crawl Space Entry

One way to prevent water and debris from entering a crawl space is to make sure the door has a tight seal. This can be done by installing an EverLast door cover and sealing all the vents.

SaniDry Mini Keeps Crawl Space Dry

Even after the crawl space is encapsulated, there could be ambient moisture. The SaniDry Mini dehumidifier will take care of anything that makes it into the crawl space.