Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Crawl Space Mold and Pest Prevention

Homeowners in Arlington, VA originally gave us a call to inspect their attic and garage insulation, but our evaluator, Jason, also took a look at their crawl space while he was there. In the crawl space he found signs of pests and mold. Many people don't realize that the health of your crawl space, affects the health of your entire home. If left unchecked, mold flourishes, creating more mold, that can lead to a slow destruction of the area. Mold creates odors, which creep upstairs and into main living areas. Residents of the home may also experience allergies, migraines, respiratory upset, and other physical ailments from the presence of mold in a home. To treat and prevent mold and pests in this crawl space, the 3 Pros team encapsulated it using our CleanSpace Encapsulation System with TerraBlock floor insulation and SilverGlo wall insulation. We treated the areas affected with mold with our MoldX2 Cleaner and also installed an extra large EverLast Crawl Space Door. Now these homeowners can rest easy knowing that their crawl space in pest and mold free.

Mold in the Crawl Space

Our evaluator, Jason, found mold and signs of pests in the crawl space.

Fiberglass Insulation is not efficient.

Fiberglass insulation will not seal away humidity, and eventually the sponge-like insulation will become soaked with moisture, weighing it down and causing it to fall away from the ceiling.

Fiberglass batts can support the growth of mold.

Fiberglass batts contain organic materials such as resins, dyes, and paper backing. All of these things can support the growth of mold and rot. Rodents also love to nest in this warm, soft material.

A Crawl Space Door is Needed

For easier access to this crawl space, we installed our EverLast Crawl Space Door. Here you can see the outline of where the door will go. Old thinking was that access doors could be loose fitting and unsealed. Now, we know that access doors must be air tight and seal off all outside air.

Everlast Crawl Space Door

The Everlast Crawl Space Door is 1/2" thick solid, durable polyethylene. It's custom cut to the size needed and installed with a U track along the bottom and special threaded knobs. Anchors are installed into the foundation to hold the door tight. This door will never rust, rot, or need paint!

CleanSpace Encapsulation System

After the mold was treated, our team started on encapsulating this crawl space. All vents and other air leaks were sealed and the crawl space walls were insulated with SilverGlo insulation. SilverGlo provides a vapor barrier on the walls, holding back moisture and humidity. It also provides a sheet of R-11 insulation. This product will not absorb moisture or support the growth of mold.

TerraBlock and CleanSpace

TerraBlock foam insulation is installed across the crawl space floor and is spiked down. This not only insulates, but also adds durability to the CleanSpace placed on top of it. Not to mention it is very comfortable to crawl on! CleanSpace is a heavy duty 20 mil thick liner installed permanently across the floor. CleanSpace features anti-microbial ingredients.