If you are a homeowner in the Pacific Northwest or another rainy and damp area of the United States, you may ask yourself, “what do I need to do to prevent my home from water damage?” and “Is it bad if there is water in my crawl space?” There are many answers to this question depending on the home’s location, age and whether or not it has been equipped to prevent water and moisture from infiltrating your space.
For homes in Seattle and Portland, moisture barrier installation can be one of the smartest and wisest decisions due to the following reasons.
What Is A Vapor Barrier?
A crawl space vapor barrier – also known as a moisture barrier – refers to the material that blocks moisture from entering a home through the floor, crawl space, basement and other parts of the home.
It’s typically installed in places where moisture is likely to build up, like crawl spaces. The main goal is to prevent water vapor from the soil from getting into areas where it can cause mold, mildew, or damage to insulation and wood. While it might sound technical, a vapor barrier is just a smart way to keep your home drier, healthier, and more energy-efficient
10 Reasons A Vapor Barrier Could Save You And Your Home:
1 – A Vapor Barrier Helps Prevent Mold
The presence of moisture leads to the creation of mold and mildew. These elements cause health issues, especially if anyone in your home suffers from asthma, respiratory or breathing issues. Hence, the safety of your home comes first, which can luckily be provided through the installation of a vapor barrier in your home.
If you maintain a dry and clean crawl space, there is less chance that you’ll have to figure out how to get rid of mold in your crawl space.
2 – Nullifying Rust
The ductwork of your HVAC system or any other metallic surface reacts badly with water and creates rust. These issues then require maintenance and incur considerable costs for your home. This dangerous combination of metal and other rust-prone materials can be nullified through a vapor barrier.
3 – Protects Pipes
The material in the water or gas pipes is also threatened by moisture. Water damages the protective coatings of these pipes. As a result, slab and gas leaks occur, which make property and maintenance repairs necessary. Luckily, a moisture barrier offers a solution to save you from such dilemmas.
4 – Limits Electrical Repairs
With time, wiring located in your crawl space weakens, whether it is visible or exists behind/beneath the walls and floors of your home. Moisture can speed up the process of the protective material decaying. As the protective material of the wires is removed, any sign of moisture causes an electrical issue.
5 – Protects from Electric Shock
The grief caused by damaged electrical wiring is not just limited to calling an electrician. Northwesterners will also have to keep in mind that damaged electrical wiring can cause an electric shock. Often, these problems go undetected unless a family member unknowingly touches the compromised part of the wiring and gets severely hurt.
Preventing water damage in your home is not only protecting your house – it’s protecting your family. Another precautionary step you can take to protect the residents of the home is to ensure all electrical wiring is securely kept behind a protective shield – be it in between the walls, in cord covers or cable management boxes. Organizing your electrical wires can help keep them out of reach of people, especially children, as well as animals.
6 – Eases the Exploration of the Crawl Space
Without a vapor barrier, searching through and moving about in your crawl space can be really unpleasant as your clothes and body can get dirty. A vapor barrier in your crawl space keeps the flooring and walls of the area neat, dry and easy to work in if you or a professional crawl space company ever needs to investigate and work in your crawl space.
7 – Eradicates Insects and Rodents
Moist homes are the favorite breeding grounds for insects, bugs and rodents as they spread into basements, crawl spaces, and other parts of the home. The fumigation and elimination expenses incurred to remove these foreign invaders can be completely removed from the scene with a vapor barrier.
If insects or rodents do enter your home, you’ll want to be sure to find a reputable pest control company, like Pest Pros, to help with rodent control.
8 – Saves Appliances
With a hint of moisture, your home appliances are also at risk. A little amount of water is enough to harm the foundation of your home and any other appliances that help your house run properly. Appliances that may be at high risk of damage may include your water heater, furnace and HVAC systems. If water damage occurs, then you will have to deal with the headache and expense of a repair job. Fortunately, these worries can be eliminated by a properly installed vapor barrier.
9 – Stabilization of Soil
Moisture also deteriorates the soil that lies under a home’s floors and basements. Thus, the danger of soil erosion increases, resulting in your home’s instability. A moisture barrier can save you from this predicament and stabilize your home.
10 – Help Maintain Temperature
Studies have shown that nearly 98% of moisture transferred through floors occurs through air gaps, cracks around electrical fixtures and outlets, and gaps along baseboards.
Dampness can also meddle with the temperature in your home. Whether it is the winter season or the summer season, your appliances will have to work harder due to the humidity levels of your home.
Thankfully, a vapor barrier serves as a great ally that can decrease the workloads of your furnaces and air conditioners.
How Can Crawl Pros Help?
For vapor barrier installation, we use our own strong and thick 9-mil vapor barrier material, which is manufactured to our strict specifications. Unlike other products, our material is reflective black on one side and reflective white on the other. The reflective white side serves to lighten up your crawl space to ensure that it’s easy to spot any water, dust, dirt or rodents in your crawl space. If rodents do get in, their presence will be obvious, with their feces easy to spot on the white surface.
Contact Crawl Pros to Learn More about Vapor Barriers
Our trained technicians can install a vapor barrier in your home in as little as one day. Not sure if a crawl space vapor barrier is the right solution? During your first visit, our technicians will evaluate your crawl space, identify any current or potential risks and recommend the best solution for your home. For example, your home may need a full crawl space encapsulation. Interested in learning more? Read our article about the difference between crawl space encapsulation vs. vapor barrier.
If you already have water in your crawl space, our team can help with water removal and remediation. If you are wondering “Do I need a vapor barrier?” or would like to have our team investigate your crawl space for you, contact the professionals at Crawl Pros by filling out this form for a free estimate or call 866-673-9626.
