FirstOnSite Restoration | Spring Fresh Division

There are three things that destroy materials in general, and wood in particular: water, heat, and ultra-violet radiation. Of these, water is by far the most important.

A dirt, vented or unconditioned concrete crawl space under a home is a very bad idea. The earth has very high humidity in the soil. This water vapor moves easily into the crawl space and upwards into the house environment.

Damp environments are unhealthy and destructive… a place where mold thrives and spreads by producing millions of airborne spores – a rare few of which are even toxic – and heating and cooling costs are higher, especially if you have a vented dirt crawl space. Insects and critters of all kinds love damp environments and wet materials. Rot and decay occur in damp environments causing structural damage.

Crawl spaces do not have to be wet or flooded to be extremely unhealthy.

The natural airflow in a house is from bottom to top. This sucks the moist air and everything in it up into the living areas of the home. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters create a very unhealthy environment for people. Many people are allergic to these things, and experience a host of symptoms and don’t realize that their dirt crawl space is affecting their health.

Now there is a solution to dirt crawl spaces – The CleanSpace ® System – developed by Basement Systems, the world leader in dry basement and crawl space technology.

The CleanSpace ® Crawl Space Encapsulation System ®
The CleanSpace ® system completely isolates your home from the earth, dramatically reducing the humidity level in the air. Lower humidity levels reduce or, in some cases, eliminate mold growth, rot, and critters from your crawl space, making the entire house healthier.

The liner is a heavy 20-mil-thick material, similar to a pool liner. It is manufactured in seven layers – a blend of high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and two layers of polyester-cord reinforcement. It is blue on one side and white on the other. The bright white finished side really brightens a crawl space with the available lighting and allows you to easily see that your crawl space is free of mold, insects, and dirt. The CleanSpace ® liner is tough enough for you to crawl on it and use your crawl space for storage. Service people can crawl on it without worry of putting holes or tears in the liner. The liner completely stops moisture penetration.

When “dry “ means - feels dry, smells dry, and looks dry.
Just because you have a waterproofing system, doesn’t mean you have a dry basement.

Basements can become damp even after a basement waterproofing system is installed.

€¢ Capillary action, meaning wicking, can bring in moisture. For example a block wall may not leak, but it feels damp because it’s wicking the water inside it to the surface like a sponge.
€¢ Water vapor coming through your walls and floor also needs to be addressed. By installing one of the basement wall systems and our ThermalDry Floor Matting, we don’t have to worry about wicking and have slowed water vapor transmission down considerably.
€¢ Water also gets into your basement from exterior air leaking into your basement. This is not a problem as long as the outside air is cooler than the basement. It’s the warmer summertime air that moves lots of water into our basement.

Whenever the outside air is warmer than the inside air – and especially when it’s humid outside air – we are likely to have a condensation problem in our subterranean levels. This is because the Relative Humidity of air goes up 2.2% for every one-degree you cool it. Basements are always cool because they are below ground. And we know that a house is like a chimney – air flows upwards, allowing air to escape the upper levels, with new air being sucked in at the lower levels.

So when it’s hot and humid in the summer, rain or not, our basement may be the wettest it has been all year!

If it’s an 80-degree day with Relative Humidity of 80%, and we suck this air into our basements and cool it to 68 degrees, the Relative Humidity goes up by 26.4% (12 degrees x 2.2%). But wait a minute… 80% plus 26.4% is more than 100%, and we can’t have more than 100%. So instead, as the air becomes saturated it gives up its moisture on your cold basement walls, floor, water tank, pipes, and other cold things. This is called condensation.

Even without condensation, we still get high relative humidity levels, which allows mold to grow and cause  “stinky basement syndrome. ” And dust mites love high relative humidity levels as well [link].
In order to eliminate condensation you need to either heat the air (ridiculous in summer), or take water out of it (easy to do). Correction. I should say take water out of it efficiently and effectively (not so easy unless you have the right equipment to do it with).

Not Just Any Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier is the plain answer. But not just any dehumidifier. Basement Systems has been dealing with this issue intensely for nearly 20 years. The only machine that will get you the results you need is one called a SaniDry Basement Air System. And it’s awesome.
To receive a FREE copy of  “Dry Basement Science, ” which talks in more detail abou dehumidification. relative humidity, and the SaniDry Basement and Crawl Space Air System, schedule your FREE home inspection and estimate, and we’ll send the book to you.

Premier Sump Pump System

Most basement waterproofing systems rely on a sump pump as the final mechanism to get the water out of the basement. The sump pump is the heart of the system. If the heart stops for any reason, the system fails and your basement gets flooded despite all the money you paid to dry it up. That’s why if you are going to rely on a sump pump, you should make sure it’s reliable.

Despite any stories you have heard over the years about folks getting flooded because their sump pump was on the blink again, today’s sump equipment is better than ever and very reliable – that is if you have the right equipment. With the wrong equipment, you’ll be the one telling tales of woe about your pump failing and causing your basement to flood one day.

The Pump is only part of a sump pump system
Besides the pump itself, there are other elements of a good sump pump system that are very important.

The Sump Liner
You don’t want your pump to clog in a muddy hole in the floor. And you don’t want it in a 5-gallon bucket that doesn’t hold a lot of water and will cause the pump to  “short cycle ” (go on and off very quickly). Instead, you should have a sturdy liner or housing for your sump pump.

Lifetime Warranty?
No pump manufacturer gives a lifetime warranty on their pumps – and there is a good reason why. A lifetime warranty doesn’t make a pump better. Some irresponsible contractors will tell you there is a lifetime warranty (or many years) on their pump -  “free replacements forever ” – to seduce you to buy their whole solution. This is irresponsible. Ask yourself,  “How do I know when to call to get my free replacement? ” The answer is when the pump has failed and your basement is flooded.

Air-Tight Sump Lid with a Floor Drain
The sump should have an air-tight lid to prevent water from evaporating out of the sump hole into your basement, to stop stuff from falling in that can clog the pump or switch, and to quiet the system. Depending on the cover, it can also make the installation look good too. Instead of a necessary evil in your home, you have a thoughtfully engineered system.

When you have a plumbing leak and the water floods out onto the basement floor, you’ll want to use your sump hole to drain the water away. A sump lid with a floor drain is the answer.

A Stand for the Pump and a Check Valve
A  “CleanPump Stand ” [Link to CleanPump Stand] elevates the pump off the bottom of the sump liner, allowing sediment, mud, debris, or gravel that washes into the sump liner to settle to the bottom of the sump liner without clogging or otherwise affecting the pump. It also keeps the check valve and discharge pipe clean.

Pump Alarms
How would you know if your sump pump has failed and you were in danger of being flooded? Unless you have an alarm, the answer is, when your basement is already flooded. A battery-powered alarm that automatically sounds off when the water reaches a level above the point where the pump(s) should normally turn on is essential. [Link to WaterWatch Alarm]

What if my pump fails? What if the power goes out?
You need to plan on…

• The power going out one day – which usually happens in a big storm with rain
• The pump coming unplugged
• The circuit breaker tripping
• The primary pump failing
• The primary pump not being able to keep up with the amount of water in a very heavy rain

Remember all the stories of woe people have told you about the sump pump failing and them getting flooded? These are the reasons they were talking about. You don’t have to go through that if you get the right equipment.