by Jean Sealey
Northeast Florida Builders Association
Bugs and rodents, mold and condensation are enemies of a home. Unfortunately, they thrive just underfoot in the crawl space between the ground and the floor.
“Residents of a home usually don’t even know they have a problem,” said Ed Minor of CleanSpace. “They may notice their wood floors are buckling or warping. Or they may be suffering from allergies and respiratory distress. Often, the problem can be traced to the crawl space.”
Minor said spiders, beetles, centipedes, termites and many other insects are found in crawl spaces, along with mice, rats, snakes and other small animals. And, that’s how some homeowners become aware of the conditions in their crawl spaces - when they learn of the pest issues from their pest control professional.
“Sometimes, a home inspector is the bearer of the bad news, or a remodeling contractor may discover the problem during the course of a project,” Minor said. “In addition to the pests, mold is another serious problem.”
The dirt under a house has the high humidity levels necessary for mold growth, Minor explained. Mold can spread from the dirt up into the home, in the carpet. Mold destroys organic material as it feeds on them, and it reproduces by producing millions of airborne spores - spores can trigger allergies and some are even toxic.
In a hot, humid climate such as Florida, condensation is another concern. Condensation causes rot and can lead to serious structural damage to a home.
The solution, Minor said, is to reduce the humidity, and that’s just what CleanSpace does.
“The CleanSpace system completely isolates your home from the earth,” he said. “This reduces the humidity level in the air, which will reduce or in most cases eliminate mold growth, rot and critters from your crawl space. The whole house is healthier.”
Trained installers remove wood and organic materials from the crawl space and uneven surfaces are leveled. Then, the CleanSpace liner is cut and installed, permanently secured to the walls. The liner is sealed in place to fully isolate the home environment from the earth.
“The result is an attractive, bright, tough, impervious liner and a healthy home above it,” Minor said. “And, all ventilation is eliminated. Experts now tell us that ventilation of crawl spaces in warm and cold climates is a bad idea - it just promotes moisture and allows outside air in, which increases utility bills. The CleanSpace system saves energy and makes the home more comfortable.”