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The vapor barrier, perhaps the greatest unsung hero in any home, is a large piece of plastic sheeting virtually covering the entire floor of your Crawlspace, a legal code requirement in the selling of any home in Oregon. If you already own a home that has either a worn, ineffective vapor barrier or none at all, that, of course, is your choice as a homeowner, though at Crawlspace Medics LLC, we most certainly wouldn’t recommend it. Any questions or doubts as to the quality and effectiveness of your vapor barrier, or even if you’re not sure whether or not you have one, please feel free to Contact us or take advantage of our Free Ethical Inspection.
The function of the vapor barrier is as self-explanatory as its name. Rising moisture originating from the Crawlspace floor, often a combination of mud, dirt, rocks and soil, is curbed and virtually eliminated with the introduction of a professionally installed vapor barrier. Neglecting such a rudimentary requirement will almost certainly lead to greater problems – both financial and structural – at a later date. Excessive rising moisture will not impact the structure of your home overnight, but it will, if left unchecked for a period of time, eventually lead to damage of the sub-floor, a costly and significant structural problem. Even in desert areas there is moisture in the ground, a fact that can be highlighted by building a solar still. Simply dig a hole, suspend a clear plastic film over it with a rock in the middle for a weight and sit back and watch. You will eventually get about a quart or two of water from a three-foot system which is ground water being wicked up from way below. To apply to a home setting, find the driest dirt Crawlspace you know of (hopefully yours!) and cover the floor with a poly barrier, wait a day and you will find condensation on the underside. The reason the top of the soil is normally dry is that the moisture is drying out as fast as it is wicking up. There is still a huge amount of water coming up and this causes high moisture level in a Crawlspace and elsewhere in the house.
Wood destroying organisms such as termites and carpenter ants also thrive when high moisture is present. At Crawlspace Medics LLC, we have a little over three decades of combined Pest Control experience, so we have seen first hand just this type of damage in more Crawl spaces than we’d care to mention. So having a professionally installed vapor barrier really is an example of the old cliché, “Spend a dime to save a dollar.”
And as we specialize exclusively in Crawlspace care, use only premium grade materials and offer one of the most comprehensive Guarantees in the business, you, your home and Crawlspace are in very safe hands.
Claustrophobia, excessive moisture, dirt, dust, mice, rats or spiders? Hopefully your Crawl space has little or none of the above. If it does, just Contact us and we’ll let you know and offer you a professional cost effective solution there and then. If it doesn’t we’re more than happy to let you know that too.
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