When a contractor builds a crawl space they typically dig a hole 36 – 48 inches deep. They then pour a footing around the perimeter and construct the wall with block or poured concrete. The house rests on top of the foundation, basically the crawl space sits above a big hole. Due to the fact builders are not required by code (most do not) to install footing tiles during the original construction this allows water to enter the crawl space. Over the years this can cause serious damage and health concerns.
Health concerns and damage can include:
- Allergies
- Mold
- Mildew
- Unpleasant Odors throughout the home
- Insects
- Warping and dry-rotting of floors and joices
- Buckling or raising of wood floors
- Structural damage to your foundation
- Undermining of footing
- Rusting of the duct work and furnace
- Decreases the property value of your home
To solve water issues in a crawl space the key is control. There are three recognized methods of waterproofing which AquaProof offers; excavating, inside system, and combination system. The best solution is keep water from entering the crawl space and that can only be done by excavating to the footing ,cleaning the wall and repairing any structural damage.
- Dig around the perimeter to the footing
- Cleaning the wall and inspect for structural damage
- Repair all cracks
- Hand trial a thick coating of plastic membrane.
- Install drain board on the foundation
- Soil separator
- Footing tile
- 18 inches of 1 inch river washed gravel
- Turn footing tile into solid scheduled 35 PVC
- Run down spouts and footing tile in solid scheduled 35 PVC away from the home a minimum of 35 – 40 feet.
- Some applications will require a sump pump due to the grade of the lot
- All work is completed with a finish grade-, seed and straw where required
Inside System:
- Dig around the perimeter on the inside of the foundation from the footing out 18 inches
- Start out 3 inches below the top of the footing and shave the trench down 1 inch per 10 feet
- Install a soil separator in the trench with 4 inch perforated pipe packed in 1 inch river washed gravel
- Install 30 inch sump well with a ½ HP sump pump with a battery backup
- Tie footing tile into sump well
- Run the sump pump discharge line outside
- Run all down spout lines and the sump pump discharge line in solid scheduled 35 PVC a minimum of 35 – 40 feet from the home.
- All work is completed with a finish grade-, seed and straw where required
Combination System:
- Outside home
- Dig around the perimeter on the outside 18 – 22 inches deep
- Clean the wall and repair all cracks
- Waterproof foundation with tar and drain board
- Install soil separator and 4 inch perforated pipe packed in 1 inch river washed gravel (sub-surface system)
- Inside home
- Dig around the perimeter on the inside of the foundation from the footing out 18 inches
- Install soil separator and 4 inch perforated pipe packed in 1 inch river washed gravel
- Install 30 inch sump well with a ½ HP sump pump with a battery backup
- Connect inside tile into the sump well and run the sump pump discharge line to the outside
- Connect the sump pump discharge line and the sub-surface system with all of the down spouts in a solid scheduled 35 PVC pipe and run away from the home a minimum of 35- 40 feet
- All work is completed with a finish grade-, seed and straw where required
