“I’m very satisfied with the crawl space liner that I purchased from Americover. The transaction was easy with no-hassle shipping and the product quality is everything as advertised. Your website is very informative including the video for crawl space encapsulation. I just have one suggestion your company might consider for advising viewers/prospective customers to insulate the foundation walls around the crawl space first and then adhere your vapor barrier liner to the insulation. For most homes with crawl spaces, the foundation is constructed of concrete block with a brick veneer or of double-wythe brick. Both block and brick have very low R-values and are highly porous allowing warm, moist outside air to permeate. The problem is when the warmer outside air infiltrates through the masonry and meets the cooler air in the crawl space. Humidity increases in the crawl space and, depending on how well sealed the liner is to the perimeter walls, condensation could form on the backside of the new vapor barrier that is attached directly to the inside face of the block. Long story shorter – rigid insulation such as polyiso applied directly to the block wall and then the liner adhered to the insulation will significantly lessen the rise in humidity because far less warm air will be making contact with the cooler air in the crawl space. Condensation will unlikely form behind the vapor barrier. Sealing all insulation seams and all points of infiltration for outside air are the keys. Ideally, the rigid insulation should be 2” thick, but because rigid polyiso is expensive the appropriate thickness should be determined based on local climate.
While Americover does not sell insulation or would not benefit directly by making this suggested recommendation on its website, it might go a long way to inform and gain the trust of potential customers. The internet seems to have many schools of thought differing on how to “correct” crawl spaces and how to dry them out, but the above suggestion is based on my commercial experience with renovating museum storage warehouses that have strictly controlled indoor environments and have been constructed years ago with perimeter concrete block walls that encounter much the same issues as crawl spaces but on a much larger scale.”
Thanks again for the liner!
Bill Wrightson
Promaneer, LLC
www.promaneer.com
Now lets take a look at the materials Mr. Wrightson used to build his crawl space:
• 12 mil White/Black by Dura Skrim
• Christmas Tree Ratchet Fasteners
Click here for more information on crawl space vapor barriers.
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