Crawl Space Encapsulation Services in the Omaha Area

Keep Your Home's Crawl Space Dry

Crawl spaces with high moisture levels are a perfect habitat for mold, insects, and airborne pollutants. If you live in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa and have noticed a damp, musty smell emanating from your crawl space or one of the other tell-tale signs moisture issues, it is time to contact a waterproofing specialist like Jerry's Waterproofing. We can use crawl space encapsulation to make sure that your moisture issues are a thing of the past.

Why Your Omaha Area Home Might Need Crawl Space Encapsulation

Simply put, when it comes to crawl spaces, moisture is the enemy.

The problems that moisture causes in your crawl space can range from annoying (musty odors) to structural (wood rot) to health (mold and mildew).

As with so many home problems issues that start in your crawl space don't stay in your crawl space.

Mold & Mildew

Mold and Mildew spores can enter your home's air from the crawl space. These spores can either cause new respiratory issues or enflame existing the ones, potentially compromising the health of you and your family.

Wood Rot

Water problems can also affect the structural components that support your home. Your crawl space is home to your home's floor joists as well as the beams that support them. All of these components are usually made of wood.

Moisture, however, can cause the wood to begin to rot, weakening the components.

If you notice that your floors are sagging or feeling spongy, there is a good chance they aren't receiving enough support, and wood rot might be the culprit. At minimum, the affected beams or joists will require additional support, and in many cases they must be replaced altogether.

Pest Infestations

Some pests are attracted to the water itself, either to use for drinking or as breeding grounds. Others are drawn by the smell of rotting wood. Regardless, insects and rodents are much more likely to be attracted to a damp or wet crawl space than a dry, properly encapsulated one, keeping them out of your crawl space and, from there, out of your home.

How to Know When You Need to Fix Your Omaha Home's Crawl Space

In addition the previously discussed mold, insects and wood rot, look for other signs of crawl space problems such as:

• Cold floors during winter
• Pooling water
• Wet insulation
• Open crawl space vents
• Peeling paint on home's exterior
• High radon levels
• Efflorescence on crawl space walls

What is Crawl Space Encapsulation?

Crawl space encapsulation is a method of waterproofing your crawl space. We use a non-permeable membrane to stop the infiltration of water into your crawl space either through cracks in the walls or from the ground below.

This membrane is called a vapor barrier, and it will damp-proof your crawl space and diffuse moisture that can seep into your living space, creating high humidity levels.

The vapor barrier liner covers the entire area of the crawl space, including the ground, walls, and concrete supports. A vapor barrier is made out of a puncture- and tear-resistant liner used to prevent evaporation of ground moisture and keep water from entering through the ground and walls.

Also, vapor barriers guard homes against harmful gases such as radon. We can combine a radon mitigation system with a vapor barrier to significantly lower radon levels.

If installed with a waterproofing system, water can be removed from the crawl space before it leads to water damage.

The products we use for crawl space encapsulation are made by Earth Contact Products (ECP), the leading manufacturer of foundation repair and basement waterproofing products.

Vapor barriers stop the movement of water vapor. The ECP vapor barrier used by Jerry's Waterproofing is designed to prevent moisture from entering the crawl space using a triple-ply woven high-density polyethylene membrane. These barrier guards against mold, mildew, allergens, fungus, radon, and heat loss.

Read more about vapor barriers.

Benefits of Crawl Space Encapsulation for Your Omaha Area Home

There are many benefits to having Jerry's Waterproofing install a crawl space vapor barrier as part of crawl space encapsulation. Not only does it lower utility costs, but it can also make your home more comfortable. In addition to the ones mentioned above, a vapor barrier offers the following advantages:

• Improves air quality
• Lowers utility bills
• Increases the value of your home
• Provides insulation
• Prevents water intrusion
• Protects pipes
• Keeps the floors comfortable year-round
• Gain valuable, useful storage space

Having a dry crawl space will not only prevent foundation problems, but it will also increase the longevity of your foundation for many years to come.

Jerry's Waterproofing is Your Omaha-area Crawl Space Expert

If you have any of these issues, contact Jerry's Waterproofing today. We can inspect your crawl space to determine the source of your wet crawl space. We offer crawl space encapsulation to transform your moldy crawl space into a dry foundation.

Seeking a Crawl Space Encapsulation Contractor Near You in Omaha or Lincoln? Contact Jerry's Waterproofing

Jerry's Waterproofing provides excellent workmanship. We use appropriate materials and tools to keep your crawl space clean and dry. Contact us today if you need crawl space encapsulation in not just our home city of Omaha, NE, but throughout much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, including cities such as Lincoln, NE, and Council Bluffs, IA. We provide free estimates!