Our vapor barrier is called WhiteCap™ and is available in two different heavy duty mil thicknesses. We often hear a comment from people,"it's just plastic, so why doesn't it cost a lot?" The answer is simple, not all crawl space vapor barriers have the same quality or construction, will last like ours does, or will perform properly to ensure the vapors from the ground stay "out" of the crawl space. WhiteCap™ is going to last for several decades, while a cheap box store brand liner will not ever serve to truly encapsulate the space but will deteriorate in a short period of time. Cheap crawl space liners often give off a nasty odor. Since odor is one of the things an encapsulation takes care of, poor quality liners just defeat the purpose.

An encapsulated crawl space uses all of the features applied to a closed crawl space with a minor couple of differences. To be an encapsulated crawl space, the vapor barrier is continued up the foundation wall and sealed (taped) to the floor vapor barrier. Plate seal barriers are used, and many times, crawl space floor supports, as well as plumbing that comes through the dirt and walls are also sealed. Using a variety of tapes and products, we completely "seal" up the space between the foundation wall and the crawl space vapor barrier to seal the moisture under the barrier. This ensures bad vapors and musty smells stay away. In most cases, the vapor barrier that is used is made of high quality polyethylene with a polyester mesh reinforcement. 

Clean Healthy Air - Lower Utility Costs

Control of your environment is the key to doing encapsulation of a crawl space. An open crawl space has continual temperature and climate change, so whatever the conditions are outside, they are also the conditions inside a crawl space. Many times over the years, the moisture builds up, vapors leak from the dirt below your home, and the air you breathe becomes very unhealthy. If you can control the environment, you can control the air you breathe. A huge concern with regard to health is Radon. Radon is linked to cancer and it's a standard item our basement specialists will help you to understand. Fixing the issue is relatively simple, but we strongly recommend you make sure you test for Radon. If the levels found warrant installing a Radon mitigation system, you need to do so as soon as possible. To learn more about Radon gas and the effects of Radon on humans, visit the EPA's website at, www.epa.gov/radon. This site has a lot of very authoritative information, including Radon concentration maps for all of the United States of America, including Ohio.