Hastings is a city in Nebraska with a population of about 25,000. You can visit Hastings in August to enjoy the Kool-Aid Days festival, as the drink was invented in Hastings in 1927.
The city may be small, but homeowners can experience some large issues with their crawl spaces. Those problems and more can be fixed with a crawl space encapsulation, offered by Epp Foundation Repair.
What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation?
Crawl space encapsulation is the process of sealing the space under the home with a barrier that separates the crawl space from the surrounding surfaces. This is done with a thick layer of overlapping poly-sheeting.
Repairing the crawl space is also an important part of the process. If there is water in the crawl space or around the foundation walls, we can install a drain tile system to take care of it.
Other repairs may also be needed, such as replacing wet and damaged insulation. If damage has occurred to the pillars or pads, they may also need some attention.
Finally, we will finish up the crawl space encapsulation by installing a dehydrator. This will have the benefit of keeping the crawl space dry and, since 50% of the air in your home is from the crawl space, it is dry as well.
Who Needs Crawl Space Encapsulation?
Most people wait until they see signs of foundation problems before they consider crawl space encapsulation. Although they are in need of the work, it isn’t necessary to wait for issues before you have the work done.
Anyone with a crawl space would benefit from having it encapsulated. It will improve the air quality in the home and, even if you don’t have infestations or water intrusion, it will stop it from happening in the future.
Benefits of Crawl Space Encapsulation
Anything you do to help with the health of the crawl space is going to have a positive impact on the rest of the home. Some benefits may be easily noticed in the area under the home but if you look, you will see those benefits everywhere.
Improve the Floor's Comfort
Cold air can enter the crawl space through cracks in the foundation walls and other gaps, both seen and unseen. Just as heaters below the floor can make it warm, the cold air in the crawl space beneath the floor can make the floors cold.
Prevent Mold and Mildew Growth
Mold and mildew can grow quickly in a crawl space and it often goes unnoticed. Since half of the air in your living space comes from the crawl space, those mold spores can affect the health of your family.
Stop Pest Infestations
Many homeowners in Hastings made the decision to have their crawl space encapsulation due to an insect or rodent infestation. Even if you don't see them, they will leave behind droppings that could make you sick.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Air comes from the crawl space into the home due to the stack effect. It is estimated that 50% of the air you breathe indoors originated in the crawl space. Once the crawl space is encapsulated, the air quality improves in the entire home.
Reduces Heating and Cooling Costs
It takes more energy to keep a humid home comfortable in any season. One benefit of crawl space encapsulation is that it dries the area and we even install a dehumidifier for that purpose. By drying the air in the crawl space, we dry the air in the home.
Protect Structural Integrity
The crawl space is a common foundation type and issues with the foundation can compromise the integrity of the structure. Water damage, wood rot, and high levels of moisture could eventually make the home unlivable.
Epp Foundation Repair Services
Epp has been offering their foundation repair services in Hastings and throughout Nebraska for decades. Those services extend beyond crawl space encapsulation and include the following.
If your foundation is sinking or if the walls are cracking, we can help. This may include the use of steel rods driven into the ground and attached to the foundation to stabilize and even lift it.
We can repair foundation cracks as well using carbon steel straps or staples to hold them together and keep them from widening. We can then inject epoxy into the crack to seal it permanently.
We start by sealing the basement walls. This keeps any water that does get through the wall from getting into the basement. If necessary, we then support the walls with channel anchors and wall plate anchors.
Finally, it may be necessary to install a drain tile system that channels water to a sump pit and then uses a sump pump to pump the water up and out of the basement.
Concrete slabs are incredibly heavy and the soil in Hastings may not always give it the support it needs. If a concrete slab sinks, it can cause a tripping hazard and eventually, it may cause the slab to crack.
We can level the concrete using polyurethane foam. After drilling dime-sized holes in the concrete, we inject the mixture and it expands up to 50 times its liquid volume. After raising the concrete, we seal the holes and it can be used right away.
