Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most often on calls from Rutherford County, answered plainly.
How long does the work take?
Two to four working days for most houses in this county. The liner itself is quick. What stretches the schedule is clearing out what is down there, treating framing that has already grown something, and any drainage that has to go in first.
Will sealing it make my house smell better?
Usually yes, and faster than people expect. A large share of the air in the rooms above comes up from the crawl space, so the musty smell in a hallway is often just the crawl space arriving upstairs.
Do I need the dehumidifier or can I skip it?
In this climate, plan on it. The liner blocks moisture coming out of the ground. It does nothing about what is already suspended in the air or what walks in every time the hatch opens. Holding the space under about sixty percent relative humidity is what actually stops growth.
Is this worth doing on a rental?
Around MTSU it is often the cheapest way to stop a recurring complaint. Tenant reports of smell and cold floors usually trace to the same space, and fixing it once costs less than turning over a unit twice.
Is a barrier as good as encapsulating?
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling whichever one they would rather install. A barrier addresses moisture coming out of the ground. If humid outside air through open vents is what is wetting your joists, a barrier does not touch that.
What thickness is worth paying for?
Code minimum is thin enough to tear the first time a technician crawls over it, which is why so many of them are already torn. Anything intended to last should be substantially heavier and sealed at the seams and the walls, not just laid down loose.
Can I upgrade to encapsulation later?
Yes, and it is a normal path. A properly installed heavy barrier is the floor of a full system, so the money is not wasted if you seal the vents and add a dehumidifier down the line.
Why does water show up when it has not rained for two days?
Because it is not falling on your lot, it is traveling to it. On thin soil over rock, water moves laterally along the bedrock surface and can take a day or more to reach your footing from higher ground nearby.
Do I need this before encapsulating?
If water stands under the house, yes. A liner laid over standing water traps it, hides it, and lets it keep working on your joists where nobody can see it.
Where should the pump discharge?
Far enough out that gravity does not return it, and never into a sanitary sewer connection. A discharge ending beside the wall just recycles the same water and makes the pump look undersized.
Is the black growth on my joists dangerous?
Nobody can identify a species from a photo or from its color, and for the purpose of deciding what to do it does not matter. If identification matters for a sale or a health question, pay for a sample. If it is growing, the space is too wet, and that is the finding that drives the work.
Can it just be sprayed and sealed over?
Sealing over live growth does not kill it. Treatment comes first, and the moisture that fed it has to be gone, or the liner simply gives it a darker place to keep going.
When does framing have to be replaced rather than treated?
When it has lost strength. Surface growth on sound wood is treatable. Rot that a probe sinks into, especially at joist ends and the sill plate, is a repair, not a cleaning.
Do I fix the framing or the moisture first?
Diagnose together, then fix the water first wherever the schedule allows. New wood put into a wet space starts the same clock the old wood already ran out.
Is sistering as good as replacing?
For a joist damaged at one end, a properly sized and fastened sister carries the load and costs far less than pulling the floor up. Replacement wins when the member is gone along its length or when several in a row are affected.
What should the humidity read down there?
Under about sixty percent relative humidity is the usual working target. Readings that sit above that through the summer are what let growth establish on the framing, whether or not there is ever standing water.
What moisture content is too high in a joist?
Wood below the high teens is generally considered dry. Sustained readings above roughly twenty percent are where decay fungi become active, which is why meter readings matter more than how the wood looks.
Is the inspection really free?
Often, when it accompanies a quote. Ask before you schedule and get the answer in writing, because free inspections that turn into a service charge on arrival are a known complaint in this trade.
Get a quote on your crawl space
Call and tell us what is going on with your crawl space and where the property is. You will get a straight answer on what it actually needs, from a licensed contractor working Rutherford County.
Call (629) 258-8347