It’s winter in Atlanta. What can be said? Atlanta winters are wet… soggy, damp, and wet.
I’ve been in this city for 55 years, … and our winters are damp and cold. I know!
My home office is located directly above my sump pump, so I always get to hear it run when it’s been raining heavy and for long periods. I LOVE THAT SOUND!
I love my french drain and sump pump, because it keeps my crawlspace DRY!
Yes, I practice what I preach. Look at this stream of water coming from my 2” sump pump discharge!
My crawlspace has been encapsulated for several years. We dug the french drain and sump pump system before sealing it up with 12 mill, reinforced vapor barrier, and insulating the foundation walls with Closed Cell Spray Foam.
Before I improved my crawlspace, it was horrible. Tributaries of brown water creased across the ground, and pooled in one-half of our crawlspace. And it would take 2 or 3 days of dry weather before it would dry out under there. I’d have to leave the scuttle doors open for cross ventilation … trying to get the earth to soak up the water, and eventually try to dry out.
It was a PAIN, making sure the neighbor’s cat wasn’t under there before closing those scuttle doors.
Cave crickets were everywhere, by the droves. And somehow, they’d find a way into our bathroom.
My Heat and AC ducts took a beating too. All that high humidity under the house caused the flex ducts to hold moisture, as noted by the “zebra lines” showing on the outer duct wrapper. Moist air-ducts don’t produce healthy indoor air to be breathing.
My floors soaked up the moisture too, and were always cold and damp feeling.
And, the occasional rat would find it’s way under there, and make a home. One time, a rat chewed a hole into a flex duct that served our master bedroom SUPPLY vent. He ate some of my rat poison and died while inside the air-duct.
Debbie called me during that episode, complaining of a filthy smell in our bedroom. It was then, that I found the hole in the air-duct, and saw the flies from the dead rat. My sons and I replaced the duct.
OMG… I HATED TO CRAWL UNDER MY HOUSE… I’d procrastinate, and look for excuses to avoid it.
BUT NOT ANYMORE!
It’s cold and raining today. But my crawlspace is DRY, WARM, and CLEAN! And it smells clean too!
No more rats or crickets. And my floors are warm and dry too!
My 90 year-old Mom lives with us, so we keep the house at 73 degrees. And guess what?
Because our furnace and air-ducts are in my sealed and insulated crawlspace, the temperature under my house, as I write this article, is 72 degrees, and the humidity is only 42%! (Outdoors was just above freezing this morning).
And, because of the clean, bright-white vapor barrier, I can see throughout the crawlspace and instantly spot any issue that needs my attention.
After we sealed and insulated our crawlspace, my sons and I replaced all of our air-ducts. Ahhh…. What a difference this made in how our house smelled!
Just SOME of the REASONS that I LOVE MY CRAWLSPACE.
Don’t HATE on your vented, damp, unhealthy, nasty, unfriendly crawlspace!
Call Savannah, and we’ll give you the same experience that I’m enjoying.
It’s EASY! Most Crawlspace Projects we can do in 1 or 2 days!
(I just heard my sump pump click on for a few seconds … I LOVE THAT SOUND!)
Bob Bird
Bird Family Insulation
404-538-9168
PS: The pics in this article… I just took them today, in the down-pouring rain. See how dry it is under my house? THIS WORKS!
