Vapor barriers are crucial for crawl spaces. They help prevent ground moisture from migrating into them. Vents in the crawl space can help let the moisture escape but it can still cause damage in the process in the form of creating conditions that are prime for mold growth to occur. If you have a dirt floor it’s really obvious if there’s a vapor barrier or not. If your crawl space is gravel, you can usually dig down a few inches (gently) to check to make sure there is a vapor barrier under the crawl space. If your crawl space is concrete, we just assume the concrete was installed with a vapor barrier because there’s really no way to check without breaking out the concrete, (sometimes you can see pieces of plastic sticking out around the perimeter, but not always). Typical vapor barriers are a minimum of 6 mil thick and should be opaque, as to not let light through to help prevent fungal growth underneath. While vapor barriers should extend to the perimeter walls and be held down in place, there is added benefits if they go up the walls and are attached tightly to the foundation walls. If you’re in need of a professional vapor barrier, call us today for a free estimate!
