Since homes were first built, there have been problems with the collection of moisture underneath these homes. For a long time, people though that using cross ventilation vents would help to carry the moist air out, leaving fresh air in its place. While this does help, it doesn’t actually solve the problem in full. Hence, builders started to put plastic on the floor underneath the home, keeping the moisture underneath it. This turned out to cause even more problems because the moisture could never dry, leading to smells, mold, and structural issues.
In Comes Concrete
A lot of builders then started to pump crawlspace full of concrete. This made sense, because concrete simply had to protect the home. After all, it is found in slabs, driveways, and garage floors as well. Thousands of homeowners had their crawlspaces pumped full of concrete, to which some water was added in order for it to level properly. Unfortunately, it turned out that this was a huge problem. One of the biggest issues was that silica dust forms on top of the dried concrete. This meant that homes that we treated in that way became very dusty and the environment was unhealthy for people with breathing difficulty.
Furthermore, when looked at logically, the system was doomed to fail. Water was added to the concrete to level it, but water was the problem that it was supposed to address in the first place. And sure enough, homes that were treated in this manner started to experience high levels of mold. It was particularly bad in homes where contractors placed plastic in the crawlspace before filling it with concrete. This left homes smelly, due to the various gasses, and full of mold.
Crawl Space Liners
The problem is that the theory behind concrete was very good. The execution was just very poorly managed. What we now know is that concrete form liners are the best solution to the crawlspace issue. These liners allow zero moisture, water, gasses, or odors to pass through it and has been found to be 100% efficient. There are some slightly less efficient, but cheaper, liners, but even those have an efficiency of between 94% and 96%, which is still a whole lot better than any other solution.
There are a number of advantages to choosing concrete form liners besides the fact that they are so efficient. They include:
- The possibility of qualifying for the ‘Cash for Caulkers’ tax incentives.
- The fact that they insulate by keeping heat in.
- The fact that they protect your home from bugs.
- The fact that they stop natural and deadly gasses like radon from rising and entering your home.
- Mediating moisture, which means mold can no longer grow.
- Offering a permanent sealant to floors and walls.
- Some concrete form liners are even Green Home certified.
Home owners all over the country are happy that there is finally a solution to the moisture problem in their crawlspaces that doesn’t cause far bigger problems as soon as it is installed.