When a Crawl Space Encapsulation Makes Things Worse
Introduction
A Job Done Wrong
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CORNERS GET CUT
I'm in Hendersonville, Tennessee, crawling through a space that was already encapsulated by somebody else.
Homeowner thought the job was done. Paid their money. Moved on with their life.
Then they started noticing problems.
First thing I see when I get down there is a big slit right through the plastic.
That's never a good sign. And it got worse from there.
This is something I run into more than I'd like.
Someone hires a company, trusts them to do the work right, and ends up with a crawl space that's in worse shape than before.
They didn't know what to look for. They just wanted the problem fixed.
That's why I'm sharing this.
Because what happened to this homeowner happens all the time.
And most people don't find out until the damage is already done.
What We Found Under This Home
Where do I start.
The old poly was never pulled. They just put new plastic right over the old stuff. That's a shortcut, and it causes problems down the road.
There's standing water throughout the crawl space. Not a little bit - enough that you can see it pooling in multiple areas.
The insulation was never removed. It's still hanging there, soaking up moisture, doing exactly what you don't want insulation to do in a crawl space.
The plastic isn't sealed to the walls. There are gaps everywhere. One section has a big open space where the vapor barrier just stops. That defeats the whole purpose of an encapsulation.
And the foundation vents? Wide open. Not sealed at all.
This homeowner paid for an encapsulation. What they got was a plastic sheet thrown over a mess.
The Dehumidifier Problem
Here's the part that really got me.
A dehumidifier in a crawl space needs to be gravity fed to a pump. That's how the water drains out properly. This one? Just draining straight onto the ground. All that standing water I mentioned - this is where it's coming from.
The unit is probably running 24 hours a day. And with those foundation vents wide open, it's fighting a losing battle. Outside air is pouring in, humidity keeps climbing, and the dehumidifier just runs and runs trying to keep up. It can't.
The filter is filthy. Never been changed. The unit is set at 49%, but it doesn't matter what you set it to if the system isn't installed right.
This isn't a dehumidifier problem. It's an installation problem. Someone put this unit in, didn't hook it up correctly, and walked away. Now the homeowner is paying for electricity to run a machine that's making things worse.
Why This Happens
I see this every day. I wish I didn't, but I do.
Someone gets a few quotes for crawl space work. One company comes in way cheaper than the others. Homeowner thinks they're getting a deal. They go with the low bid.
Then the crew shows up, rushes through the job, and disappears. No follow-up. No maintenance. No one coming back to check if the system actually works.
The company got paid. They moved on. And the homeowner is left with a crawl space that looks encapsulated but isn't doing what it's supposed to do.
Most people don't know what to look for. They trust that the work was done right. Why wouldn't they? They hired professionals. But not every company operates the same way. Some just want to close the job and cash the check.
That's how you end up with standing water under a home that was supposedly fixed.
What a Proper Encapsulation Should Include
Let me break down what should have happened here.
First, the old vapor barrier gets pulled out. You don't just cover it up. You remove it, see what's underneath, and start fresh.
The insulation comes down. In a crawl space, that old fiberglass insulation holds moisture. It needs to go.
If there's microbial growth, it gets treated. You don't seal it in and hope for the best.
The new plastic gets sealed to the walls completely. No gaps. No slits. No spots where air and moisture can sneak through.
Foundation vents get sealed. The whole point of encapsulation is to control the environment down there. You can't do that with vents wide open.
And the dehumidifier gets installed correctly. Gravity fed to a pump. Draining where it's supposed to drain. Filter accessible so it can actually be changed.
When it's done right, the system works. Humidity stays down. The crawl space stays dry. Your home is protected.
What we found in Hendersonville? That's not encapsulation. That's just plastic on the ground.
How to Protect Yourself
If you're getting quotes for crawl space work, here's what I'd tell a friend.
Ask questions. What's your process? Are you pulling the old vapor barrier? How is the dehumidifier going to drain? Are you sealing the vents? What happens if there's a problem after the job is done?
A good company won't mind answering. They'll walk you through it. They'll explain why they do things the way they do.
Watch out for the quote that's way lower than everyone else. There's usually a reason. Either they're cutting corners, using cheaper materials, or skipping steps that matter. You don't find out until later, when the problems show up.
And pay attention after the job is done. Does the company follow up? Do they offer any kind of maintenance? Can you reach someone if something goes wrong?
The cheapest quote almost always costs more in the end. You end up paying twice - once for the hack job, and again for someone to come fix it.
Ready to Get a Second Opinion?
If you've had crawl space work done and something doesn't feel right, reach out. If you're getting quotes and want to know what to look for, I'm happy to talk through it with you.
We offer free inspections for homeowners in the Nashville area and surrounding counties. I do all the inspections myself. No salespeople, no pressure, no gimmicks.
Just an honest look at what's going on under your house.
You can call or text me directly. I'll tell you what I see, answer your questions, and let you decide what makes sense for your situation.
That's how we do things at Crawl Logic.
