Water, in large quantities, can be devastating. From Noah’s Ark in biblical times, to the Johnstown (Pa.) Flood in 1889, to the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, water can be as much of a troublesome element as fire.

But in smaller quantities, water can be good. You glug down a couple of glasses of it every day to stay healthy. You wash your car with a bucket full of it, or a load of clothes with a bit more.

In even smaller quantities-when it is condensed and diffused, and generally called moisture, it can cause as much heartache as a flood or other act of nature, especially in the construction industry.

Moisture can be a villain that everyone faces at some point or other.

In a country such as the United States, with many different climates and weather-zones, combating moisture intrusion and subsequent damage calls for different products and tactics depending on where in the country the war is being waged.

Part of this article surveys many of AWCI’s contractors to establish widespread use of tactics and products in various areas, but first, let’s review some basics.

Three Water Flavors
Moisture, which is to say water, comes in three different flavors: solid (ice), liquid (water) and gas (vapor).

Most contractors have a decent handle on the solid variety, and-especially in the South-have little or no trouble keeping it out of buildings. Many also have a fairly good handle on the liquid form. If anything is causing headaches nowadays, it is vapor.

Maria Spinu, Ph.D., of DuPont Building Innovation, has made a brilliant profession of studying and combating vapors especially, and has this to share about it-and the dew point temperature-in an announcement for one of her 2005 lectures:

“Water exists on earth in three physical states that can undergo reversible phase transformations. Dew point temperature is the onset of the vapor-to-liquid conversion known as condensation.

“Moisture problems in buildings are the result of liquid water accumulation within the building enclosure. The sources of liquid water within a building enclosure include liquid water intrusion or condensation of excess water vapor transported by air currents or through diffusion.

“Dew point temperature is the temperature at which the concentration of water vapor reaches its saturation and will condense on cold surfaces to form droplets of water. We often see condensation on windows or further cool building surfaces. This so-called surface condensation is not much of a problem. However, when condensation occurs within a building assembly (interstitial condensation) it can lead to moisture problems, which range from building durability and performance, to indoor environmental quality (IEQ).”

Envelope Breach
The purpose of a building’s envelope is to keep the internal environment separate-and protected-from external conditions. This includes keeping the cold (or the heat) out and the heat (or the cold) in. Another purpose of the envelope is to keep moisture out.

According to the McGraw-Hill Construction’s Continuing Education Center’s course on air barriers (January 2006), “Moisture, when it does enter the building, moves through the envelope as liquid water or as water vapors. The difference between the two physical states of water is the size of the molecular aggregates: fluid water exists as large molecular aggregates (up to 100 molecules at room temperature), while water vapors exist as free molecules. Consequently, the transport mechanisms are different for liquid water and water vapors.”

Liquid Water. The main source of liquid water for above-grade walls is rain, which can find its way behind the exterior cladding and so be driven into the building enclosure by four main forces:

• Gravity, which can draw water up through openings and cracks, and into the construction assembly.

• Capillary forces, which act like a sponge sucking water through small cracks and pores. Smaller cracks result in greater capillary forces.

• Rain droplets can pass through openings in the exterior cladding, driven by the energy of the falling rain.

• The pressure differential can push or suck water through openings and cracks, into the construction assembly.

Water Vapor. When moisture enters the building as water vapor, it penetrates the envelope either by air currents or by vapor diffusion.

For vapor diffusion to occur there has to be both a driving force and a conduit. In this case, the driving force is the difference in water vapor concentration (or difference in vapor pressure) across an assembly: Water vapors flow from an area of higher concentration (higher vapor pressure) to an area of lower concentration (lower vapor pressure).

However, looking at the practical side of things, experts estimate that the amount of moisture vapor shifted by air currents can be 100 to 200 times higher than the amount shifted by diffusion, and can account for more than 98 percent of all water vapor movement through the structure envelope.

The air current rule of thumb: Vapor flows from warm (high pressure) to cold (low pressure).

The Vapor Barrier
Keeping the moisture out (and away from insulation, where it can do major damage) is the purpose of the vapor barrier. The main design decision is where, exactly, to place it, especially since vapor, reaching a vapor barrier and with nowhere else to go, will eventually accumulate, reach a dew point and turn into fluid water.

Heating or Cooling Climate. In a heating climate-where a building is heated more days of the year than cooled-the vapor (by the warm-to-cold principle) will prevalently travel toward the exterior. In the cooling climate the opposite it true: Vapor will predominantly travel from exterior the envelope toward the inside of the building.

Since barrier membranes are usually placed adjacent to wall insulation, the issue of where, exactly, you place it is determined by the prevalent vapor direction. If you happen to place it incorrectly-i.e., at the far side of insulation-as the vapor travels, condensation is likely to occur inside the insulation and degrade it considerably over time. Fiberglass can lose as much as 70 percent of its insulating properties when wet.

It is therefore crucial to place the barrier at the near side of insulation-as the vapor travels-so that vapor hits the barrier before entering insulation.

In a heating climate, that means placing the barrier between the inside of the building and the insulation; in a cooling climate, between the outside of the building and the insulation.

Who Determines Placement?

When it comes to determining not only the risk for moisture intrusion, but the products-and their precise placement-to guard against it, the designer calls the shots.

As Bill McPherson of Central Ceilings in Massachusetts succinctly put it: “We don’t devise, or recommend, solutions. We implement them.”

This sentiment is echoed throughout the country, where it is always up to the designer or the architect to detect and solve potential dampness issues.

But there is one interesting caveat: According to Pat Arrington of Commercial Enterprises in New Mexico, the builder license in his state lays the ultimate responsibility for any building problems at the contractor’s feet, whether he followed incorrect design advice or not. So, New Mexico contractors, beware.

Gregg Conrad, president of CSW, Inc. in North Carolina, adds to that that if he notices something wrong as far as combating moisture goes, he would “raise a flag. Even though the designer specifies the system, and we’re only responsible for applying it properly, if there’s an inconsistency in the design we have to make them aware of it.”

An Engineering View
Jim Stump is a Portland, Maine-based engineer with Criterium Engineers, a company of consulting engineers with more than 70 offices in North America. His view on moisture problems/solutions is well worth sharing: “Of course, moisture intrusion is always through the building envelope. How that occurs here in Portland, Maine, nonetheless, is different from how it occurs in North Carolina, and certainly dissimilar from, say, Phoenix, Ariz.

“The vapor barrier needs to be on the warm side of the insulation. That is the basic criteria. So, in the South, where the warm side of the insulation is usually the outside, and you are attempting to cool the indoors, the vapor barrier would be toward the outside of the building.

“In northern climates like here, it’s the converse. The warm side of the building in the wintertime is the inside; the cool side is on the outside, so the vapor barrier should be toward the inside.

“The difficulty with design comes in climates that are in-between, states approximating New Mexico or the mid-Atlantic states like Virginia or North Carolina, which you get both.

“The vapor moves from hot to cold, and when it reaches the dew point it will condense, and if that happens to be in the insulation, then you have a problem.

“A critical issue when evaluating a construction for moisture solutions is to view the building as an organic whole, and take all aspects into consideration.

“The climate is just one issue. You also have to evaluate airflow, plan, specific location-a building on top of a hill will behave quite differently from one down in a valley-the type of heating deployed, the type of cooling used. How much sun does it get? Is it a solar building? All of these things relate to the organic whole that you need to consider.”

Fiberglass Insulation. As mentioned earlier, fiberglass degrades greatly when wet. Why precisely is that?

“Fiberglass insulation,” explains Stump, “relies on air pockets, and when it gets wet it loses those air pockets and, therefore, loses its insulation value.”

As much as 70 or 80 percent?

“It’s certainly possible. And I, unfortunately, see that phenomenon quite often.”

Wood Framing. Stump has this to offer: “Some designers suggest that when it comes to wood-framed walls, you should put a vapor barrier on both the inside and the outside to try to seal the wall.

“My experience is that, even as this may look good on paper, in practice-because no barrier is ever 100 percent effective-you’re going to wind up trapping moisture inside that wall.

“You have to consider that the wood frame has quite a bit of moisture in it already, even if it is a kiln-dried piece of lumber. Over time, it will lose some of that moisture, and this has to go someplace. If sealed in, it will eventually reach dew point and condense inside the wall.”

Taking the Country’s Moisture Fighting Pulse
What products are used where? Keeping in mind that the contractor as a rule does not choose, nor recommend, the moisture fighting weapons he deploys, the question becomes as an alternative: Which products does he normally install (as specified by the architect)?

The brand names you would expect to hear are the names that popped out of the mouths of contractors from all over the country; it is their preferences in product type that vary.

Gabriel Castillo of Pillar Construction in Virginia likes liquid-applied membranes, which become part of the substrate. “When the liquid spread on membrane dries, it hardens to a rubber-like, waterproof membrane, so you know that it will cover and seal well. There are no pores, no holes, no way for moisture to penetrate. … You just roll it on. It’s as if you were to apply a very thick paint.”

Stephen Angell, president of Cape Cod Plastering in Rhode Island, uses “a self-healing, peel-and-stick product, for exterior cladding.”

Robert Aird of Robert A. Aird, Inc. in Maryland does of lot of exterior insulation and finish systems and sees the gamut when it comes to product names, but he cautions about maintaining the integrity of the entire system: “Some [barriers] can be used with other products, but normally they are only tested and approved to work with their own EIF system.

He goes on to say, “In the last 10 years or so, though most actively over the last three or four years, we tape all sheeting joints, we spot the screw heads, we seal all penetrations and connections to other materials, and then apply a liquid-applied barrier over the whole face of the building to create an air- and water-barrier-or a WRB, a weather resistant barrier.”

But in Florida, Eric Boulanger of Boulanger Drywall Corporation does not usually see liquid applied membranes being applied.

Gerald Roach of Forks Lath & Plaster in North Dakota mostly sees the big brand names, but adds that “it’s also getting more common to do a sprayed-on or trowelled-on moisture barrier over the sheeting, in particular on bigger jobs like the Wal-Marts and motels.”

Glenn Sieber of Easley & Rivers, Inc. in Pennsylvania says, “What we now see more and more of is studs, sheeting, then a spray-on or a trowel-on or a place-and-press membrane for waterproofing-after that a rigid insulation.”

Richard Riley of Simpson Commercial Contracting, Inc. in Alabama: “On the exterior perimeter substrate we like to use a roller applied barrier, because they’re seamless. On the exterior wall-if we’re worried about moisture-we normally use an elastomeric finish.” Riley adds that all the major brands work.

The moral of this story is that if you can smell it, you missed a turn way back there, and you’re now facing damage control, literally … which usually means several pounds of cure.

The ounce of prevention is to understand how moisture travels, and how to channel its movement.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based Ulf Wolf writes for the construction trade as Words & Images.

Basement waterproofing is not a do it yourself job. For a correct assessment, it is most reliable to obtaining the opinion if a trained, experienced Basement Waterproofing expert.

If you you are building new or dealing with water trouble the same rules apply. Further than 90% of basements drip water from the walls and the joint anywhere the floor and wall meet. Basements seldom leak water up through the floor, although this can happen in some cases, generally from blocked drain tiles around the exterior perimeter around the building. This can as well happen if there are artesian wells beneath the floor.

If the subsurface or subterranean water level is nearby to the bottom of the basement floor slab, water rises through the slab by capillary action, and you will suffer with a wet basement. If the subsurface or ground water level is higher than the basement floor, water leaks inside up through the walls and floor, causing standing water in any basement plus, at times, humidity in the rooms overhead.

As concrete cures, it inevitably develops capillaries. Let the concrete to harden for at minimum 28 days and after that spreading a sealant to the concrete. Protect the cement against water leakage; this will also toughen the concrete. Void cinder blocks and concrete blocks have a empty core; some have observable holes other than microscopic pores.

The most effectual basement waterproofing technique is to use a sealant on both sides of the concrete block. Be certain the concrete has dried for at least 28 days, making sure to allow 14 days for the mortar in concrete block walls as well. After spreading the sealant, let the concrete cure out for at least 3 days before doing any extra external waterproofing or backfill.

One basement waterproofing is by means of black tar on top of the outside. Using this method of waterproofing for a basement is rather questionable. The difficulty is that it does not hold up very long. It might help to improve your problem for a while, most likely it will only hold up for a few years.

A better choice for basement waterproofing, is rubberized membranes. These exceptional membranes when apply to your walls and your floor are initially a liquid that hardens quickly into a special membrane. They are uncomplicated to do yourself.

Another basement waterproofing method includes using waterproofing paint. Waterproofing paint is the least expensive option. However, it is not one of the best choices. Some people have had good success with this technique, well others felt it did not last very prolonged at all.

Costly yet effective basement waterproofing is to due the exterior foundation drains. This option is good if you turn out to have your home in an area where it rains a good deal. Most individuals have found that it is extremely effective.

Every one of these methods have pros and cons, though, it is important that you know your options for basement waterproofing. In most cases going cheaper may be useful for your difficulty; however, a bigger problem might be lurking and water could start dripping into your basement. This might call for some drastic waterproofing actions.

Water troubles can come about at any time, you may in no way have dealt with water problems previously. Then spring comes and all of a sudden, you have a problem. First check that you own a functional sump pump and after you have determined that your sump pump is operational and you still have a soaked basement, Call a to have your basement assessed for waterproofing Expert and that would be Bob M.
Call Bob At 586 703 0112

This can be caused by a slow to react sump pump if you have one.
Maybe yours needs to be changed. On the other hand if yours
is pumping water out before it gets half way up there is a good
chance that your drain tiles around the outside of the basement
have filled up with silt and sand and can no longer handle all
the water trying to get in.

We can fix both things but it is your duty to call right away
and get the ball rolling. The longer you wait the more mold
builds up. Mold starts within 24 hours of the carppet getting wet.
The padding is the first place. Then the carpet itself. After a
couple weeks the house could smell so bad that you would have
to get out for your own good.

This advice is from my waterproofing page but it applies to the crawl space moisture as well.

Give me a call at 586 703 0112

Any Crawl Space that is lower than the surrounding outside grade is a potential problem. A crawl space that is deeper, to about 48 to 60 inches is generally called a Michigan Basement. By nature ground water rises evenly so your crawl space can flood to the outside level. Our installers are certified and trained by Basement Technologies Headquarters in Boston. Our technicians will provide a complete crawl space waterproofing. We are also experts in wet and flooded basements.

Due to the overwhelming problems associated with crawlspaces, crawl space air rises up into your living space. Crawl Space Encapsulation with Super White Vapor Barrier is used to keep ground moisture from evaporating. Service people can crawl on it without worry of putting holes or tears in the liner. As a result of the lowered humidity levels, the system helps to prevent future crawl space mold growth and wood deterioration. It has been determined that up to 50% of the air we breath in the main floor of a home is produced from the crawl space. Over the last few years, we’ve treated a lot of mold problems in conventional crawl spaces.

The heart of any basement-waterproofing project is the drainage system to remove the water below the floor and is responsible for controlling water in Basement Waterproofing and crawl spaces. We have been solving homeowners wet basement, wet crawlspace and leaky foundations problems with our patented waterproofing and foundation repair systems for years.

We fix wet basements and concrete and dirt crawl space problems, moisture ventilation and crawl space liner systems and repair wall cracks

In the rainy season, sump pumps are required to keep the water out of crawl spaces. Wet crawl spaces can cause mold to grow and insects to flourish. The food they need to live on is the very same stuff you use to walk on. Water makes the difference. With no water the problem is solved because the mold and insects will have to move on.

An unconditioned or unwaterproofed crawl space creates an unhealthy environment. Crawl spaces do not have to be wet or flooded to be extremely unhealthy. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters produce unhealthy air quality. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters create a very unhealthy environment for people. Since air rises up, the mold and odor from crawl space come up to the living area causing an unhealthy environment throughout the house.

Oakbridge Construction is the basement waterproofing and crawl space contractor in Michigan. we offer permanent solutions for wet basements and dirt crawl spaces we also do the insurance and restoration repairs to get you going again.