Photo Album: Musty smell leads to crawl space makeover in Forked River, NJ

A homeowner in Forked River, NJ, was tired of living with pungent, musty odors wafting up into the first floor of their home from the crawl space, and contacted Cowleys. Cowleys has a specialized division that deals exclusively with remedying vented crawl spaces that commonly have mold growth and other issues because of excess moisture and humidity. Homeowners often first become aware of hidden crawl space problems these with their noses — pungent odors from down below that, over time as they get worse, affect the livability and comfort of the home.

Crawl space before.

Crawl space odors are often mold-related. Mold releases what's known as "Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds" (MVOCs) as it eats, grows, and multiplies - and these chemical compounds stink! Mold can produce different odors, but it commonly has a musky "earthy" aroma as if something in the room is wet and moist. Mold odors may smell like damp, rotten wood or wet stinky workout socks. This nauseatingly unpleasant odor is a sign of poor indoor air quality and issues that may well trigger allergies and other respiratory issues for those in the home. It's a serious problem.

We needed to remove this old insulation.

We first removed the damp insulation that was not doing any insulating at all. At this point, it was a sponge retaining crawl space moisture.

Wall insulation

Next, we installed SilverGlo insulation on all of the exterior walls. SliverGlo is lightweight, rigid, and closed-cell insulation. Its closed-cell structure provides minimal water absorption and low vapor permanence, making it far more efficient than over-the-counter bat and foam insulations. SilverGlo, which is coated in a mold-resistant aluminum, effectively seals in heat and keeps out the cool winter air in the crawl space interior.

Smart Drain

As an added measure of protection, we installed a SmartDrain with a WaterWatch alarm system to detect any future plumbing leaks. For homeowners that do not have a sump pump, any water accumulating in the crawl space is directed to a SmartDrain that immediately alerts the homeowner of a possible water problem so it can be addressed before it becomes an emergency situation.

Covered up the exposed areas.

We then protective-wrapped the crawl space piers with 12-mil thick "pinkie" rolls, and installed a heavy-duty tear-resistant 20-mil CleanSpace vinyl liner. We also installed durable plastic Everlast vent door covers over the crawl space access. These doors completely seal the crawl space openings, but are still easy to open with a few twist knobs.

After the fabulous makeover

After completing the job, the homeowner informed us that the crawl space odors were gone. Even though odors were the primary incentive for this installation, this homeowner will benefit in many other ways. Encapsulating moves the homes thermal boundary from the crawl space ceiling to the bottom of the house. This makes the home more comfortable (no more freezing floors) and saves on heating/cooling costs. We commonly think of insulation as something you just need in the attic, but it's as important below-grade as well. As this homeowner will find out over the coming years, this home improvement will make a huge difference in the enjoyment of his home, and will prevent a host of common crawl space headaches. Let's face it. No one likes crawl spaces (except insects and wildlife). But if you have one, the best thing you can do is to make it as problem-free as possible.