Standing water in the crawlspace
There was water pretty much all over the crawlspace. This will cause all kinds of problems. Stagnant water makes a great place for mosquitoes to breed and makes the humidity skyrocket. The environment is a lot like a swamp, and it is under your house.
Hanging insulation in the crawlspace
When water is left alone in the crawlspace it evaporates and gets into the air. The humidity will go way up. That leads to bad smells and the insulation gets heavy and falls down. Step one of fixing a crawlspace is always deal with the standing water problems.
Scummy water can break down cheap plastic
The acids in the soils can destroy the cheap 6-mil plastic liner that most homes have. Standing water actually speeds this process up. This picture is just a little peek into just how disgusting things can get.
Digging a trench to install the perimeter drainage system
Installing the drainage pipe up next to the crawlspace walls is the best thing to do when trying to drain the water. It will catch any wall leakage and also relieve the water pressure from underneath the footer.
Installing outside discharge
DryZone takes special care to keep your yard and home clean. The discharge in this house was around 10 feet long. All of the dirt that was removed to make room for the pipe is placed on tarps to avoid messing up the yard.
IceGuard installed to ensure drainage
The slotted piece of pipe is a specially made fitting that keeps the discharge pipe from freezing. During normal operation the crawlspace sump pump will discharge water without spraying on the ground. When the cold weather comes and the pipe freezes up, those slots allow a temporary release for the sump pump. This small innovation has prevented countless sump pump failures and crawlspace floods.
Covering the pipe system with a bed of stone
The stone restores the floor of the crawlspace to relatively level. It provides the pipes with a good layer of filtration which helps to keep it free of clogs. The less dirt that touches the pipe, the less likely it is to fill up with mud.
Hydrolink clean out ports
One of the things that makes DryZone Hydrolink pipe unique is the ability to clean it out. Most systems are made of ridged pipe. Those ridges will actually collect small particles or dirt in the water. Over time the small particles build up and the pipe clogs. Hydrolink is unique because we have thought to add a way to flush out the pipe. There are no ridges to collect dirt, but it could still clog so these little additions are quite handy.
New sump pump
The sump pumps used by DryZone are top of the line. We use several strategies to make sure that the homeowner gets a quality product. This pump has a sealed lid, just like all of our pumps. This keeps the water from adding to the humidity issue and also keeps stones and other debris from clogging up the pump.
Remote alarm system for sump pump
The alarm on the lid of the crawlspace sump pump is designed to alert the homeowner of any water issues. Typically these alarms go off when there is a plumbing leak, so that it can be fixed right away. In many crawlspaces the alarm can be silenced remotely, which is why the alarm panel is close to the crawlspace door. No need to listen to a constant beeping while waiting on a plumber.