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(Please read the Inspection Report and review photos below)
Crawl Space Encapsulation: Our original mission was to inspect the guest rooms and conduct a mold assessment to find out why there was such an unpleasant odor inside the guest rooms. From a prior Mold Inspection and moisture study conducted on the rooms. We were able to determine that there was an elevated mold spore present and elevated moisture in the guest room walls.
During the inspection, we determined that the problem originated in the crawl space. In other words, the elevated room moisture readings came from the water accumulated in the crawl space. Water or moisture that gets into the rooms from the crawl space will travel up the walls. That conclusion can be reached because there was no damage due to a water source at the room level, and all the room damage was towards the bottom of the walls. So, at that point, we extended our inspection to the crawl space and will describe the conditions found:
The building inspected is a hotel in the Florida Keys built in the ’60s. Due to the rising water table, the crawl space located below the building is filling up with water. The floor of the crawl space is actually 5 ft below ground level.
The dimensions of the crawl space are approximately 65 feet wide by 180 feet long and divided into nine (9) chambers; each chamber is approximately 20 feet wide by 65 feet long and has a height clearance of 5 feet. The crawl space has approximately 12,000 sq. ft and 60,000 cubic ft. Each chamber has approximately 1,300 sq. ft and 6,500 cubic ft. These dimensions must be considered to determine the number of dehumidifiers to be used for each camber.
Water was found in all the chambers, varying in depth from 6 inches to 2 feet; the source of the water seems to be a combination of rainwater flowing into the crawl space, misdirected sprinklers, inappropriate ground slope and gradient, ground water coming up into the
crawl space, leaking water pipes located within the crawl space, and possibly HVAC units directly discharging into the crawl space.
The entire crawl space ceiling and all chambers are coated with condensation. The condensation on the crawl space ceiling will undoubtedly find its way into the guest rooms on the first floor and the rest of the building. If this problem is not corrected by installing sump pumps, it will persist regardless of what is done in the rooms.
Debris: The chambers are littered with debris, mainly from leftover or discarded construction material that was purposely left behind or was simply impossible to remove because of size and weight. Examples of debris left behind are foam blocks, trimmings from PVC, cast iron, brass, or steel pipes. An example of debris that was purposely left behind since it will not be practical to remove from a cost perspective is floor beams from a floor repair done in the past, along with concrete blocks left behind during the original construction or repair project.
Systems within the crawl space are poor; many steel pipes show rust, and some have broken and exposed wires. The original cast iron pipes have been replaced with PVC but left behind in place. The PVC has been coupled with either brass or steel, but they show signs of separating and leaking water into the crawl space due to a lack of support. A Licensed Plumber should inspect the crawl space and repair any leaking pipes to cure existing conditions.
Safety Concerns: Virtually all the pipes and cables in the crawl space have been inappropriately installed; the pipes and sensitive wires lie in the ground and, therefore, inside the water. These can be broken by stepping on or damaged by the water. Licensed professionals should correct existing installations to avoid future electrical or communication failures.
It is returning to the presence of water in the chambers without pinpointing the precise reason. It is happening. The guest rooms are undoubtedly affected because the accumulated water in the crawl space evaporates and finds its way into them. As stated earlier, regardless of the reason, there is water in the crawl space, and the only way to control it is by installing sufficient sump pump capacity to keep the chambers dry, along with the additional recommendations made within the quote.
A portion of the crawl space ceiling or the floor of the rooms is made of wooden construction. The wood in the crawl space ceiling has active mold and must be cleaned with soda blasting unless the decking is replaced.
Other factors that require consideration and must be considered include appropriate ground gradients and reducing the size of the openings on the south and north sides of the building to eliminate or reduce water infiltration. The groundwater level is not a consideration since it is outside our control; we are neither moving the building nor eliminating the groundwater. The solution to these problems is to install sufficient pump capacity to maintain the crawl space dry so water does not affect the guest rooms above and to encapsulate the crawl space by applying a moisture barrier, chemical, and plastic in the ceiling of the crawl space to prevent moisture intrusion from the crawl space into the rooms along with dehumidifiers in each room to reduce the moisture within the crawl space.
The solution to these problems is to install sufficient pump capacity to maintain the crawl space dry so it does not affect the guest rooms above and to encapsulate the crawl space by applying a moisture barrier, chemicals, and plastic to the ceiling to prevent moisture intrusion from the crawl space into the rooms. We have submitted a quote that addresses the correction of these issues. Based on the inspection performed, we will follow up with additional suggestions or modifications to the exact quote.
As of the date of this information, July 17, 2024, the crawl space has not been encapsulated. The work performed so far has been to inspect the crawl space area and provide the client with a quote with recommendations to cure the existing problem. Work performed was to clean the crawl space area and apply foam to visible open cavities in the ceiling; all debris, except large concrete beams and rocks, has been removed. The crawl space area has been left in a state where encapsulation work can start on the crawl space. EPA
