A three-man crew from the Cowleys Home Improvement team was sent to a home in Toms River, NJ. As often happens in homes situated in areas with high water tables, especially after periods of heavy rain or snowmelt, this home had a significant problem with groundwater seepage.

As this homeowner found out, an unfortunate byproduct of groundwater entering a crawl space is mold growth. The homeowner realized there was a mold problem down below because that tell-tale earthy, musty smell of mold had permeated the home’s living space. To resolve this problem, we removed the existing fiberglass insulation. This type of insulation in the crawl space absorbs water and is a source for mold growth. Over time, fiberglass insulation in crawl spaces tends to fall as it becomes weighted down and mice just love this material for nesting. These types of insulation are are not specifically designed for the moisture and humidity found in crawl spaces and often wind up causing problems. 

To treat the mold, we applied an antimicrobial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented sealant (MAPS 2) that not only kills the existing mold, but also has moisture-sensitivity. This sealant has the ability to reactivate and kill future mold growth in the treated areas. To effectively deal with future groundwater intrusions we installed two workhorse “smart pumps” that tie into a discharge line.