What crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation involves in Lowrys is the same as anywhere. What differs is the condition it is dealing with, and that is set by the ground the house sits on.
Bare soil under the house is evaporating moisture into the space every day.
Vapor barrier on piedmont and upstate ground
On clay the ground under a Lowrys house holds water long after rain, so the barrier is doing two jobs — stopping soil moisture coming up, and keeping the space off ground that stays wet for days at a time.
Around Lowrys the damage tends to accumulate in steps, a little with each storm, rather than arriving all at once. By the time it is noticed upstairs it has usually been building for a while.
Lowrys at a glance
| County | Chester County |
|---|---|
| ZIP | 29706 |
| Elevation | about 725 ft |
| Region | Piedmont and Upstate |
Named water nearby
- Chester Reservoir (reservoir)
- Cammeron Pond (reservoir)
- the Little Susybole Creek (stream)
- the Chapel Branch (stream)
Signs you need this
- Bare soil anywhere on the crawl space floor
- Existing sheeting that is torn, bunched or not sealed at seams
- Barrier that stops short of the walls and piers
- Crawl space relative humidity holding above 60 percent
What the work involves
The scope on a Chester County property:
- Clearing and preparation of the crawl space floor
- Reinforced polyethylene barrier across the full soil area
- Overlapped and sealed seams
- Barrier carried up and sealed to walls and piers
Why it is worth dealing with now
Waiting is the expensive option here. Moisture that has been under a Lowrys floor for a year has already changed what the repair involves.
The full method and the step-by-step for this work is on the Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation page, and how it behaves across the state is on the Vapor barrier in South Carolina page.
Vapor barrier in Lowrys: common questions
Will a barrier stop water that is already getting in?
No. A barrier manages soil moisture and vapor, not liquid water under pressure. If water is entering the space near Chester Reservoir, drainage comes first or the sheeting simply floats on it.
There is already plastic under my Lowrys house. Is that enough?
Often not. Most of what we find has been laid loose, has torn, or was never sealed at the seams and walls. Unsealed sheeting performs much closer to bare soil than to a finished barrier.
How do I know whether it is groundwater or a leak?
That is the first thing we establish on a Lowrys call, because everything after it depends on the answer. A supply line, a drain, water rising through the soil and runoff coming in through the vents each leave different evidence.
Do you cover all of Lowrys?
Yes — Lowrys and the surrounding part of Chester County, including the 29706 area. We also work in nearby Mc Connells, Chester and Sharon.
Is crawl space water damage covered by insurance?
It depends on the cause, not the address. A burst pipe in a Lowrys home is commonly covered; groundwater, long-term seepage and flooding usually are not, and flood damage generally needs separate cover. Photograph everything first.
I already have plastic down there. Is that enough?
Often not. Most of the sheeting we find has been laid loose, has torn, has pulled away from the walls or was never sealed at the seams. Unsealed, incomplete sheeting lets ground moisture track around and through it, and performs much closer to bare soil than to a finished barrier.
Vapor barrier near Lowrys
We cover Lowrys and the surrounding part of Chester County. The same service in nearby towns:
Other crawl space services in Lowrys
Crawl Space Water Removal in Lowrys
Standing water pumped and extracted from under the house, then the saturated material taken out.
Crawl Space Structural Drying in Lowrys
Joists, girders and subfloor dried back to a measured target with air movers and dehumidification.
Crawl Space Mold Remediation in Lowrys
Contained removal of mold-affected material, HEPA cleaning, and the moisture source shut off.
Crawl Space Drainage and Sump Pump Installation in Lowrys
Interior drainage to collect water, a sump and pump to lift it, and a discharge that takes it away.
Crawl Space Wood and Subfloor Repair in Lowrys
Rotted joists, girders, rim joists and subfloor sections repaired or replaced once the space is dry.
Or see everything we cover in our Lowrys service area, and how this service works across the state on the South Carolina page.
Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation in Lowrys
Call (888) 724-1354 and tell us your street and what the space looks like. We will tell you whether this is the right stage to start at.
Tell us what you are seeing under the house and we will tell you what it needs.