Taken on its own, crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation treats one part of the problem. Taken in order, it is the part that makes the rest hold. That is how we schedule it on New Zion jobs.
Bare soil under the house is evaporating moisture into the space every day.
Vapor barrier on lowcountry and coastal plain ground
A barrier earns its keep faster around New Zion than almost anywhere. With the water table close to the surface the soil underneath is damp more or less permanently, so an uncovered crawl space floor is evaporating into the space every day of the year.
Low ground and a long wet season change what this work has to withstand around New Zion. Homes near Cypress Lake in particular tend to need the drainage question answered as well, or the space simply returns to how it was.
New Zion at a glance
| County | Clarendon County |
|---|---|
| ZIP | 29111 |
| Elevation | about 102 ft |
| Region | Lowcountry and coastal plain |
Named water nearby
- Cypress Lake (reservoir)
- Rainbow Lake (reservoir)
- the Black River Swamp (swamp)
- Boozer Upper Pond (reservoir)
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
Included as standard on New Zion jobs:
- 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
A crawl space problem in New Zion is not self-limiting. The conditions that created it are still there, and they are still working.
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 New Zion: 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 Cypress Lake, drainage comes first or the sheeting simply floats on it.
There is already plastic under my New Zion 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.
Do you work outside New Zion itself?
Yes. We cover Clarendon County broadly, including Sardinia, Turbeville and Gable, and the rest of the Lowcountry and coastal plain of South Carolina.
Does being close to the coast make this worse?
It raises the water table and lengthens the wet season, which is why homes near Cypress Lake and the low ground around New Zion tend to need drainage as well as a barrier.
My house is near Cypress Lake. Does that change anything?
It can. Being close to Cypress Lake usually means a higher water table and a longer wet season under the floor, so drainage and a properly sealed barrier matter more here than they would further from it.
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 New Zion
We cover New Zion and the surrounding part of Clarendon County. The same service in nearby towns:
Other crawl space services in New Zion
Crawl Space Water Removal in New Zion
Standing water pumped and extracted from under the house, then the saturated material taken out.
Crawl Space Structural Drying in New Zion
Joists, girders and subfloor dried back to a measured target with air movers and dehumidification.
Crawl Space Mold Remediation in New Zion
Contained removal of mold-affected material, HEPA cleaning, and the moisture source shut off.
Crawl Space Drainage and Sump Pump Installation in New Zion
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 New Zion
Rotted joists, girders, rim joists and subfloor sections repaired or replaced once the space is dry.
Or see everything we cover in our New Zion service area, and how this service works across the state on the South Carolina page.
Crawl Space Vapor Barrier Installation in New Zion
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.