Do I Need An Interior Drain If I Have a Vapor Barrier?

There are many different types of waterproofing solutions you can choose for your crawl space. All of them are designed to keep your crawl space dry and humidity-free, so some of them seem to have the same function. However, even if some waterproofing solutions seem unnecessary, they are each a crucial part of the waterproofing system.  

• What a Vapor Barrier Can’t Do 

A vapor barrier is something every crawl space needs, but many believe it’s the only way to keep a crawl space structurally sound. Just because the vapor barrier can prevent water from flowing into space doesn’t mean that the water that could go in won’t do any damage. Remember, the groundwater that surrounds the crawl space can turn into ice and expand during the winter. 

A vapor barrier is not capable of draining away the water that surrounds your foundation. It can keep water vapor from permeating through the walls, but it cannot redirect the moisture that flows down the walls of your crawl space. When that moisture seeps through the concrete and flows behind the vapor barrier, it has nowhere to go; so, it accumulates near the wall-floor joints of the foundation.  

• Why You Need CrawlDrain™ 

You cannot have a vapor barrier without first installing an interior drain system like CrawlDrain™. An interior drainage system is what will collect the water from the soil so that the crawl space doesn’t get damaged from frost heave. Without the drain, crawl space deterioration is unavoidable. 

With CrawlDrain™, the moisture that seeps through your walls can automatically be collected instead of accumulating behind the vapor barrier. The interior crawl space drain can be connected to the sump pump for easy, reliable drainage. CrawlDrain™ is inexpensive and can easily be installed in your crawl space by calling DryPro, so it’s a worthwhile investment to make if you want to avoid costly foundation repairs.