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A thorough encapsulation includes several working parts to be successful. One system we utilize is a dehumidifier with a condensate pump, installed within a drain pan. As a mechanical feature within the encapsulation, it should last a significant period of time. However, eventually these components will need to be replaced or repaired. When it does, you want a fail-safe system to alert you that something has malfunctioned. Sure our encapsulations look cozy and inviting, but you're probably not under your home very often. Unless your kids decide to use the white liner as a blank art canvas (check out the corresponding video). So, installing an alarm system will allow any repairs or maintenance to be undertaken within a reasonable time frame, instead of weeks or months after something has malfunctioned.
We rely on a super easy alarm system, Yolink, that hooks into your wi-fi system at home. You download an application onto your smartphone and it will send you a push notification when it senses water. We place that alarm into the drain pan, so if the pump burns out or something plugs up, water will collect in that pan and set the sensor off. This is such a simple tool to prevent major damage to your encapsulation and crawl space. You can also utilize these in your sump pump system, setting one in the basin that will send you an alert when it senses water. Alternatively, for the sump pump system you can get a float switch which will detect rising water levels and set an alarm to alert you to potential issues.
As a professional preference, we like the remote alert system as opposed to a traditional audible alarm because of its ease of use. The audible alarms certainly work well, but who wants to get up at 2 a.m. and get dressed to go into their crawl space and physically turn off the obnoxious alarm? The particular alarm system we use is Yolink, and can be easily purchased from Amazon. Keeping your crawl space clean and dry is our objective, and having an alarm system in place will help to ensure it stays in excellent condition. As always, contact your local crawl space professional with any questions. Thanks for reading!
