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A Healthy Basement CrawlSpace Certificate provides homeowners with the reassurance that their basement and or crawl space meets the necessary requirements that promotes a healthy indoor living environment. Air pollutants, excessive moisture, and water entering the basement or crawl space can produce dangerous living conditions, which may lead to serious health risks. A Healthy Basement CrawlSpace Certificate is verification that your basement and or crawl space has met all of the qualifications for each level of the HBC process.
After 35 years in business, we have seen all the heartaches of homeowners suffering from wet, damp, and flooded basements and crawl spaces. Throughout the years there has been no "true standard" for creating a healthy basement or crawl space environment.
Grate Products LLC, a manufacturer and distributor of quality basement crawl space products, has established a standard designed to protect homeowners from the dangerous conditions that can exist in their basement and or crawl space. Our Healthy Basement and CrawlSapce Contractors, are leading the effort in providing their customers with specifications for what is needed to achieve a healthy basement and or crawl space and ultimately a healthy home.
When contractors perform work in your home, they should always adhere to a level of quality, which delivers expected results. In the basement and crawl space industry, there has not been a standard. When it gets busy and there is a demand for basement and or crawl space services, many companies claim to be experts without having the necessary experience, materials and proper training to provide homeowners with reliable and dependable solutions. How do homeowners know they will get their job (home improvements) done right? The "Healthy Basement CrawlSpace Certificate" is that standard for achieving a level of protection that all homeowners deserve.
Avoiding the dreaded cleanup (shop vac) and reducing the damage a wet basement/crawl space can cause are all good reasons why a person would want it fixed before the next rain storm, but we now know that there is more to it than that. We've learned that people want to take of their basement or crawl sapce, because they know the health upstairs in their home will be much better, with a healthy environment below. Moisture, dampness, and leaks can create an unhealthy environment and through a natural occurrence of stack -effect, air is constantly rising from the basement into the upper levels of the home. This "bad air" can introduce a wide range of toxins and soil gases into the home's living space. Studies have shown that people who occupy damp buildings are at an increased risk of health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines on indoor air quality reporting that occupants of damp or moldy buildings, have up to a 75% greater risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma. Studies have also established an association between indoor dampness with respiratory infections and disturbing the immune system. Homeowners should take care of their basements & crawl spaces not to just get rid of the nuisance, but more importantly to make their home healthy for themselves and their family. What's downstairs, is upstairs!
Our Nationally Backed Warranty is designed to protect the homeowner. With a Healthy Basement Crawl Space Certificate, your authorized Healthy Basement Contractor and Healthy Crawl Space Contractor is covered by a National Backed Warranty from Grate Products LLC. We stand behind the HBC & HCC Contractor in safeguarding any warranty issues so that the products and services provided will continue to promote a healthy basement environment. Qualifying installations, once registered with Grate Products will be backed by our National Limited Transferable Warranty. Contact us for more information or to locate a Grate Products Certified Contractor in your area. Visit the Grate Products National Locator - http://grateproducts.com/certified-companies/
A basement is really a hole in the ground and at some point it will leak. It like digging a hole at the beach and watching water seep in from below.
A basement is not protected by building codes. Structural problems would exist if building codes protected basements due to the pressure of the water on the outside trying to come in.
Any organic material such as cardboard, paper, and wood is a food source for mold and should not be stored in a basement that is not moisture controlled.
Thinking a sump pump, battery back up pump, dehumidifier does not need maintaining.
Over estimating the capability of a box store purchased dehumidifier. Most box store dehumidifiers (35 pint) will protect your entire basement. They are designed for a limited area.
A lifetime warranty lasts as long as the company is in business.
The air in the basement is constantly rising into the upper levels of the home through a natural occurrence called stack-effect.
If your basement is not repaired properly, it can worsen the overall health of your home by allowing soil gases and toxins to enter the indoor living environment.
Be careful not to pump-out water too fast out of your basement. Pumping water out too fast could cause a disproportional amount of pressure from either side of the basement wall increasing the risk of caving in wall. Pump water out over time (slow) so that pressure is equalized and structural integrity of the basement wall is maintained.
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References:
http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/home/resources/mold-and-dampness.html
