Dehumidifier Installation
in Burquitlam, BC

Burquitlam sits at the boundary of Burnaby and Coquitlam, in the Como Lake area — one of the Lower Mainland's older suburban communities, with housing stock dating from the 1950s and 1960s. The neighbourhood has been experiencing rapid densification around the Burquitlam SkyTrain station, with high-rise development replacing some of the older single-family housing. What remains of the original residential stock has crawlspace foundations that are 50 to 70 years old and have had limited or no professional attention in many cases.

Humidity management is the operational heart of any crawlspace encapsulation system. Sealing the crawlspace envelope stops the major sources of moisture entry, but the residual humidity in the sealed space — from the soil itself, from diffusion through concrete stem walls, and from any minor air leakage — needs somewhere to go. In most Lower Mainland crawlspaces, a properly sized commercial dehumidifier running continuously is the right answer. The target is to maintain relative humidity at or below 50 to 55 percent year-round, which is the threshold at which mold growth and wood-boring insect activity become effectively impossible.

Proper sizing is critical. An undersized dehumidifier will run continuously without reaching the setpoint humidity level, eventually burning out its compressor. An oversized unit is not a problem in terms of dehumidification, but it costs more upfront and uses more energy than necessary. We calculate required capacity based on crawlspace square footage, current moisture load (as measured during inspection), the vapor barrier coverage and sealing quality, and the seasonal humidity patterns typical for the specific location.