Dehumidifier Installation
in Fleetwood, BC

Fleetwood occupies the gentle rolling terrain between the Serpentine River valley to the south and the higher ground of Fraser Heights to the north. The soils in Fleetwood are predominantly clay-loam with moderate drainage — better than the river-adjacent areas of Newton, but still prone to holding water against foundation walls during the wet season. Homes built in Fleetwood through the 1970s and 1980s are the primary candidates for crawlspace remediation work in this neighbourhood.

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.