Basements

Before the new Trotter System, all sub-floor basement systems flooded the soil under the basement floor with rain water even ours.  These “drain field” drains are perforated to allow water to flow in.  It’s simply how they work: water pours out of the weep holes in the wall and soaks the soil under the floor.  It then builds up and flows into the perforated drain.  The problem is this water soaking into the soil–weakens the soil.  If your home is built on questionable soil or fill dirt, it is likely settlement issues will develop.  The other problem is when the trenches are dug to install the drains beside foundation, the termite chemicals are removed with the soil and will likely result in the loss of your termite protection.  The Trotter system does not disturb the termite barrier. 

Some Companies intentionally leave their system open at the wall to catch seepage trickling down the wall and they usually do nothing to prevent evaporation and seepage from the masonry basement walls.  The unfortunate side effect is constant moisture evaporation from under the floor back into the basement.  If you finish a basement with this system in place, you will almost certainly have extremely high humidity levels behind the finished walls, which will likely lead to mold.  Only the Trotter System warrants no water or dampness from our basement system – a full 8 feet high on masonry walls!

Crawl Spaces

The debate in the building science engineering community over vented or closed crawl spaces has gone on for more than twenty years.  The widely accepted, definitive study by Bruce Davis with Advanced Energy (advancedenergy.org), was started early 2001 with the final report published June 22, 2005.  This field study was financed by the U.S. Department of Energy and clearly shows that homes in the southeastern United States will benefit in several important areas.  This can be achieved by controlling rain water intrusion, closing foundation vents, sealing the earth (or concrete) crawl  space floors, insulating exterior foundation walls, dehumidifying  the closed crawl space area and providing make up air, if needed.