Protecting Your Home From Water And Moisture Damage In The Crawl Space
Posted on: 2 May 2022
The crawl space under your home may not be something you spend too much time thinking about, but it is essential that you do not have water and moisture buildup under the house, or you could be left with mold, mildew, water damage, and rot that you could avoid with crawl space waterproofing and encapsulation. Managing water problems under your home is easily manageable, and some services can help.
Crawl Space Inspection
The first step in getting water and moisture issues under your home fixed is to have a full inspection of the crawl space by a qualified crawl space waterproofing service to determine where the problems are and how best to fix them. If you have air vents in the foundation to allow air to pass under the home, you may think you have done enough, but the reality is, those vents allow humidity in under the house and could be making the situation worse. You may also have water seeping in under the home from around the house and puddling or creating wet conditions in the crawl space that can promote mold and rot. The solution is not always the same for every house, but crawl space waterproofing often involves sealing the space and removing humidity mechanically. The crawl space inspection will help determine what those needs are for your home, and the inspector will make some recommendations once they have a complete picture of the issues you have under your home.
Removing Water
If you have water seeping in under your home, the crawl space waterproofing service may recommend putting a sump pump in to collect and remove the water from under the house. Once the sump pump is in place, the contractor can encapsulate the crawl space with a vapor barrier to reduce moisture penetration under the home. Drain tiles can also be installed in the soil before encapsulation to encourage drainage and help reduce the load on the sump pump system. When everything is set up and working well together, the water and moisture reduction can be significant.
Sealing The Crawl Space
Removing the existing vents in the foundation or sealing them with airtight covers is often the final step in sealing the crawl space to help keep humidity out. A high-performance dehumidifier can also be installed in the space to keep the area dry and reduce the potential for mold or mildew to grow in the space.
Once the job is complete, you should no longer have moisture to contend with under the house. While this service does come at a cost, it is often less expensive than replacing rotted timbers under the house or paying for mold remediation services to come and clean up mold and mildew that is gone unchecked in a moist, dark environment. For more information on crawl space waterproofing, contact a local contractor.
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