Common Causes of Crawl Space Issues

As every homeowner knows, a house has daily operating costs: heating, cooling, plumbing, and more. These systems create the structure’s interior atmosphere, and their efficient use can save homeowners a great deal of money. However, many folks overlook a great influence on their functioning: their crawl space. If your home’s crawl space has an issue with moisture, outside air, or mold, invest in professional crawl space repair. Doing so can help create a more comfortable interior atmosphere and reduce expensive utility bills.

For all your crawl space, waterproofing, and foundation needs, reach out to NV Waterproofing & Foundation Repair. We have provided our services for 35 years, building a reputation for reliable service, honesty, and high-quality work. Our dedication to excellence has led to an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as well as several Angie's List Super Service Awards. Reach out to us today for more information on our products and services.

Below, we discuss common crawl space issues, their causes, and our solutions for them:

Natural Conditions

In the waterproofing industry, Mother Nature makes the rules. Industry professionals can react to and accommodate those rules, but we cannot change them. For instance: most crawl spaces have dirt floors, which allow natural elements to affect home interiors and cause problems.

One of soil’s common properties is its ability to absorb and hold moisture as groundwater. This water can seep and leak into your crawl space from under your home’s footing or through cracks in crawl space walls. Once it enters, that water puddles and slowly evaporates, causing more problems (more on those below).

Thus, our first step to fixing many crawl space issues is to prevent groundwater from collecting in your crawl space. We do so with crawl space drainage and sump pump systems, which pump out any water that puddles beneath your home. They also pump out water from flash floods or plumbing system breaks.

Moisture & Outside Air

As we mentioned above, the water that penetrates your crawl space puddles then slowly evaporates. The resulting water vapor can rot floor joists, soak insulation, and create an ideal environment for mold and critters. Ironically, puddled water does not harm a crawl space - water vapor does.

The traditional solution to this dilemma was air vents. The thinking then (which many still believe now) was that stuffy spaces need “airing out” to dry. However, air vents worsen moisture problems: they let hot, wet air–as well as precipitation–in, raising the space’s relative humidity and moisture content. More moisture creates more indoor problems: dust mites, musty smells, warping doors and floors, and increased utility bills.

Furthermore, during the winter months, the air vents let cold air into your crawl space, which then cools your home’s interior. While cold, dry air may reduce the space’s relative humidity, that benefit is lost to the increased cost of heating your home.

So, once our team has dealt with groundwater problems, it can wrangle the issues that stem from an exposed dirt floor. The crawl space moisture protection process entails:

• Installing airtight EverLast™ Crawl Space Doors and vent covers.

• Setting up a crawl space support system for structural integrity.

• Adding a CleanSpace® Crawl Space Vapor Barrier system, which prevents moisture from passing through but allows it to reach the drainage systems. We may also add drainage matting.
  
  

Humidity

After sealing it against the outside air and installing a sump pump to keep out groundwater, your crawl space should be in much better shape. Still, we recommend one final step: keeping your crawl space’s air dry. 

Suppressing humidity protects the space from mold, mildew, and the critters that like such environments. Sure, groundwater can’t seep in any longer, but hot days can cause condensation to form. We can fight it with two steps:

• Installing a SaniDry™ Sedona Dehumidifier, an energy-efficient and high-performance model designed specifically for basements and crawl spaces.

• Adding TerraBlock™ crawl space insulation to walls and floors. It’s pliable and durable, while designed to work in conjunction with vapor barriers.
  
  

Professional Crawl Space Repair and Waterproofing Available Now!

By approaching your crawl space repairs and maintenance with serious intent, you can check its negative effects on your home’s interior atmosphere. To ensure you get high-quality products and services, turn to NV Waterproofing & Foundation repair. For 35 years, we’ve provided basement waterproofing, crawl space repair, and foundation upkeep to our customers. In doing so, we’ve built a reputation for reliable service and honest work. Contact us today at 1-703-690-3889 or fill out our online form for a free project estimate.