There’s Standing Water in My Crawl Space, should I be Worried?Having a crawl space in your home can have its advantages. However, if the crawl space is not properly ventilated, installed correctly, or if you don’t have a solid drainage system, there can be some potential problems. Standing water in the crawl space is absolutely something to worry about because it can lead to mold and mildew growth. The potential risk of health hazards increases tremendously if you have a moldy crawl space. It can also cause structural damage, wood rot, and the likelihood of more mold spreading throughout the foundation of your home. It would be wise to find a crawl space repair specialist in Columbia, SC. The key is to stay ahead of these issues and if they ever occur, you’ll need to find a specialist in moisture remediation, or you, your family and your home can be at serious risk. So, if you have standing water in the crawl space under your house in Columbia SC, consider it a top priority to get it removed immediately. What Exactly is a Crawl Space?Crawlspaces are extremely common in the South, especially in Columbia, SC. It is similar to a basement, but is vented to outside air. Some can be two feet tall or shorter, while others can be full-height like a basement. There are a few reasons why you would want a crawl space. The two primary reasons are cost and accessibility. Essentially you are building the floor of a home off the ground, as opposed to using a concrete slab-on-grade. What are the Benefits? For starters, it is a very cost-effective solution moving dirt to level a sloping piece of property rather than using concrete, which can get super expensive. Second, it is extremely convenient because you’ll have a handy area to install your HVAC unit and piping. You can also use it for storage and have your water and sewer distribution throughout the house from the crawl space. Since it is easily accessible, your future crawl space repairs will be much easier to manipulate. Moldy Crawl SpaceCrawl spaces that aren’t ventilated properly can cause moisture to accumulate. Mix moisture with a warm climate, and you have yourself a perfect environment where mold can grow, multiply and spread. With standing water, the water is already there in the crawl space. Moisture evolves through evaporation and you are left with a perfect breeding spot for mold to grow. In some circumstances, there can be black mold that grows. Black mold in your crawlspace can cause major health problems, and in extreme cases can even lead to death. Living around a moldy crawl space can result in you and your family breathing in toxic air. Air quality is essential for your health and the health of your family. If moisture is causing the mold to grow, then the question becomes, how do you avoid moisture issues? How Can Water in the Crawlspace be Fixed?A very common reason why there can be standing water in your crawlspace is the drainage system around your home. Improper grading and lack of rain gutters can also contribute to water in your crawlspace. There are some standard solutions you or a professional can do to prevent water from entering the space.
Those include:
If you have water in the crawl space under your home, you’ll have to figure out a way to prevent that from happening again in the future. Investing in Crawl Space RepairRepairing your crawl space can be a great investment in your home and the health of your loved ones. Improper installation usually leads to moisture, and moisture in crawl space can lead to mildew. The first thing you should do is test for mold yourself, or if you don’t know what you’re doing, contact your local mold remediation specialist in Columbia, SC. Professionals in this field will have the experience and necessary tools to make sure your home is safe to live in and a perfect crawl space repair in Columbia SC. Crawl Space EncapsulationA crawlspace encapsulation can protect your home and family from harmful mold. Ignoring standing water, or any condition that can bring black mold into play or poor air quality is something you shouldn’t take lightly. When standing water occurs or you have moisture building up in your crawl space, you’ll need to look into a mold removal and moisture remediation company. Part of the moisture remediation process is encapsulation. Encapsulation can be compared to the lining added to swimming pools to avoid leaks in them. It is the best solution to avoid moisture issues, especially in Columbia, SC. Encapsulation will seal any moisture from getting into your crawlspace. Does Standing Water in the Crawl Space Affect the Value of a Home?Actually, standing water itself does not necessarily affect the value of a home. What does affect it though, is the potential of foundational damage and mold growth from the standing water. If you’re looking to sell your home, mold can greatly affect the appraisal value. FHA appraisers are required to note if mold is growing and what type of mold it is. Besides mold being a major health concern, it will also devalue your home and affect the overall value that its worth. What’s Next? Standing water in the crawl space is definitely something you should act on and not take lightly. If you are a homeowner, you have a big responsibility keeping your home safe for you and your loved ones. Investing in crawl space repair, mold removal, or even moisture remediation should be a top priority if you have these problems. Keeping things up to date and safe isn’t easy, however, finding professionals in the Columbia, SC area is. The last thing you want in your home is mildew, mold or even black mold. We all know the potential health risks involved. Keep an eye on your crawl space and in the event of standing water, be sure to get it fixed right away. source https://www.crawlspaceprossc.com/theres-standing-water-in-my-crawl-space-should-i-be-worried/ Via https://crawlspaceprossc.blogspot.com/2019/04/theres-standing-water-in-my-crawl-space.html
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Crawl Space Insulation: Encapsulation Can Help Your Home’s Energy EfficiencyCrawl spaces can be an effective energy efficient spaces if they are properly insulated and contain air sealing and moisture control. Without insulation, hot and cold air are easily lost through the floor. Insulation also reduces your overall energy costs and helps the air quality of your home. There are two main types of crawl spaces – ventilated and unventilated. Your insulation depends on the type of crawl space you have installed. Most crawlspaces are vented to prevent moisture issues. That doesn’t mean unventilated crawl spaces are worse. In fact, there are many contractors who recognize that unventilated crawl space could be the best option for homes that use the correct moisture and drainage control techniques. Should a Crawl Space Be Insulated? Crawl space encapsulation can be the answer to your home’s energy inefficiency. If you want a more efficient home and you have a crawl space, then your answer is very simple – insulate your crawl space. A properly insulated crawl space should be vented tightly to prevent moisture issues. Crawl Space Vapor Barriers and Encapsulation In order to cut moisture problems in half, you should seriously consider installing a vapor barrier in your crawl space. This leaves your home better protected from water damage and mold growth. Crawl spaces are typically located beneath a home where water runoff is much more common. These crawl spaces are also designed with dirt floors, making them a flourishing environment for moisture and mold. When you install a crawl space encapsulation in Columbia, SC, or a proper vapor barrier, it can help prevent basement moisture tremendously. If your space isn’t properly ventilated or needs encapsulation, you should immediately seek help from professional crawl space companies in Columbia, SC. A good place to start searching is for crawl space repair. Crawl Space Repair Most of the time when your crawl space needs repair, it is poorly insulated and was installed improperly. The last thing you want is moisture building up in this area. Moisture can cause serious structural damage to the foundation of your home and can speed up the process of mold growth. Mold growth can cause serious harm to you and your family’s health, as well as your home as the mold can spread faster than ever throughout the foundational aspects of your greatest investment – your home. If you haven’t thought about crawl space encapsulation, now is the time to stay ahead of future issues and get a crawl space repair in Columbia SC immediately. Invest in Crawl Space Waterproofing One of the most popular ways to find out if your crawl space needs waterproofing is seeing if there is standing water on the crawl space floor. If the space has a dirt floor, wet dirt or soil can also indicate that you’ll need a waterproofing system installed. Some of the best crawl space repair specialists in Columbia, SC install waterproofing, which is completed as part of crawl space encapsulation. Living in a safe environment should be your first priority. Having an energy efficient home because you upgraded your crawl space with encapsulation will help save you time and money. Make sure your home is in good standing and completely up-to-date. source https://www.crawlspaceprossc.com/crawl-space-insulation-encapsulation-can-help-your-homes-energy-efficiency/ Via https://crawlspaceprossc.blogspot.com/2019/04/crawl-space-insulation-encapsulation.html Crawl Space Problems Warning SignsHaving crawl space problems can be difficult to stay ahead of and can result in mold growth, unwanted critters, decay, bugs, reptiles and rodents filling your space. It’s not a pretty site for you to come home and one day find any of these hazardous things under your crawl space. If your crawl space isn’t properly ventilated or taken care of, it will attract the mold, critters, bugs, reptiles and rodent. These things are attracted to warm and moist conditions, and once they find the space, they quickly call the area their new home. This also means that you and your family will have air quality issues in the home because of the moist, humid air that most likely contains many mold spores. Mold spores can cause serious health issues for you or your family, especially if anyone has asthma. The other detrimental effect of an unventilated and moisture-filled crawl space is that it can run up your heating and cooling costs each month. It’s not easy knowing your you need a crawl space repair and staying ahead of these issues. There are ways, however, to stay ahead of these potential crawl space problems if you pay attention to the warning signs. Our goal is to build your awareness on these symptoms so you know exactly what to look out for. After all, this is your home and a big part of the foundation it relies upon. #1: Damaged Wood Flooring Most of the time, homeowners tend to ignore their damaged or cupped wood flooring issues and consider it part of the process of owning an older home. If you have a sagging floor, or damaged wood flooring, you should address it immediately. There are many reasons why your wood floor can be damaged, or your floors are sagging. These include:
The next time you’re looking for crawl space problems, be sure to keep these warning signs of damaged or cupped wood flooring at the forefront of your mind. It can be very tempting to ignore these signs because it could mean more money out of your bank account. The best thing to do is call your local crawl space repair specialists, and get a free estimate so you know what you’re getting in to. #2: Water Pooling Under Home If you have crawl space moisture problems like standing water in your crawl space, it may lead to a variety of structural problems and potentially mold and mildew growth. This can undoubtedly raise serious health concerns for you or your loved ones. When there is standing water in a warm climate, such as your crawl space, excess humidity will form due to the evaporation from the water pooling under your home. It is a perfect place for mold and mildew to grow. Water pooling under home can also cause water damage, warping or even cupped wood flooring of your most prized possession and greatest investment – your home. Air quality issues in the home now become a major issue because of the crawl space moisture. When this happens, you and your loved ones are breathing in air that can cause serious health issues. Its very important to address the issue of water pooling under your home. If you come home to standing water, you most likely need a crawl space repair specialist. The last thing you want is to put yourself and your family at risk. #3: Moldy Crawl Space A crawl space is an important and handy resource for many homeowners as it hosts utility components, electrical wiring and can even be used as extra storage. They are also, however, a potential environment for mold growth if they aren’t properly ventilated and installed correctly. Unfortunate this happens to more homeowners than you can imagine and the most important thing to do at this stage is to get your crawl space repaired immediately. Crawl spaces that aren’t properly ventilated will typically have excess moisture. Over time, this moisture mixed with a warm environment can be a breeding environment for the development of dangerous mold. How Do You Know Mold is Growing? There are many ways to find out if you have a moldy crawl space. The best way is to bring in a specialist, or trained technician that majors in mold removal, or mold remediation. You could also use a mold detector device, or testing kit to see if there is any mold growing in your space. If you notice “moldy smells” chances are there is probably mold growing in that area. There are a few places where you want to look for first. See if there is mold on joists or mold growing on subfloor within and around your crawl space. If there is mold in these places, you will want to get these remediated as soon as possible to prevent further damage and health risks that will be involved. Why is Mold a Problem? For starters, it can create air quality issues in the home which can be extremely unhealthy to breathe in for you and your family. Second, mold growing in your crawl space will spread like a wildfire. The worst part is, it will be spreading all around the foundation of your home. This is a serious problem and one that should be handled right away. You can try and remove it yourself, or get professionals to do it for you. #4: Wood Rot Seeing wood rot is another way to know if you have potential crawl space problems. If your crawl space wasn’t properly installed or ventilated and has a dirt floor, it could easily be susceptible to wood rot or dry rot. Outside weather conditions can affect these dirt crawl space floors as well as moisture from poorly ventilated installations. Hopefully you can use these tips and warning signs to detect any potential crawl space problems. Protect your home and your family by staying ahead of these issues with a crawl space encapsulation. source https://www.crawlspaceprossc.com/crawl-space-problems-warning-signs/ Via https://crawlspaceprossc.blogspot.com/2019/04/crawl-space-problems-warning-signs.html |
John RodriquezHi I am John Rodriquez,35 years old from California,CA,USA,working with Foundation and Crawl Space Pros complete home waterproofing services include Crawl Space Repair.Here I am sharing tips about it. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |