5 Signs Your Crawl Space is a Problem - and How to Fix It

You might not give much thought to your crawl space. It’s just...there, under your home, existing without any purpose or effect. Maybe you have to direct a repairman to the entrance once in a while when the hot water heater dies, or you’re running new wiring. But past that, you don’t need to worry about it, right?

Wrong.

For as small and unobtrusive as it seems, your crawl space could actually wreak havoc on your home, causing everything from respiratory problems to high energy bills. Here are some signs to look for, and what to do when you spot them. (Hint: Call us)

1. That Smell

If you don’t need any clarification, then you likely have a problem in your crawl space, because as soon as you read “that smell” you probably cringed. If that’s the case, proceed directly to calling us and let us take care of it. If you aren’t so sure, think about it. That musty, wet smell that seems to be coming from the house itself - it IS coming from the house. The crawl space, to be exact. Mold and decaying debris are the root cause of the smell, and since your home circulates air from the crawl space, it’s impossible to escape.

2. Cold Floors

Do you look like a member of the Scooby Squad, tiptoeing across your kitchen floor in a desperate attempt to avoid the freezing floors? Are certain rooms of your house freezing all winter, no matter how high you crank the heat? Blame your crawl space. The stack effect is a phenomenon that explains the way air is circulated from a home - warm air rises, and is replaced by pulling air in at the base, aka your crawl space. When the space is uninsulated and unprotected from the elements outside, and especially if it has vents like the crawl space shown above, the air that gets pulled in is freezing. Uninsulated crawl spaces can also lead to frozen pipes, which opens up a whole new world of problems.

3. High Energy Bills

Remember the stack effect we talked about in item #2? Your HVAC system goes into overdrive trying to heat up the cold air constantly being pulled in from your crawl space, which leaves you with a high energy bill and a house that’s still cold. There are many points in your home where heat can escape, and we have many solutions to address that, but it all starts with your crawl space.

4. Health Issues

Mold spores from your crawl space that circulate in your air supply can exacerbate allergies and asthma and lead to respiratory distress. We recently encapsulated the crawl space in a home where both of the owners had died from respiratory issues, and the crawl space was discovered to be full of mold. It’s annoying when it’s on a block of cheese, but in your home, mold can be a deadly problem.

How to Fix Your Crawl Space

I’ll bet you didn’t realize how many problems one crawl space could cause. But don’t worry - all is not lost. Using our patented CleanSpace vapor barrier system, we can encapsulate the crawl space to protect it from the elements - and to protect your home from your crawl space. CleanSpace works in conjunction with a variety of insulation and waterproofing products to ensure a custom solution that keeps your crawl space and your home dry, warm, and safe.

Call us to schedule your free inspection and stop worrying about what’s lurking under your home.