Back to School: Crawl Space 101

On Tuesday we gave a refresher on what can cause problems in your basement. Today, we talk about the smaller, creepier, less useful space under your home - the crawl space. Crawl spaces aren’t generally used for much more than housing the HVAC system, if that, due to their variable height and dirt floor that provides little protection from the elements. But despite their overall lack of function, they can still cause major problems.

Construction

A crawl space consists of the foundation walls and a usually unfinished floor - dirt, sand, whatever the surrounding ground is comprised of. Outdated building codes also required vents in a crawl space, so depending on when your home was built, there may be visible vents in the walls.This construction leaves a crawl space largely unprotected from water, which can come in through the walls and especially the vents, or up through the ground. It’s also vulnerable to all manner of bugs and critters seeking shelter and maybe a path up into your home and snack cupboard.

The average crawl space is only a few feet tall (hence “crawl” space) and therefore often ignored. It can be difficult to access, and once you’ve made it down there, it’s dark and damp and impossible to gauge what’s going on. But no matter how small the space is, an out of sight, out of mind approach isn’t feasible. We get calls every week from customers who know “something” is wrong in their crawl space but, despite living in their home for a year or 5 years or more, they’ve never been down there.

Ambient Moisture

A fancy name for humidity, ambient moisture is the #1 enemy of the crawl space. Considering the floor is literally just the ground, it’s easy for moisture in the earth to travel into the air. Ambient moisture causes a number of problems, but the biggest is mold. All mold needs in order to grow is moisture and a food source (like all of those wooden beams in your subfloor).

Mold and mildew in a crawl space can easily cause problems in your home, from bad smells to structural damage as wooden beams rot. Mold is also known to cause upper respiratory problems and exacerbate allergies.

What Can You Do?

The key to managing your crawl space is cutting it off from moisture with encapsulation. Our CleanSpace vapor barrier creates a conditioned space by sealing off the crawl space from air and water. CleanSpace affixes to the walls and ground and, in addition to encapsulation, creates a bright white surface that makes trips into the crawl space more pleasant and navigable. We also have products to seal off the rim joist and cover vents as well as provide a tight seal on the crawl space entrance.

Once the crawl space is encapsulated, a dehumidifier is recommended to take care of any remaining moisture. Our SaniDry line provides maximum power with a small footprint and easy installation and forces mold to go dormant by keeping the crawl space at a low humidity point.

Just because your crawl space is small and isn’t used for anything doesn’t mean you can ignore it. Call us today and stop worrying about what’s happening below your house.