Causes of Crawl Space Damage Every Homeowner Should Know

A musty, wet crawl space is so common in Indiana that homeowners often forget how damaging these problems can be to their home’s health and safety. There are several explanations why your crawl space may be unhealthy, but the overarching reason is that it wasn’t treated like the rest of the home when it was built.

It’s important to understand what causes crawl space problems so you can nip them in the bud before they cause further harm to your home and family. Keep reading to learn the sources of a bad crawl space, how to address them properly, and how local pros can help with reliable crawl space encapsulation solutions.

• Musty odors
• High energy bills
• Pest infestations
• Wood rot
• Uneven, bouncy floors

The Stack Effect

Almost half of the air you breathe in your home comes from the crawl space because of the stack effect. What is the stack effect? It sounds more complicated than it is. The stack effect describes how air circulates through your home.

Warm air rises. When air enters the crawl space through vents or other openings, it slowly warms up. As it does so, the warm air rises throughout your home. It travels through living spaces until it escapes through the roof. The air coming from your crawl space carries with it airborne mold and dust, and even pest droppings. Not only is unhealthy air circulated throughout your home, but this air movement also makes for a drafty living environment. This often causes homeowners to turn down the AC in the summer and turn up the heat in the winter. This increased energy usage can cost you big bucks in the long run.

Moisture In the Crawl Space

Standing water in your crawl space is always a problem. Even if the water evaporates quickly, water vapor remains and can cause mold and mildew growth. Mold needs three things to grow: water, food, and oxygen. Your crawl space provides all three. Especially in the hot, humid summers, where heavy rainfall is not uncommon.

Mold and mildew alone cause problems like musty odors, but they can also steal value from your home by damaging its structural stability. Mold uses wood as its “food,” and since wood structures hold up much of your crawl space, it’s essential to address water and moisture problems in your crawl space before they cause damage to your wood structures.

Humidity

Arguably, the most common crawl space problem is humidity. Humid air can enter the crawl space from any unsealed opening, often open vents, a dirt floor, or through the foundation walls.

When the temperature and humidity levels reach a threshold, condensation occurs. The process of water vapor turning back into a liquid can lead to serious issues for the wood structures supporting your home. Addressing crawl space humidity levels is key to a healthy home.

Open Crawl Space Vents

At one point, building codes recommended installing crawl space vents at the time of construction. The idea, although flawed, seemed to make sense. Open vents would allow the crawl space to dry out. However, as time went on, we now know more about how air and humidity act in a crawl space and understand that open vents actually have the opposite effect.

Open vents allow humid air into the crawl space, but instead of drying it and flowing out, the air flows up and into your living space. This humid air carries with it all kinds of harmful particles like mold, dust, and even pest droppings.

No Vapor Barrier

A dirt crawl space lacking a vapor barrier on the floor can be a significant cause of damage. This is because the exposed ground is not only dirty but also a main source of moisture. During rain, groundwater can quickly rise, making water pooling common. Even when water levels aren’t particularly high, moisture or humidity can readily travel through the exposed earth and into the crawl space.

Additionally, builders often install the bare minimum, a 6-mil liner, to meet code. However, this thin, damage-prone liner is not enough to protect the crawl space properly.

Poor Drainage and Improper Grading

A drainage system is typically installed outside the perimeter of your home when it is built. However, this system is prone to clogging over time since it sits in the mud and is easily damaged by tree roots. When this drain system breaks down, water collects next to the foundation, leading to leaks and damage.

Ensuring your home’s exterior landscaping is graded away from your home is vital. This means water runs away rather than towards your foundation. The simple process means the difference between water saturating the soil around your home and adding pressure to your foundation walls or being directed away.

Plumbing Leaks

Plumbing leaks are often not considered when contemplating water in your crawl space. A crawl space was constructed to house much of your home’s plumbing, so a leak there can spell disaster. It’s important to have plumbing regularly inspected, and in the winter, when freezing temperatures hit, follow procedures to avoid frozen and burst pipes.

Although none of our crawl space encapsulation repairs can help with plumbing leaks, an encapsulated crawl space is a warmer crawl space, making frozen pipes a problem of the past. 

• Interior drains and a sump pump to capture and remove leaking water
• Vapor barriers to seal the crawl space
• Insulation panels for better climate control
• Dehumidifiers to control humidity and improve air quality
• Crawl space jacks for structural support