When it comes to taking care of your home, the crawl space is likely one of the last things you think about. However, this vital part of the house actually affects all of the other major systems. For example, when a crawl space has a high amount of moisture, that humidity can escape into your living spaces, making the AC work much harder to keep the home cool. This is just one reason that it’s so important to check the crawl space for moisture problems.
Check for Standing Water After Severe Storms
When a storm dumps a heavy amount of rainfall, doing a crawl space inspection is crucial to catching moisture issues in their earliest stages. If you notice any signs of standing or pooling water, you have a problem. Even small puddles will slowly evaporate, and as they do, this greatly increases the risk of rotting floor joists. To keep this from happening, you may need to adjust or clean the gutters and downspouts to ensure they direct rainwater at least 10 feet away from the home’s foundation.
Look for Water Droplets on the Floor Joists
Take a flashlight with you as you make your way through the crawl space. This will make it much easier to spot dripping water from the floor joists, which indicates the area has high moisture. If the joists stay moist, they’ll eventually rot from mold and fungus, making the whole floor very unstable and unsafe. Experts often recommend adding extra ventilation to the crawl space to keep this problem from becoming a recurring issue.
Look for Mold and Mildew on the Wood Framing and Insulation
As you’re crawling through the crawl space, pay close attention to the wooden framing and fiberglass insulation tucked between the joists. If you see fuzzy white, gray, or black patches, this means you have a mold problem. The insulation may look saggy or clumped together, another indicator of excess moisture. If you don’t get the mold removed and the insulation replaced, this can significantly harm the home’s indoor air quality.
The best way to keep your crawl space in good shape is to have it inspected annually by a professional. Experts have a variety of tools, like moisture meters and hygrometers, that specifically measure moisture content and humidity levels to help determine whether any repairs or replacements need to be made. There are numerous ways (vapor barriers and dehumidifiers) to upgrade the crawl space to reduce moisture problems in this part of the home. If you live in Troy, OH or a surrounding area and need crawl space inspection services, make your first call to Complete Detail Cleaning & Restoration.
