Crawlspace Humidity Problems
Are you looking for ways to make your home safer and healthier? If so, be sure not to neglect the crawlspace – the air you breathe throughout the home comes from the crawlspace, making proper crawlspace care instrumental for a healthy living space. One of the most important things to consider in crawlspace maintenance is the relative humidity – especially during the warmer months in Alabama. Be sure to measure the humidity in your crawlspace to determine what sort of issues it may have.
If your crawlspace is excessively humid, it could mean that there is also mold in the crawlspace. Both of these problems could be disastrous for your crawlspace and the rest of your home.
High humidity means excess moisture in the crawlspace. This moisture can start to cause wood rot and metal rust in your crawlspace. If this happens, the floor joists in your crawlspace will become weaker, which could lead to leaning beams and posts in the crawlspace itself and a sagging floor above. This instability can cause other structural problems as well, such as gaps and spaces and cracks in the walls, floor, and ceiling.
If your mold starts to grow in your crawlspace, it can create a different set of issues for you and your family. Because air from the crawlspace cycles throughout the entire home, it is important for crawlspace air to be clean. When there is mold in the crawlspace, the air in that area can become infested with mold spores. This mold-infested air will then travel throughout the home. Mold is dangerous for you and your family to breathe, especially if any one of you has asthma, acute allergies, or another respiratory condition. If you are breathing in air infested with mold spores, you might notice symptoms such as red eyes, wheezing, coughing, rash, and runny nose.
These are just a few of the issues that could result from high crawlspace humidity. Other problems you might see include standing water, damp insulation, water stains, or musty odors.
Causes of and Fixes for Crawlspace Humidity
Finding the right solution for the humidity in your crawlspace starts with knowing the cause. Some common causes of crawlspace humidity include:
- Bulk Water Leakage: Large amounts of standing water in your crawlspace may be an indicator that there is something wrong with your plumbing or drainage systems. Having your home sitting on top of excessive amounts of moisture and standing water is always dangerous – have any drainage and plumbing issues fixed as soon as possible. If you need an interior or exterior waterproofing system installed, call Affordable Foundation and Home Repair right away. We specialize in all sorts of drainage for your home, from French drains for the foundation walls to sump pumps for the crawlspace interior.
- Outdoor Air from Vents: In the past, it was always recommended that crawlspaces be vented to help regulate moisture and temperature using outside air. However, bringing in air from outside through crawlspace vents can increase the humidity in the crawlspace. If you have vents in your crawlspace, you probably need to look into crawlspace moisture removal options. One way to keep moisture from affecting your crawlspace is to encapsulate it with a vapor barrier (either plastic or foil sheeting). You may also need to install a dehumidifier in the crawlspace.
- Moisture from Ground: Even moisture from the ground outside can cause crawlspace moisture problems as it seeps through foundation walls or evaporates into the crawlspace. This excess moisture will raise the humidity level and increase the chances of mold growth. The best solution for this problem is to have a vapor barrier installed with professional crawlspace encapsulation services and to ensure that your waterproofing systems are removing excess moisture from the soil around your foundation.
Once you have discovered the source of the crawlspace moisture and humidity, it is important that you have any traces of mold removed and invest in a repair solution. Here at Affordable Foundation and Home Repair, we can take care of both. We offer professional mold soda blasting to eliminate mold from your crawlspace, as well as crawlspace encapsulation, floor joist supports, crawlspace piers, and crawlspace waterproofing.
Keep an eye on your crawlspace humidity during the hot summer months in Alabama and contact us now for more information on crawlspace repair.
