5 Common Crawl Space Problems You Need to Know and Avoid
As a homeowner, you already have so many different factors that you’ve got to keep your eyes on each day.
However, there are also things (that aren’t necessarily day to day) that you need to be aware of.
If your home has a crawl space, then there are several different issues that it might have without you knowing it.
As the owner of the house, it’s important for you to understand these problems and the signs that you need to get them fixed.
Here are several common crawl space problems that you need to know about in order to avoid them at all costs.
1. Uneven Floors
One of the biggest things that you need to be aware of is the danger to your home’s overall structural support.
As useful as crawl spaces are, they can be the contributing factor to sabotaging the support underneath your floors.
So… how can you tell if your home’s support is being compromised? One of the earliest signs will be if you were to notice uneven floors.
Don’t just assume that the floors were always uneven and you’ve never noticed. If any portion of your floor is sloping, it can be your home trying to tell you that something is wrong.
Be sure to reach out to a trusted professional foundation repair service and schedule a checkup of your foundation, as well as receive a quote for your crawl space foundation repair cost.
2. Standing Water in the Crawl Space
Standing water is one of the biggest nightmares for your crawl space. If you notice any puddles of water in it, then be sure to contact a professional right away.
The biggest issue is that many people aren’t aware that a crawl space can actually flood. Because of that, water can settle in the crawlspace for weeks, months, or even years before a professional comes in to find it.
The standing water might not be draining because of the vapor barrier, which purposely stops the water from draining.
Since the water has nowhere else to escape, it’s going to release itself into the air as much as possible.
3. Cold Floors
Have you ever woken up on a winter morning and noticed that your floor is cold to the touch, even though the thermostat is fully-functioning.
The reason that your floor feels as cold as it would outdoors is because of a lack of insulation for your crawl space. Not many people realize that crawl space even has insulation, to begin with.
As soon as the insulation is installed, you’ll notice a significant difference as soon as you walk on your floors.
Now, when you wake up on a cold winter morning, you’ll be able to walk on your floor without skipping across it as if you were touching ice.
You and all of your family members, relatives, and guests will walk across your floor comfortably during even the coldest of days!
4. Stale or Mildewy Smell
Did you know that your nose can adjust to a foul smell in only a matter of minutes? If the smell is off-putting to your brain, it’ll purposely put its receptors into fatigue.
That’s why so many people wait so long to call in a crawl space repairman. They smell the mildewy stench for a minute or two, but then think it went away after they can’t smell it any longer.
The truth is that the mildewy smell is more than likely coming from standing water inside your crawl space.
Since that water has no place to escape, it’ll find small openings that are within the walls of your crawl space and your floors.
The foul odor might also be coming from a dead animal under your home or a significant pile of rodent droppings.
You might also have a drain line or two within your plumbing that has a sewage leak, that could be creating the rotten smell that you’re catching with your nose.
Whatever the reason, you need to have it looked at by an experienced crawl space professional.
5. Mold In the Crawl Space
Mold is one of the most detrimental issues that you could have with your crawl space or foundation.
But the worst part is that unless you have a professional perform a checkup or go down into the crawl space yourself to inspect, you may never know it’s there.
Not only is mold a huge risk to the integrity of your home, but it’s also harmful to you and your entire family. Your family might be breathing it in every single day. In fact, mold can consume up to half of the air within your house.
If consumed often enough, black mold can cause serious respiratory issues for you such as chronic coughing, headaches, and even black mold poisoning.
So… what causes mold in the first place? There are three main causes. First, the mold could be coming from the moisture from the damp earth around your home.
Second, it could be coming from the humidity outside of your home that is seeping its way in. Lastly, it could be from the standing water in your crawl space that you aren’t even aware of.
Be sure to reach out to an expert right away. They will know how to get rid of moisture under the house.
Have Your Crawl Space Inspected Today!
Now that you’ve seen just a few of the major crawl space problems, it’s time to schedule an appointment today.
Be sure to read this article on the main causes of uneven floors, as well as information on how to fix them.
For more inquiries, please feel free to reach out via our contact us page and we’ll be happy to assist you further!
