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Resource Article

9 Signs You Need Crawl Space Repair

WRITTEN BY:
Blake Heron
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About 15% of all new homes in the US have a crawl space and for good reasons. A crawl space makes it conveniently easy to reach vital parts of the home. Just like all other parts of a house, maintenance is necessary, even for crawl spaces.

If you have noticed air quality issues in your home, it may be caused by the humid air and moisture in crawl space. If there happens to be mold, mold spores will get infused in that humid air, which is a health hazard for you and your family. What other signs signal that you may have crawl space issues that need repair?

1. Moisture in the Crawl Space

If you have an open crawl space and recently experienced a storm, you may have standing water in there. One thing that gives away water in the crawl space is the amount of humidity you experience.

Standing water may also come from several other sources, such as plumbing leaks, hydrostatic pressure, or flooding. If there’s a way for you to check the crawl space and notice stagnant water, then you may need crawl space repair.

2. High Indoor Humidity

If there’s water in the crawl space, you’ll undoubtedly experience high humidity in your home. Humidity is one of the most damaging issues you can deal with because it causes mold, and mildew, and weakens the floor joists, compromising the quality of your foundation.

High humidity will also make it super expensive for you to condition your home, making your home uncomfortable in the process.

Humidity is easy to notice due to the stack effect. Air from the bottom of the house usually rises up to the rest of the house, so if you notice indoor air is more humid than outside, you may want to call in a professional for crawl space repair.

3. Condensation

When you experience high humidity, it’s going to be followed by condensation. There will be too much moisture in the air, so it’ll start collecting on surfaces. In this case, these surfaces are the floor, foundations, and joists, which can be quite dangerous.

Even worse, condensation could lead to wet crawl space insulation, which is hard to get rid of unless you do a replacement. You need a professional to enter into the crawlspace to check whether the insulation has sagged or fallen due to wetness.

4. Wood Rot and Floor Joist Problems

When water affects wood for too long, it gets fungal infestation and starts to rot, losing its structure and form. How do you know whether the wood is rotting from crawl space issues? If your floors have started feeling uneven, sloping on one side, or feeling bouncy, it may be ideal to call in a professional.

If the problem is in the floor joists, then you’re likely to experience similar signs to wood rot. Check for bouncy areas, and floor sloping issues. Beyond that, having sagging floors, whether it’s a crawl space issue or not, is a serious problem that should be addressed as soon as you notice.

5. Foundation Cracks

Foundation cracks are always a sign of a serious structural problem, and it’s critical that you have it looked at immediately. You may notice hairline cracks, which may not be an issue, but if you have bigger than ⅛”, then you have structural damages. The foundation is typically the base for your entire house if the structure is compromised, you have to face bigger issues if you don’t have it fixed on time.

6. High Energy Bills

Have you noticed an increase in your energy bills? It may be due to inadequate insulation, and if the insulation in your crawlspace is compromised, it could be the reason. If the air gets too humid, it may be hard for the air conditioner to condition it, which will also lead to high energy bills.

7. Signs or Smells of Animals

With poor insulation in the crawl space, animals like snakes, mice, rats, and critters are bound to get in. If you hear scratching noises or notice these rodents and animals in your home, have your crawl space checked out.

Rodents can be a menace in a home, and eventually, they come into the house as well and become a huge problem. This goes for critters and any other animal coming from the crawl space. Have a professional check it and repair any spaces allowing these animals to come through.

8. Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew can be a major crawl space issue and something you should look out for. You see, in hidden spaces like the crawl space, mold is likely to go unnoticed and thrive. However, you can notice the smell, and once you do, you should call a professional that understands how to deal with it.

Mold and mildew cause allergies, and if you have noticed family members with allergies of late, this may be the reason. It’s important that you get rid of it before it becomes toxic, especially if you have black mold that could cause other serious health issues.

9. Musty Odors

Moisture in your crawl space causes bad smells and musty odors. You may have noticed it and not known where it came from, but it’s likely to be in the house. Decaying debris, animals, and moisture are primarily the root cause of this odor, and since air circulates from the crawl space, it comes straight in the house, causing an unbearable smell.

Act Quickly When You Spot Signs of Crawl Space Problems

There you have it! Apart from moisture in crawl space, these are some of the major signs that you may have crawl space issues that need to be addressed. If you have a crawl space in your home, it’s advisable to keep checking for these signs so you can catch the problems before they escalate.

If you have noticed any of these signs, please get in touch with us, and we’ll have a professional check it out and do the repairs for you.