How to Fix Water Problems in Your Crawl Space
Around 19 million Americans spent at least 50 percent of their income on housing-related repairs in the last five years.
Basements are among the common spaces in your home that need constant maintenance and repairs. Most homes have unfinished narrow spaces in between the ground and the floor, known as crawl spaces, which serve as dirt basements.
Crawl spaces are highly susceptible to flooding, which may have a damaging effect on your home’s foundation.
A damp and moldy crawl space may also lead to severe rot and mildew concerns under your floors. During such instances, crawl space repair can be of critical help as you try to deal with the standing water under your house.
Are you concerned about the crawl space water that won’t go away? Here’s how to fix water concerns in your crawl space.
Steps to Take When Undertaking Crawl Space Repair
Now that you have realized there’s water in your crawl space, then it’s time to take the necessary precautions to prevent further damages. But first things first, you need to deal with the most fundamental issues.
Clean up the Mess
The first stage in the process of dealing with crawl space repair is to get rid of the water under the house. But this process may not be as easy as it may seem. The crawl space is narrowly spaced and may require an expert to clean up the water.
Cleaning the crawl space also requires specialized equipment such as pumps, drains, and extension cords. This process may be complicated, considering the amount of debris that may be under your house. You should allow a specialist to help you with the process if the damage is extensive.
Cleaning helps get rid of the molds and the mildew on the wooden floor framing. You want to ensure that once the repairs are over, the crawl space is sparkling clean. Ensure that you remove all the crawl space debris and wet materials, including the insulation materials, junk, and any other materials.
Pump out the Bulk of the Water
Once the debris removal process for the main sections of the crawl space is complete, the next critical process involves channeling the bulk of the water from the crawl space. This process might always go on simultaneously with the debris removal.
Removing the standing water can be a complicated process considering that crawl spaces have varying shapes and designs. This process requires portable sump pumps to channel the water out from the flooded crawl space. You may need more than one sump pump during the process, depending on the amount of water.
If your crawl space is sloped, the process of removing the water may be more straightforward, considering that the water gathers in the lowest area. This process requires much more than just using a home vacuum cleaner. You may need to find an expert with a background in sump pumps to take charge of the process.
Kill Mold and Fungus
Now that you have removed the stagnant water and the debris, it’s time to move a step further. You should check for mold and fungal growth before proceeding from here. If there is mold and fungus growing on the wood framing, you should have a professional mold and fungal treatment performed.
Drying and Dehumidifying
With excess water, debris, and other damaged items out of the way, the next step you should consider is dehumidifying and drying the crawl space. Drying and dehumidification are critical to prevent the possibility of molds growing in the future. You may need to call in the experts to help you ensure that the process occurs with the utmost professionalism.
Identify the Source of Water
While cleaning and drying the crawl space, it’s possible to detect the source of the water. You need to be careful during this process to ensure that you recognize all the potential loopholes.
Given that you need to crawl through the limited space within the crawl space as you try to detect the source of water, a flashlight and protective gear are critical.
The first place you should look into when assessing the source of the leaks, is the crawl space walls. If there is staining on the walls of the crawl space, you almost certainly have groundwater infiltration.
Next, is your plumbing system. Consider calling in a plumber to evaluate the plumbing fitting and fixtures to ensure that the accessories are properly in place.
Further, in case of freeze damages, newer plastic lines may also break, leading to flooding inside the crawl spaces. The other probable concern would be leaks in the water heaters.
If any of these issues are notable within the crawl place, it may be critical to consider immediate repairs.
During Crawl Space Repair Check the Condition of the Sump Pump
Is your crawl space fitted with a sump pump? If you don’t have a sump pump as part of the contingency measures, then you’ll still be susceptible to water overflow in the future. Homes with an underground sump pump stand a better chance of reducing the risk of water-related damage in the crawl space.
Most homes that have a sump pump also fail to undertake a constant assessment of the pump system to check the status of this critical equipment. As soon as the process of reviewing the plumbing fixtures is complete, it would help to consider the state of the sump pump.
You need to call in a professional with the capacity to repair and install sump pumps to ensure that it’s working as it should.
Restoration and Remodeling
It’s vital to arrest the situation before there’s excess damage. However, if the flooding was severe, then you may need to consider other measures such as subfloor replacement. Restoration and remodeling are essential steps in the final stages of the crawl space repair process.
Follow These Tips to Fix Water Problems in Your Crawl Space
Nobody looks forward to having standing water under their house. But when it happens, this can be any homeowner’s worst nightmare. Undertaking crawl space repair is, however, possible with the right expert support.
Once the entire process is complete, you can then sleep soundly without the constant fear of probable flooding.
Are you looking for crawl space repair experts within your area? Contact us today for assistance.
