Common Issues
Musty Smells and Odors

Helping Homeowners Provide a Safe, Healthy, Stable Home

Musty Smells in Crawl Space – Causes and Removal

Musty smells and odors in the house are very likely coming from the crawl space. If the house smells musty after a big rain, you very likely have a moisture problem in the crawl space. The good news is that most smells can be removed if you eliminate the source of the smells.

When a big rain occurs, the ground can become saturated and cause standing water to infiltrate the crawl space, by penetrating the porous mortar joints in brick. Water can easily stream through the walls of a crawl space because the most crawl spaces are “below grade.” When the ground is lower in the crawl space than it is outside, water takes the path of least resistance, by seeping through mortar joints. Also, groundwater can become an issue, especially in areas with clay in the soil.

For professional moisture control or encapsulation services in the greater Hampton Roads, VA region, learn more about BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair at our Home PageAbout Us Page, or Request A Quote Page.

The Main Causes of Musty Smells from the Crawl Space:

  • Groundwater stimulates smelly minerals in the soil
  • Standing water is becoming stagnant and developing odors
  • Mold and mildew commonly produce foul odors
  • Rodents or Rodent Droppings
  • Dead animals
  • Sewage leaks in the drain lines of the plumbing

If you have concerns about any of the above issues, it’s important to accurately diagnose the causes of your concerns. There could be one or more of the above issues present. Our expert inspectors are trained to diagnose the root source of any issues, to propose the best solution.

The best ways to remove smells from a crawl space depend on fixing what is causing the smells.

Here are the Solutions to Remove and Eliminate Smells and Odors:

  1. Eliminate ground water and flooding with French drains and sump pumps
  2. Prevent the crawl space from flooding with gutters and downspout extensions
  3. Completely clean out the crawl space
  4. Install a new vapor barrier or crawl space encapsulation
  5. Kill the mold and fungus
  6. Evict any rodents from the crawl space
  7. Remove the conditions that rodents prefer – moisture, water, food, insulation (bedding), etc.
  8. Have a plumber remove contaminated objects and treat the sewage affects areas

Once the causes of the musty smells have been properly eliminated, the odor should go away. If you would like help identifying the best approach to eliminating smells in your crawl space, you can have one of our trained inspectors visit your home and inspect your crawl space for free.

Inspecting Your Home for Causes of Odors and Smells

Our Expert Advisors are trained to identify the causes and best repair options for your home. If you’re concerned about the integrity of your home, we offer free no-obligation inspections and estimates. When we inspect your home, we explain the problems, solutions, and explore multiple options to find the best solution for you.

4 Easy Steps

The BAY Process

STEP
2
Choose the best repair plan for your home
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3
Get your custom repair plan installed
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4
Enjoy a more stable, safe, healthy home
Customer Reviews

Our Reviews Reflect Our Commitment to Taking Great Care of Our Customers

  • “Our experience with Bay Crawl Space & Foundation Repair was outstanding. From first contact everything was smooth and made as easy as possible for us. We were kept informed every step of the process via email, phone, and/or text. The work was top-notch. The cost was extremely reasonable. We were impressed that Bay did not try to sell services that weren’t required.”

    – T.a. Lackey
  • “I conducted a good amount of research before choosing Bay to perform foundation work at my home in Chesapeake. I couldn’t have asked for a more pleasant experience. Everyone that made contact with me along the way was courteous and professional. Price was reasonable and they performed quality work. Timely, outstanding workmanship at a fair price.”

    – Barbara Taylor
  • Most honest evaluation we had, didn’t try to sell us on anything we didn’t need, most competitive pricing compared to 3 other companies we reached out to for the same issue! Thanks for not using scared tactics…

    – Veronioque Gonzalez
  • We had our crawlspace encapsulated by BAY three years ago at a fraction of the cost of JES’s estimate. The work was done on time and to exceptional standards. The office has been courteous, the workers arrived on time…

    – Bob Essman

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