The common crawl space is something most homeowners don’t think about daily. It tends to be a place that is dark, murky, cold, sometimes damp and easily ignored. It can be very hazardous to forget about small space because this space is key to your home’s health-if you lose track of it you may are with mold, allergens and unwanted critters.
Mold
Mold is as a result of latent moisture. It starts to develop and then feed upon organic materials such as wood, carpet, and paint. A dirt crawl space can be a prime target for mold because the dirt will never be completely dry.
Mold’s main purpose is to weaken dead organic matter, objects that were once living and are now dead and wet. Mold sometimes enter through the footing, between the footing and the walls, right over the block walls, and through cracks in poured walls.
After the moisture seeps in, it lies in puddles. These puddles then slowly evaporate upward into the house. The method control mold in our homes is management the moisture. Dirt basements with vents tend to be so dangerous because the vents let in moisture. Mold worsens health issues for the many people fighting asthma and an allergic reaction.
Reducing the moisture in your home’s crawl space is important for maintaining good home and your home’s value.
Allergens and Critters
Dust mite droppings are the number one allergen inducing the most damage to people with asthma and allergies. Dustmites are microscopic parasites that eat dead skin cells and thrive in humid environments. A moisture filled basement is a perfect environment for these allergens to live on.
There are also many unwanted critters that move into moist crawl spaces such as: termites, spiders, mice, rats and snakes. As we can see, it’s a food chain that can attract much more unwanted varmint into your home. Unfortunately, these varmints live and die within your crawl space-sometimes producing very foul and unwelcoming scents.
The Solution
Repairing your crawl space is imperative for a fit and energy efficient house. You’re able to solve your crawl space problems with four simple steps: fixing the ground water leakage, isolating house from the earth, sealing out the outdoors air and maintaining dry fresh.
First, a sump pump must be installed to function unwanted water away within the foundation.
The next step is to isolate the property from the earth-as previously mentioned; everything can not be fully dry making obtaining breeding ground for black mold. Many homeowners choose concrete flooring or some sort of plastic liner.
Unfortunately, concrete floors are porous and do not always provide the expected successes. Meanwhile, some plastic liners can rip easily. However, there are some high-level plastic liners which usually well-worth an investment.
Look for a liner made out of 20 mil thick flexible plastic, is puncture and tear resistant, and has an dimpled polyethylene membrane to help water flow to a sump pump.
The third step is support keep the outdoor unconditioned air OUT. Vent covers are your friend! They’ll insulate your home, improve overall appearance and seal the air out. These plastic vent covers won’t rot, warp or need paint, as well as last a long time.
Step four consists of keeping your crawl space dry. A dehumidifier continue to rid your basement of moisture by collecting it or cycling out.
HydroHelp911
1694 Mt Zion Church Rd, Iron Station, NC 28080
(704) 610-4399
Posted on:
August 26, 2020