Your crawl space is meant to act as a buffer zone against moisture from the soil beneath your house, protecting your living spaces. But does that mean it’s normal to have a constantly moist crawl space? Not quite. Having a crawl space that’s perpetually moist can lead to problems in your crawl space. This is especially the case if there’s standing water. Standing water in your crawl space can become a source of persistent moisture, negatively affecting your crawl space and even your home’s living spaces given enough time.
Let’s take a dive into why having standing water in your crawl space can be so harmful to your crawlspace, and how to solve this problem…
Causes for Standing Water in the Crawl Space
If you’re noticing continual moisture or puddles of standing water, there may be one or more reasons behind this alarming development.
- Water Seeping from the Soil
- This may happen most during heavy rains, or when a lot of snow melts, as the soil is saturated with lots of groundwater.
- Surface Water
- Water that comes off your roof, from overflowing gutters, or from a basement window that’s not properly sealed, all of these can lead to surface water reaching into your crawl space.
- Leaky Plumbing
- Crawl spaces are ideal places for equipment and plumbing to be placed, but that also means a leak in your plumbing can result in standing water as a puddle begins to collect and grow.
- Condensation
- As moisture and humidity builds, eventually it will collect and condense on the cold surfaces of your crawl space. Eventually, all that condensation will drip to your crawlspace’s floor and begin to pool.
The standing water itself is unlikely to be what does damage to your crawl space. Rather it is the moisture that comes from that standing water. As moisture lingers in your crawlspace, it can begin to interact with the different parts of your crawlspace, eventually leading to problems.
Problems Caused by Moisture in Your Crawlspace
As moisture spreads through the wooden structures of your crawl space, that moisture can begin to cause damage in a variety of ways.
- Wood Rot
- Moisture can encourage the wooden structures of your craw lspace to rot. Should parts of your wooden structure succumb to rot, it will require costly repairs.
- Mold Growth
- Mold loves moisture, and when there’s persistent moisture, mold can flourish and spread. Eventually, mold spores can even make their way up into your living spaces, potentially causing health problems.
- Rust
- Lingering moisture on any metal equipment in your crawl space can encourage rusting. Metal equipment that falls into disrepair because of water damage will likely need to be replaced.
- Pests
- From rodents to insects, there are many creatures that would prefer a nice damp and dark crawl space as a place to take shelter. Keeping your crawl space dry can help discourage pests from moving in and spare you the need to call for an exterminator.
- Increased Energy Bills
- The moist air in a crawl space with standing water can take a lot more energy to heat or cool, resulting in increased energy bills. Drying your crawl space will make your home generally more energy efficient.
While it’s normal for moisture to come and go in your crawl space, it’s better to keep your crawl space as dry as possible. To help ensure that your crawl space remains dry and useable, you’ll need a crawl space waterproofing solution that can keep the water out.
The Solution to Your Damp Crawl Space
The best way to keep moisture-related problems away is to keep your crawl space dry. Every source of standing water adds to the existing moisture, compounding the problems that you may have to deal with.
First, you’ll need to identify where all the water leaks are occurring, so that you can take the proper measures to counter them. Calling in a crawl space waterproofing expert can be very helpful—they know exactly how to fix a water problem in the crawl space. Here are just some of the things a crawl space waterproofing expert may use to help protect your home against water:
- Vapor Barrier/Liner
- Sump Pump
- Dehumidifier
- Drainage Channels
Protect Your Crawl Space Against Water With ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing
Since 1958, our crawl space waterproofing experts have been helping homes like your own stay dry for decades. From our crawl space encapsulation and waterproofing repair services, we can help return your crawl space back to being safe, dry, and usable! You deserve to be able to use your crawl space, give us a call today for a free crawl space waterproofing inspection and a detailed estimate. ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing can make that dry home a reality!