Mold can creep into your house silently. You may not know that you even have an issue, until you start to smell it, or you see evidence of it growing inside your home. Typically, when you smell mold, you think that it must be from a roof leak or a leaking pipe somewhere. However, more often than not, your damp crawl space is the cause of the mold issue. 

Mold can cause various health problems for many people. Respiratory issues, stomach issues, and chronic illnesses have long been thought to be due to mold exposure. For those severely allergic to mold, a small amount can cause severe illness and even death.

Signs of Moisture in Crawl Spaces

If you smell any trace of mold, you will want to check for a Damp Crawl Space. If your crawl space has gotten wet or flooded, this creates the perfect environment for mold to grow. In addition to mold growth, the dampness of your crawl space can also cause issues with the structure of your home. The dampness can cause the wood to rot, which may attract termites. Concrete can also be damaged by moisture. This can compromise the structure of your home. If you find that you have a damp crawl space, you will want to repair it as soon as possible.

Causes of Crawl Space Moisture

Several different things will lead to Crawl Space Moisture:

• Flooded Crawl Space. 
  If you live in an area where it rains a lot, you may have had a Flooded Crawl Space. This can be due to severe rain events, or there may be an issue where rainwater gets into your home due to slope issues with your property. Signs of this may include a wet basement, as well as pooling water in your yard. If you have a wet basement, you can be sure that your crawl space has been compromised with water.

• Air circulation. 
  If you do not have good ventilation under your home, this can lead to Crawl Space Moisture. This is especially true if you live in a location where the humidity levels are high.

• Leaking pipes. 
  If you have a leaking pipe under your home, this can lead to standing water in your crawl space. This tends to happen more during the colder months when pipes expand and contract with lowering temperatures.

Treating Crawl Space Problems

The best way to keep your crawl space dry is to have it encapsulated. Crawl Space Encapsulation is where the crawl space is completely sealed with a plastic material to help to keep the area dry. You can hire a professional company to come in to install this for you. Having this done professionally will allow you to rest easy knowing that you will not have to personally deal with any issues with your crawlspace. 

In addition to Crawl Space Encapsulation, you will also want to make sure that you have proper ventilation under your home as well as making sure that your plumbing is not leaking anywhere under your house. 

Getting your crawl space encapsulated will help you to avoid costly mold issues as well as home repairs. Even if you do not think there is a problem, it is a good idea to go ahead and get your crawl space treated or inspected as soon as possible. At Ground Up Foundation Repair, we are Middle Tennessee’s experts on crawl space encapsulation and waterproofing. To schedule a free crawl space inspection head to www.groundupfoundationrepair.com or click here.