Besides being a dark, dank area that you likely avoid at all costs, your crawl space is an important part of your real estate investment. A crawl space creates a barrier between your home’s floor and the ground. It’s the place where builders often house key components such as plumbing systems, electric wiring, and ductwork.
Although local building codes usually require vents for Tennessee crawl spaces, excess moisture is a common problem for homes in Nashville and surrounding counties.
When your crawl space humidity level is too high, your family’s health and your home’s structural integrity are at risk. Excess moisture leads to out-of-control growth of mold and fungi, which can cause throat irritation, coughing, nasal stuffiness, and skin rashes. Over time, moisture leads to wood rot, which can ruin your home’s internal framing.
Signs of Excess Moisture in Your Crawl Space
Damp air from your home’s crawl space rises and enters your home. While your HVAC system works hard to dry and filter the air, the still-moist air that eventually reaches your lungs is often filled with contaminants if your crawl space is dirty and too humid.
Here are some signs that your home’s crawl space is too damp.
- Condensation on windows
- Soft, weakened, or sagging floorboards
- Musty smell
- Visible mold on walls, ceilings, or floors
- Pest infestation
The problem of high humidity in your crawl space is one that usually doesn’t improve over time. Waiting to fix this issue could cost you a lot in the long run.
Ground Up Foundation Repair offers crawl space solutions that keep your family comfortable and your home’s value rising.
Common Causes of Excess Moisture in Crawl Spaces
There are several potential causes for excess dampness in your crawl space. Nashville is known for its high humidity levels. Moist outdoor air that enters your crawl space through its vents is the most common source of excess moisture for Nashville crawl spaces.
Most crawl spaces sit directly above the ground. If the ground is wet, the water will evaporate and rise from the ground into the crawl space. Plumbing leaks, bad rainstorms, and inadequate drainage lead to standing water in your crawl space.
Benefits of Using a Dehumidifier to Lower Crawl Space Humidity Level
At Ground Up Foundation Repair, we know how to dry a crawl space after a leak and apply the right solutions to fix the source of your wet crawl space problems. Installing a Dehumidifier for crawl space moisture is one of the services that we offer.
Here are some key benefits of using a crawl space dehumidifier.
- Cleaner indoor air
- Increased comfort
- Consume less energy
- Reduce wear on HVAC systems
How Crawl Space Dehumidifiers Work
Crawl space dehumidifiers take in moist air and evaporate the moisture by moving the air over frigid condensation coils. Most dehumidifiers collect the condensed water in a reservoir that you must empty periodically. Other models push the evaporated water out of the space using an electric pump or a continuous gravity drainage connection.
Sought-After Features of a Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Since there are many types of crawl space waterproofing solutions on the market today, choosing a dehumidifier for crawl space moisture issues can be a complex task for homeowners. Your appliance must withstand damp, cool conditions to solve your wet crawl space issues. Select one that has stainless steel components and is housed in a durable steel casing.
When combatting excess moisture in your crawl space, you’ll want to check the moisture levels in the space to find out if your dehumidifier is working right and needs no adjustments. A dehumidifier that has a hygrometer constantly measures the space’s moisture levels.
Save on your energy bills while you solve your moisture problem by choosing a dehumidifier that has a built-in humidistat. This feature allows the appliance to cycle off when the crawl space has reached its 50 percent relative humidity level. Some dehumidifiers also contain air purifiers that help to keep your indoor air cleaner.
Since the cost of a dehumidifier depends on its features and construction quality, it’s key to know the product specifications that are important for your home. When it comes to your family’s health and quality of life, the cost of a dehumidifier is often well justified.
Our Crawl Space Waterproofing Methods
Standing water causes some of the worst crawl space moisture issues. When water collects in your crawl space because of storm flooding or a plumbing leak, it can be difficult to drain the area adequately. Knowing how to dry a crawl space after a leak is critical. Here are some common steps to do this.
- Clear the space of debris and wet materials
- Use a portable sump pump to remove standing water from the space
- Dry out the wood framing, subfloor, and surrounding crawl space ground with fans
Other waterproofing solutions that Ground Up recommends are our crawl space encapsulation and gutter adjustment services.
Conclusion
Ground Up Foundation Repair offers professional crawl space solutions that include installing crawl space dehumidifiers and performing crawl space encapsulation services.
We take the time to inform you about the different benefits and constraints of crawl space waterproofing solutions and make recommendations that are based on your crawl space’s size and layout.
If you suspect that your home’s crawl space is too damp, give us a call to set up a crawl space inspection.