Crawl spaces are hollow areas between the bottom of your home and the ground beneath it. If crawl spaces are not properly sealed, many problems can arise that can jeopardize the health, safety, and structural integrity of your home. Musty crawl spaces are particularly dangerous.
Signs
- Sagging Floors
- Condensation
- Water
- Foundation Cracks
- Mold
- Wood rot
Causes
- Open vents to the outdoors: exposed vents can let in humid air and water, leading to moist crawl spaces.
- Exposed ground on the floor of the crawl space: exposed ground and dirt can easily become wet from water transfer in the connecting lower levels of the ground under your home. When high temperatures arrive, the moisture can evaporate up into your home.
- Groundwater: if your crawl space is not properly encapsulated, groundwater from heavy rains outside can leak into the crawl space under your home and cause significant water damage
- Plumbing leaks: if the ceiling of your crawl space is not insulated or sealed, a faulty plumbing pipe could leak into your crawl space
Damages Caused by Musty Crawl Spaces
- Mold: the moisture in a musty crawl space is the perfect breeding ground for mold, which can release air borne spores that rise up through your floor into your home and lungs, causing health problems.
- Insects and animals: if water can get into your crawl space then so can creatures, and many like termites, spiders, snakes, rats, etc. love enclosed wet areas to take shelter in.
- High Energy Bills: non-encapsulated crawl spaces don’t just let in water; they let out air that you are paying for to heat and cool within your home.
How to Protect Your Home from Musty Crawl Spaces
Sealing and encapsulating your crawl space is the best way to make sure no air, water or creatures can get through the weak spots of the area.
Prevent Musty Crawl Spaces with True Building Performance
Check out our Crawl Space Encapsulation service to prevent this problem from occurring in your home!