The Impact of Water Under Your Home

Fall is in the air and as the temperature lowers, most of us enjoy being inside our homes more, bundled up on the couch and enjoying family time. You don’t think about it much, but your home is sheltering you from all the outside elements, whether it's the cold temperatures, wind or rain. But how have you sheltered your home from the elements? It’s not really something that we think about, but protecting your home from water is something that down the road, can affect the integrity of your home.

The earth is damp and as that damp soil dries beneath the house, the water vapor moves upward. In most climates where there are dirt crawlspaces, you can never dry the earth completely and this invisible stream of water vapor from the exposed earth in a crawlspace goes on forever. Groundwater seeps, leaks and even rushes into many crawlspaces. It enters under the footing, between the footing and the walls, right through block walls and through cracks in poured walls. After it seeps in, it just lies there in puddles, slowly evaporating upward into the house. This stream of water vapor from the exposed earth ends up affecting the insulation, wood, and pipes, leaving a mess of sagging insulation, rotting wood, and mold spores everywhere.  

The following is a list of more effects that a wet or damp crawlspace can have on your home:

• Dust Mites (the number one indoor allergen)
• Sticking Doors and Windows
• Smelly, Damp Carpets
• Condensation / Mold in Your Attic
• Frost or Condensation and Mold on the Inside of Windows in Cool Weather
• Increased Cooling Bills
• Increased Heating Bills
• Mold Upstairs
• Decreased Life of Roof Sheathing and Shingles
• Decreased Life of the Paint on the Outside of Your Home
• Aggravated Asthma and Allergies

So what can you do about this ongoing problem? We’re here to help you learn what you CAN do, with us. 

Encapsulate

Using our sturdy CleanSpace liner to create a barrier between the ground and your home is one step to a controlled crawlspace. CleanSpace is a 20mil thick plastic liner, similar to a pool liner, that can be fitted in your crawlspace to completely seal off your home from the earth. CleanSpace has multiple layers of plastics with different characteristics of flexibility and puncture and tear resistance. Put together with two layers of polyester cord reinforcement, the material is incredibly durable and will last as long as the house. It also has an antimicrobial additive manufactured into the material, which prevents mold growth on the liner. 

Install a Sump Pump

Not any old sump pump will do in your crawlspace. Specially designed for crawlspaces, the SmartSump and the TripleSafe sump pumps pump the water out of the crawlspace automatically, without having to empty out buckets! We can also add a battery backup to the pumps in case the electricity goes out, ensuring that you will always have a dry crawlspace.

Install a Dehumidifier

Our SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier drains automatically into the sump pump, is Energy star rated, has simple automatic controls, and is the world’s most powerful dehumidifier for its size! With a dehumidifier, mold, mildew and musty odors don't stand a chance!

So if you would like to keep your home safe this fall and winter from water, give us a call to schedule your free estimate and find out what is going on underneath your home. We are more than happy to help you!