Technical Papers

Crawl Space Repair - Identifying moisture issues in your crawl space even when it is dry

Wednesday, July 1st, 2020 by Levi Brewer

Imagine this. You have an inspector come and inspect your home. He tells you there are moisture issues with the crawl space. He recommends you call a crawl space company to come and inspect the crawl space. He tells you they will discuss the issues and go over solutions. We send our very best inspector out and they inspect the crawl space. But how in the world does the crawl space inspector tell there are issues with moisture in the crawl space when it is dry? We will go over 3 ways we can tell there are moisture issues in the crawl space. 

1: Water Lines on crawlspace walls and floor

A picture is the best way to describe this indicator. As you can see there are stain marks on the concrete crawl space walls. These show us that, at some point, water flooded the crawl space up to these points and stayed for some time. Enough time to stain concrete. Depending on how far these stains go up the wall we can tell if there is a considerable amount of water entering the crawl space or just a little bit. Also as you can see by the red arrow, the dirt has had water flow over it towards the sump pump, leaving behind a clear indicator that water flowed over it. These indicators tell us that when the rains hit, this crawl space sees a lot of water.

 Identifying moisture issues in your crawl space even when it is dry - Image 1

2: Mold Growth

Another Good indicator is mold growth. In order for mold to grow it needs water or a relative humidity of 80%. It is very clear when we see mold in a crawl space that there is some form of a moisture issue. It may be flooding or it may just be very damp soil producing high humidity. Whatever the cause maybe it is a sign that there are moisture issues in the crawl space. mold can grow in many forms. in most crawl spaces we see white mold growth. This mold can lead to poor health of the residents living in the home and decay the wood framing under the home. It is very important this gets fixed as soon as possible. Here in the picture is a good example of mold growth.

Identifying moisture issues in your crawl space even when it is dry - Image 2

3: Musty Smell

Have you ever smelled a musty, damp, and moldy smell in your home? If you have it, is more than likely coming from the crawl space. Did you know that a good percentage of the air you breathe in your home comes from the crawl space? This is why it is so important to know the state of your crawl space. mold can lead to health issues and moisture can destroy the underneath of your home, leaving behind a nasty smell. 

Identifying moisture issues in your crawl space even when it is dry - Image 3

We can solve your crawl space issues!

If you would like to solve your crawl space issues today, give us a call or click the button to get a FREE inspection and quote. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Taking care of your crawl space will protect your home investment and protect your family. 

 

 

 

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Clean CrawlSpace Inc.
3100 Dutton Ave. Ste. 142E
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
1-707-706-6677


Clean CrawlSpace Inc.
747 E Brokaw Rd
San Jose, CA 95112
1-408-650-8110
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