Identify the Signs of a Damaged and Harmful Crawl Space

Moisture and Condensation

Most often, moisture gets into your crawl space when water seeps through the foundation walls, or leaks out of pipes below your home. Moisture can also get in when humid air travels through open crawl space vents, a commonly overlooked problem.

High amounts of moisture in a crawl space allow pests, like rodents, spiders, and termites, to thrive. Over time, insects can deteriorate the wooden supports holding your house up.

Crawl space moisture also promotes the growth of mold and mildew, which means poor indoor air quality. If you or a family member have noticed an increase in allergies, asthma symptoms, or chronic respiratory infections, you should have your crawl space inspected immediately.

Excessive Water or Flooding

This one kind of seems like a no-brainer but a lot of homeowners are unaware that they have standing water in their crawl space. Along with the previously mentioned mold problems, large amounts of water can cause warping and buckling of your home’s sub-flooring.

This is most likely in corners or areas where floors and walls meet. If left untreated, mold will continue to develop and evolve and your home’s structure will become extremely unsafe.

Cracks in the Foundation

The dirt floor of a crawl space can easily become permeated with moisture if the area doesn’t have a vapor barrier or encapsulation system. Again, serious moisture problems can result and your foundation walls will be subject to a lot of moisture which will widen cracks over time and let in more water.

With more and more water entering the crawl space, the damage will begin to snowball out of control. Utility components in your wet crawl space may begin to show corrosion on pipes, fittings, valves, and other metal parts.

Sagging or Sloping Floors

Even if you own an older house, sagging floors are never a good thing. There is something wrong and, even if it isn’t due to a damaged crawl space, the problem needs to be addressed. There are a plethora of reasons your home’s floors could be sagging or sloping any of which could be due to a damaged crawl space.

Repair Crawl Space Damage With AquaGuard

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Ted Dryce

Content Writer

Ted is an SEO Content Writer who has been with Groundworks since 2021. He’s covered home repair topics ranging from crawl space encapsulation to regional soil conditions. When he’s not working, Ted is performing improv comedy and working on his own creative projects.