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Crawl Space Waterproofing

Musty Crawl Space Warning Signs

residential crawl space that isn’t properly ventilated or taken care of can attract a lot of fungus, decay, bugs, reptiles, and rodents, as well as many other unwanted critters. They are attracted to the warm and moist conditions of the crawl space and start calling the new area their home. This also means that your family is breathing in this moist, humid air that probably contains many mold spores. Mold spores can cause serious health problems for your family, especially if they have chronic breathing conditions such as asthma. Crawl space musty odors can also trigger many allergies and severe respiratory infections.

Crawl space musty odors can also trigger many allergies and severe respiratory infections.

Steve Younker, Owner of MD Waterproofing

An unventilated and moisture-filled crawl space can also cause you to have astronomical heating and cooling costs each month. A crawl space without ventilation can take away all the warmth in the summer and the cooling effect in winter with uncomfortable humidity levels. This is why we have professional crawl space installation crews for placing vapor barriers or encapsulation systems in your family’s crawl space area.

Sagging Floors

Often times, homeowners tend to ignore their sagging floor issues and consider it a characteristic of just owning an older home. We cannot stress enough how important it is to address all sagging floor issues as soon as you notice that something isn’t right.

Sagging or sloping floors in your home can be due to:

  • Inadequate or failing support beams
  • Inadequate foundation installation
  • Termite damage
  • Dry rot
  • Water seepage
  • Poor soil compaction
  • Improper landscape drainage
  • Excess moisture pooling around the foundation
  • Foundation cracks
  • Deteriorating wood support structures
  • Improperly installed floor joists
  • Improper installation of the floor itself

Understandably, it’s not very simple to estimate the actual cost of our sagging floor repair services, but our foundation repair specialists will be able to give you an estimate once they have been able to evaluate the damage.

Condensation

Moisture in your home’s crawl space can come from three sources: condensation from the air, water seepage through foundation walls, and leaks from plumbing pipes. It’s very rare for moisture to come from other sources than the ones listed above.

You may be wondering what’s so bad about crawl space moisture. There’s actually a lot that is bad about crawl space moisture. High amounts of moisture in a crawl space allows for the destruction of wood by fungi, insects, and termites. Crawl space moisture can also lead to the growth of mold and mildew. When you have mold in your crawl space, it means that you also have poor indoor air quality. Mold spores are released into the air and this is what you breathe in. Mold can cause respiratory problems for individuals with pre-existing chronic breathing conditions such as asthma.

Even what is referred to as “dry rot” requires high moisture levels in the area to occur. Sometimes, it’s possible that you don’t even notice the dry rot occurring in your crawl space area. All of the floor joists will appear to be fine. However, inside of the wood, rotting is beginning to occur.

For more information about crawl space condensation, please contact us to make an appointment.

Water in Crawl Space

Standing water in your home’s crawl space may lead to a wide assortment of structural problems and even health concerns for your loved ones. Excess humidity in your crawl space will form due to the evaporation of stagnant water in your home’s crawl space. This standing water may also act as a breeding ground for mold and mildew growth.

Water in crawl spaces can also cause water damage, warping, or even buckling of the sub-flooring of your greatest investment–your home. This typically occurs near the area where your home’s floors and walls come together. Naturally, all of these crawl space moisture issues can potentially create unhealthy indoor air quality and living conditions for your family.

Water in crawl spaces can also cause water damage, warping, or even buckling of the sub-flooring of your greatest investment–your home.

Steve Younker, Owner of MD Waterproofing

Standing water in your crawl space can compromise your home’s structural integrity over time if you leave it untreated. After years, this may even make your home uninhabitable. Obviously, this is not something you want for yourself or for your family. You’ve worked hard to make your home what it is today, so don’t let it become ruined with excess crawl space moisture.

Foundation Cracks

Crawl space problems can sometimes be caused by foundation cracks or poorly installed foundations, especially in the soil which contains clay materials. The dirt floor of a crawlspace can become infiltrated with moisture if the area hasn’t been set up with a vapor barrier or encapsulation system. Serious moisture problems can result and this means that your foundation walls will be subject to a lot of moisture which it may not be used to. This moisture can cause foundation cracks which may be small at first, but if left untreated may grow into larger cracks where water can easily get in. With more water entering the crawl space area, the damage begins to spiral out of control.

If you have utility components in your wet crawlspace with foundation cracks, corrosion may begin forming on the pipes, fittings, valves, and any various metal parts which are exposed in the crawl space.

Please contact us for more details about foundation cracks and their effect on your crawl space. We look forward to helping you soon with all of your home repair issues.

Moldy Crawl Space

A crawl space is a handy resource for any homeowner living in IA who has one. Crawl spaces make for easy access to certain utility components and you may even use them for storage. However, a crawl space that isn’t properly ventilated will typically have a moisture problem. Over time, this moisture can act as a breeding ground for the development of dangerous mold.
Why Mold is a Problem

Crawl space mold can become a severe and dangerous problem for a homeowner because it can create unhealthy indoor air for your home and its inhabitants. Your crawl space can become very moist due to outdoor air conditions, soil conditions (clay soils), and plumbing leaks. With excessive crawl space moisture, mold will be taking over space with a vengeance. Crawl space mold can be damaging to your home’s structure, your flooring, and anything else located in the area. Mold feeds on organic materials, such as wood, and when it’s damp it provides the perfect environment for growth.

If you believe you have a moldy crawl space, you need to know that it will eventually spread to the rest of your family’s home. Research shows that nearly half of the air you breathe in your home comes from the space beneath it (your crawl space). This means that the air you breathe may be infiltrated with mold spores. Mold can cause headaches, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, fevers, breathing problems, and a wide range of other health issues.

Contact us today to have your moldy crawl space fixed once and for all.

Wood Rot

Maryland Waterproofing knows that a crawl space is an area located underneath the structure of your family’s residence. A majority of older homes in Maryland which are built without a concrete slab beneath them have a dirt floor. Crawl spaces without proper ventilation and a dirt floor are susceptible to wood rot or dry rot.

dirt crawl space floor is part of nature, and unfortunately can be quickly affected by the outside weather conditions at your home by things such as rainfall, snowfall, heat, cold air, and moisture. Most of the time, moisture from the dirt (clay soil) can and will eventually cause rot to the sill plates, floor joists and girders underneath your house.

What is Wood Rot?

Wood rot is able to develop from a tiny organism which is in relation to the fungi group. Fungi tend to grow and reproduce easily when there’s the right amount of moisture, oxygen, humidity, and “food.”

Contact Maryland Waterproofing Inc today to schedule a FREE Evaluation of your crawl space.