3 Ways Weather Can Affect Your Crawlspace

Because many crawlspaces are not nearly as well protected, waterproofed, and insulated as the homes they sit underneath, weather can greatly affect their condition. Unfortunately, if a crawlspace is negatively affected by weather, it can then transfer those negative effects to the rest of your home.

Here are three of the ways that weather can negatively impact the condition of a crawlspace.

High Humidity

It’s easy for humidity to get trapped in your crawlspace if it lacks a proper source of ventilation. The warm air that’s holding all of that moisture rises toward your home, where it can start to permeate up through your floors and walls. This excess moisture can rot wood and drywall and cause black mold growth that can threaten your home’s structural integrity.

Rain

If rain ends up entering your crawlspace and pooling there, it can create some of the problems mentioned above, similar to high humidity. However, persistent puddles of water can lead to an additional problem that no homeowner or landlord wants: pests. Rodents and insects are drawn to damp places, and a wet crawlspace can provide these pests with the perfect hiding place.

Cold

Did you know that the cold air that enters your unfinished crawlspace will inevitably enter your home and make your home colder? This phenomenon, known as the “stack effect,” occurs whether you’ve insulated the floor above your crawlspace or not.

Here is how the stack effect works in a home:

• Warm air rises. In a home, warm air rises through the home’s attic (or whatever constitutes the top level of the home). That air can be pushed out through a number of sources: open or unsealed windows, small gaps, vents, etc.
• As the warm air rises out of your home, air from below (cooler air) moves in to take its place from your home’s lower levels, including the crawlspace.

Cold air and humidity aren’t the only things that can enter your home from the crawlspace. The air that rises up can also bring bad smells, dust mite feces, and mold spores with it. For this reason, it’s important to keep your crawlspace clean and free of excess moisture.

Common Crawl Space Problems

As Long Island's premier crawl space cleaning service for the past decade, we have seen our fair share of issues. Many crawl spaces are built on dirt floors, and most homeowners tend to neglect them. When this happens several problems can occur, such as these.

Moisture

High humidity tends to be the most common problem in crawl spaces. If you do not have a vapor barrier installed, moisture from the ground can evaporate into your crawl space. Warm air from the outside also enters your crawl during the summer months, which leads to even higher humidity levels. The real problem with excess moisture is that it leads to the other problems listed below.

Pests

Many creepy crawlies are attracted to dark, humid climates. Your crawl space fits this description perfectly. An insect infestation isn't just gross, but some kinds of bugs (such as termites) can actually cause structural damage to your home.

Mold

Mold can grow virtually anywhere moisture is present, and your crawl space is no exception. Mold can compromise the structural integrity of your home and make your family sick. It is believed that more than half of the air you breathe on the first floor comes from your crawl space; you don't want that air to be contaminated with mold spores.

Rotting Wood

Fungal growth eats away at wood, deteriorating it to the point where it may eventually disintegrate. You can see how mold can quickly become a serious problem if it is growing on your home's support beams. If you notice mold growing in your crawl space, call a professional service to remove it immediately.

If you live in Long Island and are experiencing any of these problems, contact the crawl space cleaning professionals at Green Pro Cleaning & Restoration. We serve all of Nassau and Suffolk County, and only use environmentally-friendly products to get the job done. Call us at (631) 940-8100 for a free quote.