How Your Crawl Space Affects Your Home’s Air Quality

The old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind”, could apply quite well to many people’s crawl spaces. What they don’t imagine or realize is just how much of an impact a crawl space has on the air in their main living space.

What’s Happening Inside Too Many Crawl Spaces

What happens inside a crawl space is directly affected by the weather and temperatures outside of it. The most ventilation your crawl space receives probably comes from a conveniently-directed gust of wind or pressure changes. Even so, nearly all crawl spaces are not well-ventilated, and this causes stagnant air to gather inside.

Moisture is also drawn into the crawl space due to a few different factors:

• The dryness of the dirt inside it compared to the dirt around the foundation
• Your house drawing moisture up from the ground
• Warm, humid air on hot days entering the cooler environment of the crawl space through foundation vents, thereby increasing the humidity

When that moisture evaporates, the water vapor will rise and settle in various areas, such as the floor insulation or ductwork. In the warmer months, the increased humidity caused by warm air entering the crawl space results in condensation that can also settle on the ductwork and floor insulation, as well as the subfloor and floor joists.

What You Didn’t Want to Know About Your Crawl Space

If you have a crawl space, it’s probably not well-ventilated because most crawl spaces aren’t. This lack of ventilation results in stagnant air.

Now, remember that moisture and condensation we were just mentioning? Here’s the bad news: not only does the condensation lead to mold or even radon growth--the damp, musty environment being created down below along with all of that stagnant air becomes a habitat for unwanted pests, namely rodents and termites. In other words, your crawl space becomes an ideal environment for things far less than ideal.

How Crawl Space Air Gets into Your Home

You’ve probably experienced how upstairs rooms during summertime are a lot hotter than the rooms downstairs. This is because cooler air is drawn up from below as the warm air in your house rises. This is how that cooler air from your crawl space enters your house, which can be quite problematic if that air is smelly or of poor quality.

Using the exhaust fans in your bathroom or kitchen might worsen the problem. Running those fans creates negative pressure in your house, which will then pull in air from the outdoors and from your crawl space. If your HVAC system is located in the crawl space, even more of that dirty air might be finding its way into your house. Dank air can creep into leaks in your ductwork or air filter and then be circulated by your HVAC throughout the entire house.

In Need of a Clean Crawl Space?

If you’re noticing poor air quality, moisture issues, or bad odors in your home, a dirty crawl space might be the culprit. GreenPro offers professional, bio-friendly cleaning services, including an EPA-registered, non-toxic, chemical-free, botanical fungistat/disinfectant that kills 99.99% of harmful odor-causing bacteria.

Schedule your free inspection today!

3 Crawl Space Moisture Mistakes to Avoid

As a homeowner, the last thing you want in your crawl space is too much moisture. Whether in the form of water or vapor, excess moisture can lead to mold, structural damage, indoor air pollution, pest infestations, and other costly problems.

Here are some common mistakes you should avoid if you want to keep your crawl space clean, dry, and problem-free.

Not installing a water vapor barrier.

The ground is a huge natural source of water, and some of this moisture can evaporate straight into your crawl space. In areas where the water table is only slightly below ground level, as much as 12 gallons of water per day can evaporate. A vapor barrier is a thin sheet of polyethylene installed on the ground in your crawl space. When properly installed, these barriers can keep water in the ground and out of your home.

Venting appliances to the crawl space.

Appliances (such as your clothes dryer or home heating system) should always be vented directly to the outside, but many homeowners make the critical mistake of venting into their crawl space. This is a big problem for two reasons. First, the air that is vented is usually warm and humid, thus bringing more moisture into your crawl space. Second, and more importantly, these appliances may be producing carbon monoxide; a poisonous gas you want as far away from your home as possible.

Gutters and downspouts too close to the house.

Your gutter system isn't just for looks, it is an important component that helps protect your home from water damage. If your gutters are clogged, water could be pouring over the edge of your roof, dumping next to your foundation and seeping into your crawl space. Make sure your gutters are cleaned at least twice per year, and your downspouts are directing water far enough away from your home.

Has too much moisture led to problems in your crawl space? Contact Long Island's crawl space cleaning experts at GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration. If you live in Nassau County or Suffolk County, call us today for a free estimate at (631) 940-8100.

What You Don’t Know About Your Crawl Space

Your crawl space is something most people don’t think about, but when ignored, it can become a major problem. Crawl spaces generally have very high humidity, which is open season for mold and other microbial infestations. Mold needs the same things we do to grow: food and water. Its food is the wood around your crawl space, and its water is contained within the humidity in the air.

Let's take a deeper look into common crawl space problems and potential solutions!

Bulk Water

Standing water in your crawl space is a huge no no. Builders sometimes ignore crawl spaces because they are not used frequently, but you can’t afford make that mistake. If a crawl space is not water-proofed, any kind of drainage problem or leak could lead to disaster.

Moisture Evaporation

Soil evaporation can also be a significant source of crawlspace moisture. In areas where the water table is only slightly below ground level, this is a particularly big problem. In these types of areas, the ground can evaporate up to 12 gallons of water a day.

Outdoor Air

Some people think that bringing in air from the outside will help alleviate the moisture problems in your crawl space, but this isn’t always the case. When you bring in air through the use of vents, you are actually increasing the relative humidity in your crawl space. Cold air can not hold as much moisture as warm air, so when you bring hot summer air into a colder environment (like your crawl space), it increases the humidity. This is bad news for you because as we know, mold and bacteria love humidity!

The Solution

There are a few things you can do to alleviate your crawl space moisture problems; the first is properly maintaining your plumbing. Drainage leaks lead to severe water damage that can permanently derail a crawl space. To solve the evaporation problem, you should equip your crawl space with a professionally-installed vapor barrier. This thin sheet of high-density polyethylene keeps groundwater in the ground and out of your home.

If you live on Long Island, trust GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration to help you with all of your crawl space problem. We offer vapor barrier installations, mold removal, and crawl space cleaning services to homes across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Call us today for a free quote at (631) 940-8100.