Are You Breathing Moldy Crawl Space Air Without Realizing It?
Some of the air in your home’s crawl space flows into your home’s living area via the “stack effect.”
If your crawl space is full of mold, the air in the crawl space will contain mold spores, which means the air in your home’s living area will also. Air full of mold spores and other allergens can cause allergic reactions and serious respiratory problems for anyone living in the home.
A Crawl Space Dehumidifier Helps Prevent Mold From Growing In A Crawl Space
A crawl space dehumidifier installed in an encapsulated crawl space will prevent the humidity level in the crawl space from going over 50%, thereby preventing the formation of mold.
Breathe Clean, Mold-Free Air With A Crawl Space Dehumidifier
A crawl space dehumidifier means low humidity in the crawl space, meaning only clean, dry, mold-free air will enter your home’s living area.
Sources Of Crawl Space Moisture
The most common sources of crawl space moisture include the following:
- Open vents that allow warm, humid air to enter the crawl space and condense on cooler surfaces - At one time, vents were considered essential to keep a crawl space dry. Today, vented crawl spaces are correctly seen as one cause of excess crawl space moisture.
- Condensation around ductwork
- Plumbing leaks
- Moisture from the crawl space’s dirt floor
- Excess moisture in the soil around the home’s foundation
- High groundwater level
Why You Don’t Want A Humid Crawl Space
A damp, humid crawl space is the perfect petri dish for mold, wood rot, and pest infestation. It can not only affect the health of you and your family but can also cause damage to the wooden structures in the crawl space leading to things like rotten support piers. Since the crawl space support piers hold up your home, you want them to be solid and structurally sound.
A humid crawl space can also affect energy costs since damp air is harder to heat and cool. While we can’t guarantee it, customers have told us their energy costs were reduced after encapsulating their crawl space and installing a dehumidifier.
Signs You Might Need a Crawl Space Dehumidifier
Common signs you might need a crawl space dehumidifier include:
Your home smells musty
A musty odor in your living area could mean there’s mold in the crawl space.
The humidity inside your home is higher than it should be
Since humid air costs more to heat and cool, you might notice that your energy bills have increased.
There’s visible wood rot in the crawl space
Never enter your home’s crawl space without wearing protective clothing and a respirator.
You’re having pest problems in your home
Pests such as rodents and termites love damp, humid crawl spaces.
There’s rust on metal structures in the crawl space.
Your floors feel spongy when you walk on them
While this isn’t necessarily a sign of a damp crawl space, it indicates something’s wrong with the support piers. The cause could be excess moisture in the soil.
There’s condensation in your home.
You see mold on the baseboards or floor above the crawl space
This strongly indicates mold in the crawl space.
The home’s residents suffer from allergies or respiratory problems
