Causes of Crawl Space Problems
Water is arguably the worst thing that can enter a crawl space. It’s a catalyst for many different problems and can create unhealthy conditions.
What Causes Crawl Space Problems?
Crawl spaces can experience many different problems. The cause of these problems primarily comes from water intrusion or settlement. Both water and settlement can cause structural and health-related issues in your crawl space and cause serious problems for your home.
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Problems Caused from Water Intrusion
Water is arguably the worst thing that can enter a crawl space. It causes many different problems that can create unhealthy, unstable conditions throughout your home. In order to understand the problems that water causes, it’s equally important to understand how water enters a crawl space.
Water can enter a crawl space through the soil, from plumbing leaks, through cracks in foundation walls, or through crawl space vents.
Once the water has entered your crawl space, it can become stagnant and quickly cause many different problems. Mold and mildew can grow, musty odors can form, unwanted bugs or pests can invade, and water can weaken your wooden floor joists. To avoid these problems, it’s best to have a waterproofing system in place.
Aside from water damage, cracks or voids in your crawl space can also allow dangerous radon gases gases to enter. Radon is a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that can be very dangerous to your family’s health.
Problems Caused from Settlement
As the soils in the ground shift due to changing weather conditions, they can cause your home to settle into the ground as they can no longer support the weight of your home. The more soils settle, the more damage they can cause to your crawl space.
The walls and floor joists of your crawl space are built to withstand the weight of your home, but settlement can put massive amounts of added pressure on your crawl space and cause structural damage. Saturated floor joists become weak and can result in sagging or uneven floors inside your home.
Avoid Crawl Space Problems for a Healthy Home
Healthy Homes of Michigan has made it our priority to keep our customers’ homes safe and healthy. When it comes to crawl spaces, leave it to our experts to diagnose the problem and provide a recommendation for a proper solution. Contact us today for your evaluation!
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