Block Mold & Moisture with Crawl Space Encapsulation in Huntsville, AL
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Crawl space encapsulation is a topic that’s grabbing homeowner attention in the Huntsville, Alabama region. More Alabama property owners are looking for ways to protect their homes and prevent foundation damage from unwanted crawl space moisture.
In case you haven’t looked into crawl space encapsulation before, we’ve prepared this quick summary to explain what it is, how it works, and why it could be a good option for you.
Where does crawl space moisture come from?
Unwanted moisture in any form, from excess humidity to minor leaks to standing water, can lead to structural or health problems in your home. The longer moisture is allowed to collect in and around your crawl space, the more likely it is that costly damage can occur.
Here are 7 of the most common sources of crawl space moisture:
- Worn out or poorly installed rain gutters and downspouts
- Poor grading around the outside of your home
- Worn seals around doors, windows, panel covers, or access hatches
- Gaps around places where utility service lines enter your home
- Leaky water or sewer pipes or faulty plumbing connections
- Lack of adequate drainage inside or outside the crawl space
- Seasonal flooding or extreme weather events
Is my home at risk for unwanted crawl space moisture?
Unless there’s a major flood, crawl space moisture problems tend to build up gradually. Your individual risk depends a lot on where your home sits and what the main soil type is in your neighborhood. In the Huntsville region, the soil’s ability to hold and manage the ground water around your crawl space varies a lot depending on the local mix of sand, silt, loam, and clay.
The thing about water is that it’s going to find a way in unless you have the right preventive measures in place. Although early problems may not always be obvious, there are signs you can look for to catch moisture before it can do expensive damage.
- Musty odors that won’t go away
- Mineral deposits, stains, mold, mildew, or dusty “bloom” where water has been
- Traces of dry rot in hard to reach places, especially where joists and subfloors join
- New creaks in flooring, or areas that start to feel “spongy” to the step
- Visible cracks or gaps in seals around windows, doors, or utility pass-throughs
What should I do if I see moisture warning signs in my crawl space?
The most important thing you can do if you find any of the common crawl space moisture warning signs around your property is not to panic. Often these things can be caught and corrected before more expensive damage happens. That said, what you should do is make careful notes of what you find and contact a trusted professional to take a look. The longer you wait to check these issues out, the more likely it is that they’ll get worse over time.
With the right professional help, there are several ways to protect your home from the damaging effects of unwanted moisture. A few of them are things you can do yourself with inexpensive items from a hardware store or home improvement center. Others, like crawl space encapsulation, require an experienced professional touch.
- Exterior Drainage Improvements – make sure that the soil around your foundation slopes away from your home so that standing water can’t collect.
- Gutter Repair – inspect your rain gutters and downspouts at least once a year to make sure they’re in good shape and directing water away from the house.
- French Drains – these are small trenches, usually lined with perforated pipe and gravel that can be installed around the foundation exterior or inside your crawl space to safely draw larger amounts of excess water away from your house.
- Vapor Barriers – using high quality sealing materials and sheets of engineered waterproof film, expert installers can create a moisture-tight barrier that gives your entire crawl space year-round protection.
- Sump Pumps and Dehumidifiers – for more extensive waterproofing needs, especially when you have repeat seasonal moisture changes, you can have a sump pump and/or a dehumidifier sized for your home and installed for ongoing advanced moisture control.
How can I get more information about crawl space encapsulation?
There are a lot of home service companies out there who are eager to make a big-ticket sale and go on their way. SouthernDry is a family-owned business built on putting the customer first. Rather than pushing an expensive, one-size-fits-all solution on you, we’ll do a free evaluation and give you an honest breakdown of the options that will best fit your needs and budget.
We want to earn your business and our goal is to help you protect the life and value of your home. We provide complete crawl space encapsulation and foundation repair services, and we look forward to talking with you.
Call us today for a no-obligation inspection.