Your crawl space is important. Many people might have an “out of sight out of mind” approach to the area below their home but this can lead to severe issues down the road. Taking care of your crawl space is the same as taking care of your house, your family, and your future.
A crawl space drainage system creates a way for pooling water to escape. An abundance of rain can create leakage problems in your crawl space. Perhaps the door becomes flooded. Or maybe your foundation walls have a slight leak.
Or, perhaps a pipe running underneath your house begins leaking or even bursts.
This is going to put a lot of water into your crawl space. And if you don’t have a crawl space drainage system, that water is going to stay right there for a long time. Evaporation moves very slowly without any direct sunlight.
Your drainage system will direct this water to a pump, where it will be removed quickly and cleanly from your crawl space.
But what are the benefits of this type of system? Is it essential?
Foundational Stability
The supports underneath your house are most likely made of wood. These joists are responsible for the overall stability of your home. And if these joists become compromised, it can grow to become a large issue. This could result in costly repairs and noticeable damage to your home.
Moist wood begins to rot. And rotting wood isn’t as structurally sound as healthy wood. The presence of water in your crawl space becomes a danger to everything it comes in contact with. Standing water that touches any wood can create large problems. And even if the wood is elevated above the water, humidity can put that moisture into the air and create issues with the supports underneath your home.
Contact Crawlspace Doctor to learn more about installing a crawl space drainage system!
Avoiding Mold
Mold and wood rot are often mentioned in conjunction with each other. This is because they often affect the same area and are often the result of the same problem. A moist and humid crawl space is the perfect atmosphere to support the growth of mold.
Keeping your crawl space dry is the best way to avoid the presence and continued growth of sections of mold. This mold can be a danger not only to the structural integrity of the wood underneath your home, it can create health problems for anybody inside your home.
Reduction of Odors
People don’t like to go into their crawl spaces because they don’t like the atmosphere down there. One of the popular complaints is that they don’t like the way it smells. A reduction in standing water will avoid the scenarios in which bad smells are created and allowed to grow.
These odors are unpleasant when visiting the crawl space. However, they can also be noticed from the living quarters inside the home if the problems are not addressed. Keeping your crawl space in good shape will also help your home avoid the presence of unpleasant and foul odors.
Air Quality
These odors are the result of mold, rot, and other nasty substances that feed on the moisture. And if these negative qualities exist in the crawl space, they also exist within your home. In fact, about 40% of the air we breathe inside our homes comes straight from the crawl space. So if your crawl space is funky, so is your home.
The things that cause bad smells and mold degrade the quality of the air we breathe. This can lead to health issues over time if the problems are not addressed.
Reduction of Pests
Rodents, bugs, and spiders often take up residence in crawl spaces. However, they will only do this if the area is hospitable to their wants and needs. A water supply is important for just about everything that lives, including pests. And they have an unfortunate tendency to move in packs.
Insects feed off of things such as wood, and spiders feed off of insects. Rodents, in turn, will feed on these creatures as well as hiding in the exposed areas of your crawl space. Not only are these pests an uneasy living partner, they can create dangerous conditions. Avoid giving them the water source they need to survive by installing a crawl space drainage system.
Energy Savings
Crawl space drainage systems are installed in conjunction with encapsulation. This process seals up your crawl space and keeps it from being exposed to external elements. Homeowners see the results of this in their energy bills each month.
Not only are you saving your home from exposure to moisture, you are saving your home exposure to summer heat and winter chills. A well-regulated temperature inside your home is beneficial not only to your level of comfort, but also to your energy bills.